SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, fast growing beauty brand, Julep announced a national retail distribution partnership with Ulta Beauty, the largest beauty retailer in the U.S. with 886 retail stores across 48 states. Working with its customers, Julep has selected 57 of its most popular items for Ulta Beauty including its cult favorite Love Your Bare Face Cleansing Oil, It’s Whipped Matte Lip Mousse, which Julep co-created with its customers, as well as three Trend in 10 color kits developed exclusively for Ulta Beauty.
A true “social brand”, Julep leverages crowdsourcing and social feedback to develop its beauty and skincare products. Starting with small batch production, Julep tests the market with its popular monthly Julep Beauty Box subscription community and only manufactures large volumes if the product is a highly rated hit. Julep has selected its most popular products to feature in 250 Ulta Beauty stores and online at ulta.com. Expansions to further stores will continue, with 300 by the end of 2016 and more in 2017. The initial store locations represent key markets for Julep’s highly engaged online customer base.
“Our Julep Mavens are an integral part of our innovation team,” said Jane Park, founder and CEO of Julep Beauty. “We engage with them on everything from favorite beauty trends to what is frustrating about the products currently in their makeup bag. When we asked them where they shop for beauty, their overwhelming response was Ulta Beauty.”
"Ulta Beauty is committed to continuing to provide women access to the very best in beauty," said Tara Simon, senior vice president, Ulta Beauty prestige merchandising. "Julep is a truly unique brand lead by a visionary leader, Jane Park who has a gift of finding meaningful ways to connect and engage with women. Julep’s use of social platforms is a great example as they routinely incorporate customer insights to develop their products. Our decision to partner with Julep is a reflection of our commitment to provide our guests with the most innovative beauty products and a deeply personalized experience both in store and online."
“It’s exciting to work with such a highly collaborative partner – Ulta Beauty’s fast growth goes hand in hand with a culture of supporting innovation and the uniqueness of emerging brands,” continued Park. “We’re excited to co-create with their guests and to share the best of our social innovation with them.”
Julep: A True Social Beauty Brand.
- Former Starbucks executive and busy mom Jane Park founded Julep in 2007 with three unique Seattle nail parlors where women could connect with each other and experiment with new looks.
- In 2011, Julep launched its monthly beauty box subscription program featuring new collections of full-sized Julep beauty and nail products. Julep subscribers (known as “Mavens”) can choose from specially curated beauty boxes to fit their personal style or they can even fully customize their box each month.
- Julep’s goal is to bring women into the center of the beauty conversation, encouraging them to share experiences and product feedback. Whether it’s voting in Beauty Lab surveys, posting questions and swatches on the “Julep Chat with Jane” Facebook group or posting #ManiMonday pics with their favorite new polish, Julep Mavens love to share feedback — and the brand is always listening.
Ulta Beauty: All Things Beauty. All in One Place™.
- Ulta Beauty is the largest beauty retailer in the United States and the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products and salon services. Since opening its first store in 1990, Ulta Beauty has grown to become the top national retailer providing All Things Beauty, All in One Place™. The Company offers more than 20,000 products from over 500 well-established and emerging beauty brands across all categories and price points, including Ulta Beauty’s own private label.
- Ulta Beauty also offers a full-service salon in every store featuring hair, skin and brow services. Ulta Beauty is recognized for its commitment to personalized service, fun and inviting stores and its industry-leading Ultamate Rewards loyalty program.
- As of May 26, 2016 Ulta Beauty operates 886 retail stores across 48 states and also distributes its products through its website, which includes a collection of tips, tutorials and social content. For more information, visit www.ulta.com.
About Julep Beauty Inc.
Founded in 2007 by Jane Park, Julep is the world’s fastest-growing omnichannel beauty brand. Taking a social approach to product development, Julep is the only beauty brand that creates new products based on authentic, crowdsourced customer feedback. Julep launches more than 300 branded, toxin-free nail, color cosmetics and skincare products each year launching first with its Julep Beauty Box subscription program as well as inviting women to shop in select national outlets such as Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom and QVC. Based in Seattle, Julep has raised nearly $56M in venture funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Madrona, and Maveron.
