Ulta Beauty has officially launched UB Marketplace, a curated third-party platform integrated into ulta.com and the Ulta Beauty app, designed to expand the retailer’s reach across beauty, wellness and adjacent lifestyle categories.
The move is part of the company’s Ulta Beauty Unleashed strategy and is powered by French cloud-based e-commerce software company Mirakl.
Ulta’s curated approach to third-party retail
Unlike open marketplaces such as Amazon, UB Marketplace is limited to brands selected by invitation, excluding third-party resellers to ensure high standards of performance and product quality. Brands interested in being considered must apply through Ulta’s website, and only those meeting the company’s criteria will be invited to join.
This model, the company said, helps ensure product authenticity and a consistent consumer experience.
“UB Marketplace allows us to deliver more newness, faster entry into emerging subcategories and trends, and deeper category authority – while keeping the guest experience unmistakably Ulta Beauty,” Lauren Brindley, chief merchandising and digital officer at Ulta Beauty, shared in the company’s press announcement.
According to the company, the platform is built to maintain full integration with Ulta Beauty’s existing systems, including search, cart, checkout and Ulta Beauty Rewards. Orders made through UB Marketplace are eligible for returns both by mail and at over 1,400 Ulta stores, with logistics supported by Happy Returns.
Launch partners and brand categories
At launch, UB Marketplace features over 100 brands across segments including luxury, global beauty, men’s grooming, wellness, and pro tools. The company’s press release confirmed that new additions include clean nail care brand Manucurist, luxury home fragrance label Apotheke, grooming brands ATWATER and Oars + Alps, lash and brow specialist Babe Lash, French pharmacy staples Nuxe and A313, clean skincare brand Ogee, and K-beauty-inspired Saturday Skin.
These brands are accessible on the New Arrivals page of Ulta.com, with Ulta planning to expand the assortment over the next 12 to 18 months.
Platform designed to accelerate innovation and loyalty
Ulta Beauty emphasized the speed-to-market potential for emerging brands using the UB Marketplace model. In addition to rapid onboarding, the platform connects brands to Ulta’s 45+ million Rewards members and leverages data and fulfillment tools supported by Mirakl.
“The launch of UB Marketplace is certainly a bold play,” Will Glynn-Jones, co-founder of Send Me a Sample, told CosmeticsDesign. “Looking at its intended proposition (from what we know so far), it’s looking to give brands a curated storefront, using Ulta’s credibility as a halo.”
For beauty brands, “it could be an opportunity to bypass Amazon’s more commoditised channel and play in a beauty-specialist space,” he continued. “The offer of Ulta’s unified cart and loyalty integration can also position it as a more brand-friendly alternative in beauty retail.”
