Following its January launch, Stripes Beauty now has national reach through Ulta Beauty’s online channel and a curated in-store presence tied to the retailer’s expanding wellness strategy. Products have debuted in select Wellness by Ulta Beauty locations, a concept designed to bring supplements, intimate care and topical solutions together in one retail environment.
“Launching Stripes at Ulta Beauty is a huge milestone for us because it represents expanded access to solutions for midlife wellness that have been overlooked for far too long,” Cara Kamenev, Stripes Beauty Global Brand President and CEO, told CosmeticsDesign. “We created Stripes to meet women where they are – not in a niche corner of the internet, but on the same shelves as every other major beauty and wellness category.”
The assortment includes the brand’s body care, intimate wellness and ingestible products, reflecting Stripes’ full-body approach to menopause-related needs.
Retail strategy resonating with Gen X consumer power
Industry data suggests the timing of the Ulta Beauty partnership aligns with broader shifts in category demand among Gen X consumers. According to a recent analysis from NielsenIQ (NIQ), Gen X shoppers will account for roughly one-quarter of total beauty spend in 2025, and their expenditure is projected to grow by about $80 billion over the next five years.
“In 2025, Gen X will spend an estimated $15.2 trillion … and remain the highest-spending generation in the next decade,” Tara James Taylor, Global SVP, Beauty Vertical at NIQ, told CosmeticsDesign US in August 2025, citing data from World Data Lab.
Gen X, now largely “midlife” in their forties and fifties, prioritizes products that balance benefits with simplicity, legacy with innovation, and “luxury with accessibility,” Taylor noted.
“For manufacturers and suppliers, understanding Gen X’s values and spending patterns is increasingly critical as they shape category growth,” she added, referencing NIQ’s findings.
Building on specialty and investment momentum
The Ulta Beauty rollout follows Stripes Beauty’s earlier entry into specialty retail through Credo, where the brand was positioned as the retailer’s first menopause-focused line. That launch signaled early interest from clean and prestige retailers in dedicating shelf space to midlife consumers.
At the same time, the company has been scaling its operations and distribution with backing from L Catterton, which formed a strategic partnership with the brand alongside founder Naomi Watts.
The brand’s progressive success can be viewed as an indicator that menopause and healthy aging are moving from emerging concepts toward structured categories with long-term growth potential, a sentiment echoed by Kamenev.
“This launch is about normalizing the conversation around midlife and making high-quality, clinically-backed products available to women everywhere,” she said. “Seeing Stripes on Ulta Beauty’s shelves is incredibly meaningful because it signals that midlife deserves the same design, visibility, and retail presence as any other stage of life.”
Evolving omnichannel shopping and category innovation
NIQ’s research also points to Gen X’s omnichannel shopping habits, with significant spending occurring both online and in physical retail. “They aren’t just choosing between online and offline – they’re seamlessly moving between platforms,” Taylor said, a dynamic that could reinforce the value of Stripes’ dual presence on ulta.com and in stores.
“We’ve always believed these solutions should be easy to find, beautifully designed, and treated as essential – not hidden,” Kamenev said. “This launch is about bringing midlife further into the heart of traditional retail and igniting real cultural change for years to come.”
