If you are a fan of Kim Kardashian West's KKW Beauty brand, this news is about to make your year. KKW Beauty is coming to Ulta this fall. Both the brand and the retailer confirmed the news of their partnership via posts on their official social media feeds. KKW Beauty will be sold in all stores but the brand didn't reveal which products in its wide assortment would be occupying Ulta shelf space, when they will arrive, or if they will be sold online. KKW Beauty simply stated that that more details are coming soon. However, it's a safe bet to assume that the products will cruise into Ulta stores in time for the holiday shopping rush.
Bustle reached out to reps for both KKW Beauty and Ulta for further information on this exciting alliance. No additional details are available as of press time, according to the email response from KKW Beauty's team.
This isn't the first time that KKW products have been sold at the beauty behemoth, though. KKW Beauty fragrances were sold at Ulta locations during the 2018 holiday season. However, aside from some limited popup shops in Los Angeles, KKW Beauty has largely functioned as a digitally native brand since launching last year.
The Ulta partnership marks the first time that customers nationwide can test, swatch, and feel KKW Beauty's color products.
This team up eliminates guess work and avoids shoppers being left with a lipstick, eyeshadow, or concealer that sits unused in a drawer because the color tones pulled too warm or too cool when they tried it on after receiving it in the mail.
While the ability to experience the products and shades and to see how they work with your skin tone or interact with your body chemistry is major, this partnership also increases KKW's already considerable visibility and reach. It makes the brand available to an even wider customer base that prefers to shop for makeup in actual stores.
So if you've been eyeing the brand’s Crème Contour Sticks, the Body Collection, or the new Mattes Collection eyeshadow palettes but couldn't commit to a purchase because you weren't sure which colors would work best, you now have the option to try before you buy.
The KKW x Ulta relationship calls attention to other important aspects of the retailer's ethos and business model. Ulta is clearly committed to giving its customers an IRL experience with products and brands outside of Instagram swatch photos and YouTube influencer tutorials. Ulta has warmly welcomed a diverse array of indie cosmetics companies which were previously online-only into its orbit and has provided a physical space for the dedicated fanbases of these powerhouse brands.
Last fall, Ulta began selling select Kylie Cosmetics. Select Lip Kits shades were available in stores and online. The retailer has steadily increased its assortment of Kylie Cosmetics offerings over time, adding eyeshadow palettes, lip glosses, bullet lipsticks, blushes, and more to its shelves in 2019.
Ulta also stocks ColourPop, which got its start as an online-only brand that was beloved by millennials and more for its trendy but affordable and high-quality products. Shoppers can now grab ColourPop eyeshadow palettes, singles, lipsticks in all sort of finishes and formulas, and beyond at Ulta.
Kim K's KKW Beauty is the "ulta-mate" addition to Ulta's stable of digitally native brands.
