The partnership, announced Tuesday (June 23), is designed to bring a “curated” selection of Bath & Body Works body care and home fragrance products to more than 600 Ulta Beauty stores around the country, as well as to Ulta.com, starting July 12.
“The collaboration reflects the company’s focus on building the foundation to reposition Bath & Body Works from a specialty retailer into a category‑leading global brand,” the company said in a news release. “It also marks an important step in its Consumer First Formula, expanding access to the brand in one of the country’s leading beauty discovery destinations.”
As America’s largest specialty beauty retailer in the U.S. and a top destination for brand discovery, Ulta gives Bath & Body Works access to highly engaged consumers who shop across categories, frequently test and explore new products, and keep an eye out for high-quality, ingredient-led beauty brands, according to the release.
“Home fragrance is a really important part of the industry, and it’s not an area that Ulta has played in all that much, so we see a real opportunity,” Bath & Body Works CEO Daniel Heaf said in an interview with Reuters.
Bath & Body Works began selling products on Amazon in February, and the eCommerce platform is helping Bath & Body Works “bring new consumers to the brand,” Heaf said.
“Amazon is about convenience,” he said. “Ulta Beauty is about discovery, trial, and the physical experience. It gives the consumers a chance to see the brand, smell the fragrances and interact with the assortment.”
Added Ulta Beauty Chief Merchandising and Digital Officer Lauren Brindley, “We see a meaningful whitespace opportunity to better serve guests across high-quality home fragrance, hand soaps, lotions and body care, categories that beautifully complement our assortment.”
With this partnership, the companies are courting consumers who might be scrutinizing purchases more closely, but are still spending nonetheless, as PYMNTS wrote last week
Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed retail and food services sales totaling $763.7 billion in May, up 0.9% from April and 6.9% compared to the same month in 2025.
Research by PYMNTS Intelligence shows that even as consumers cut back, there are some categories that remain off limits in terms of reduced spending, including personal care, cited by 56% of the people surveyed.
