This week, I attended Cécred’s hush-hush Ulta Beauty launch event in Los Angeles, which was hosted by Beyoncé, Tina Knowles, Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman and Cécred CEO Grace Ray. The influencer-focused event is just one pillar of an in-depth launch strategy for the retailer’s new tentpole brand, which Steelman predicts will be the retailer’s largest launch in history.
Additionally, Unilever acquires refillable brand Wild, and consumer sentiment tanks amid growing tariffs.
Beyoncé, Tina Knowles and a who’s who of Ulta Beauty execs welcomed Cécred onto the retailer’s shelves on Sunday
Cécred and Ulta Beauty pulled out all the stops to celebrate its official launch of Cécred hair care on Sunday night, including an influencer-focused event with a personal appearance by founder Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, a hair show hosted by vice chairwoman Tina Knowles and a who’s who of Ulta Beauty’s executive team.
“This actually could be [Ulta Beauty’s] largest launch, period, in our history, because I have a little fun fact for you,” Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman said during her event welcome speech Sunday. “I’ve been checking sales a little bit, and just our e-commerce sales today alone have already doubled what we thought we would do in an entire week.”
As reported by Glossy on Monday, the hotly anticipated launch of the 14-month-old brand includes every Ulta door, more than 1,400 locations and Cécred’s first brand campaign, a documentary-style video created in partnership with advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy.
“I grew up in a hair salon, as most of you guys know, with my mother, and this was [our] dream,” Beyoncé said during her welcome speech at Sunday’s event. “Our team worked so hard, so professional, [with] so much heart, so much creativity. And we put nothing but all of our heart and love into every detail, from the packaging to the science. We’re celebrating diversity, and we are celebrating lifting all hair types up. … We’re celebrating this sacred Sunday, because this is truly a sacred Sunday for us.”
The launch event was kept under wraps from the industry for most of its planning process, which started in November, Cécred svp of marketing, Tiffany Plater, told Glossy. Attendees, who were about 80% content creators, were invited to save the date in late March with limited details that only included the date and a request to wear all white.
The time and location were emailed to attendees at 4 p.m. on Sunday with a 30-minute arrival window starting at 7 p.m. Instead of an event space, the teams closed Ulta Beauty’s Westwood location for the day and built an all-white event space in the store’s parking lot.
The custom build-out included draped white fabric walls anchored with a round stage and three salon chairs with Cécred-branded hair dryers. The event featured a DJ, bar, photo booth, cosmetic bag monogram station and photo opps with large-scale packaging replicas. After several speeches, the campaign video was revealed, and a hair show took place featuring Dr. Kari Williams, PhD., Cécred’s director of education, and models including Beyoncé’s nephew, 20-year-old model Daniel Julez J. Smith Jr.
Industry heavyweights in attendance included Allure editor-in-chief Jessica Cruel, “Naked Beauty” podcast host Brooke DeVard and cosmetic chemist Javon Ford.
Most of Ulta Beauty’s executive team flew in for the three-hour event, including CEO Kecia Steelman, chief retail officer Amiee Bayer-Thomas, vp of merchandising Jessica Phillips and svp of merchandising Penny Coy.
During a round of speeches, Cécred CEO Grace Ray shared a sneak peek into the success of the brand. “The past 13 months have seriously been a dream come true for all of us,” Ray said. “This brand started with a vision to create transformative hair care for all hair types and textures, and from there, we’ve created patent-pending technology, patent-pending formulas and patented packaging with countless five-star reviews and 39 product awards.”
“We have a small and mighty team, as our CEO, Grace, says all the time,” Tina Knowles said in her speech. “But they work around the clock, and they’re so dedicated and so creative and amazing, and we could not have done this without you.”
Executive moves:
- Holly Thaggard, the founder of sunscreen brand Supergoop, is set to step down from her role as chairwoman but will remain a strategic advisor to the company. According to an internal document shared on Reddit, CEO Lisa Sequino told employees that the “transition reflects the strength of our foundation and our readiness to scale to even greater heights.”
- Tony Li is the new senior director of growth marketing for Alo Yoga. His CV includes Shein, L’Oréal-owned Youth To The People and E.l.f. Beauty.
- Peter Kpere-Daibo is the new director of product development at Ambi Skincare, which sells DTC and through CVS and Amazon. He previously held roles at A-Frame Brands and Proudly.
News to know:
- Ulta Beauty and Target will pause the expansion of Ulta Beauty’s shop-in-shop locations within Target brick-and-mortar stores, as reported by Retail Brew. “In joint partnership with Target, we’ve made the decision to really lean into the 600-plus stores that are open this next year and really look at, ‘How do we continue to drive efficiencies and leverage the learnings that we’ve had to really unlock value for both of us collectively together?’” said Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman.
- Unilever has acquired refillable personal care brand Wild for an undisclosed amount. The digitally-native line launched in the U.K. in 2020 and offers plant-based ingredients and formulas packaged in plastic-free packaging, such as deodorant, lip balm, body wash and hand wash at mass pricing. For example, its body wash refill sells for $11 or $26 with refillable packaging.
- Paris Hilton is set to launch her 30th fragrance. The milestone launch was created with Parlux, the same beauty company behind Billie Eilish’s latest perfume. In a first for Hilton, the offering will launch exclusively at Ulta Beauty on April 20.
- Bread Beauty Supply — a hair-care brand launched in 2020 by Maeva Heim and sold at Ulta Beauty, Sephora and DTC — has been acquired by holding company Cost of Doing Business. CODB was created by Topicals founder Olamide Olowe and president Sochima Mbadugha. The financial details of the translation were not disclosed. Heim is set to stay on as chief creative officer.
Stat of the week:
Consumer sentiment fell for the third straight month, plummeting 12% from February, according to the University of Michigan’s monthly Index of Consumer Sentiment. The survey found “worsening expectations since February for their personal finances, business conditions, unemployment and inflation.” Year-over-year, consumer sentiment is down 28.2%. It has now dropped more than 30% since November 2024, according to the survey.
In the headlines:
Step inside Acqua di Parma’s new store in Paris. Inside Sephoria’s Italian debut. Why universities are becoming beauty schools. Productivity-boosting nicotine alternative Sett launches with $3.8 million in funding. Where brands stand with Thirteen Lune amid the inclusive retailer’s legal battle. How Eva NYC is conquering the masstige market. How multiracial consumers will reshape beauty.
Listen in:
Sephora has launched numerous new brands in recent months, many of them buzzy and beloved — but perhaps none has been as hotly anticipated as Ultra Violette, the Aussie sunscreen brand first launched in 2018. Co-founders Bec Jefferd and Ava Matthews join the Glossy Beauty Podcast to discuss virality, entering the U.S. market and more.
Need a Glossy recap?
Why Ulta Beauty added 20,000 new in-store events for 2025. Data shows beauty is a key spending category for Gen Zers. Why Byredo is expanding on its classic scents. The big business of perfume flankers.
