On Monday, Walmart welcomed Pretty Smart to its shelves, which it’s positioning as a luxury makeup brand.
Founded by beauty veteran Marissa Shipman, Pretty Smart will exclusively be available in 2,800 Walmart doors across the U.S. and online at walmart.com. Shoppers can also purchase Pretty Smart items on its own e-commerce site. The collection features products in the complexion, cheek, eye and lip categories, and every product is priced under $10. Within two feet of shelf space in stores, Walmart will spotlight the products its executives believe will become hero products. All other SKUs will be available online.
In total, the debut collection will have over 100 SKUs, with a majority of products being in the complexion category to ensure a vast complexion shade range.
Aside from the brand’s quality ingredients, including coconut alkanes, carnauba wax and sunflower seed oil, Shipman said owning her brand’s manufacturing facility is what sets it apart. “By vertically integrating [every stage of production], we’re able to trim the fat on the pricing,” she said.
Shipman said the partnership with Walmart offers Pretty Smart the distribution it needs to scale at a manageable rate. The products’ packaging is interchangeable, she said, allowing it to be “reallocated” if a product unexpectedly gains traction.
“[Pretty Smart’s] products are made in the U.S., so we’ve got speed to market, and we share common goals with the brand around its in-store and digital experience,” said Creighton Kiper, vp of beauty merchandising at Walmart.
Shipman said that Pretty Smart will lean heavily on organic and paid social posts to introduce the brand to consumers. To kick things off, Pretty Smart is enlisting an undisclosed group of influencers to create paid content that will be repurposed on the brand’s social channels. In addition, Pretty Smart plans to host an IRL event for consumers during the back-to-school season.
Walmart launched Pretty Smart as part of its plan to increase its “luxury” beauty assortment to compete with Amazon, Kiper said. “We are on a path to be an authority in [the beauty] space, and one of the ways we want to do that is by driving accessibility and inclusivity.”
Walmart launched the beauty brand accelerator program Walmart Start in 2023 to give emerging brands the necessary resources and investments to potentially launch on its shelves. Its first cohort group included buzzy fragrance brand Dossier, nail brand Paintlab, and hair-care brands The Hair Lab and Pardon My Fro. Walmart’s 2024 class, announced in March, includes body-care brand Sundae Body, hair-care brands Kazmaleje and LatinUs Beauty, and wellness brand Current State.
Walmart’s first-quarter 2025 earnings, announced May 16, revealed that the company earned $161.5 billion in revenue, up 6% year-over-year. Its grocery category, which houses beauty sales, experienced mid-single-digit growth. Kiper said building out the beauty accessories category will be a focus of his team this year.
