Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As we continue our journey, we’re making intentional commitments to further champion DE&I so our guests, associates, brand partners and communities feel connected to and reflected at Ulta Beauty.

With a keen focus on brand amplification and support, assortment growth and equitable, welcoming guest and associate experiences, our 2022 commitments total a planned investment of $50 million, doubling 2021’s commitments.

Commitment to Amplifying & Investing in Underrepresented Voices

Ulta Beauty recognizes the importance of elevating, celebrating, and consistently supporting the influence underrepresented voices bring to the beauty industry.

To continue celebrating these changemakers, this year we will dedicate approximately $25 million in media investments with multicultural platforms to nurture personal connections with Latine, Black and other multicultural beauty enthusiasts. Notably, 10% of this investment will be directly spent with Black and Latine owned media outlets, outpacing media industry benchmarks.

In addition, we plan on building upon our newly established and widely proclaimed MUSE platform with programming to magnify, uplift, support and empower Black voices in beauty. Lastly, we are investing $8.5 million to brand marketing support for Black-owned, Black-founded and Black-led brands within our assortment, more than doubling last year’s investment to reflect our expanded Black-owned assortment.

Commitment to Curating & Nurturing a Diverse Assortment

In 2021, we proudly joined the 15% Pledge and more than doubled the number of Black-owned brands in our unparalleled assortment. This year, we will continue building upon our work to help diverse leaders, founders and entrepreneurs thrive in the beauty industry.

We will be launching a Brand Partner Accelerator Program focused on early-stage BIPOC beauty brands. We will provide time, resources and mentorship to educate, inspire and support brand development for retail readiness.

To offer founders of color greater access, capital and expertise, we will invest $5 million in New Voices, a venture capital firm that partners with and invests in entrepreneurs of color to drive scalable, sustainable businesses and create generational wealth. As the VC’s beauty retail partner, we will provide priority access to shelf space, merchandising and marketing support.

Additionally, we’re allocating $3.5 million to in-store merchandising support so guests can more readily find the Black-owned, Black-founded and Black-led brands within our assortment.

Commitment to Guest Experiences

Everything is in service of our guests, and we remain committed to creating welcoming and equal experiences for every guest who visits us. This year, the Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation will donate $2 million to BIPOC and LGBTQ+-focused non-profits with volunteering and education opportunities for associates.

Inclusion in Action, the quarterly, in-store training launched in 2021 to reinforce inclusivity and address unconscious bias, will now be mandatory for distribution center and corporate associates in addition to a second year of curriculum for salon and store associates. This accounts for a $2.5 million investment in addition to the existing company trainings and will result in a minimum 3.5 hours of required DE&I training for all associates.

Textured hair and shade matching education trainings will be further enriched across every Ulta Beauty salon.

Commitment to Associate Experiences

We understand the importance of fostering an inclusive, bias-free and equitable workplace for our 40,000 associates. To ensure all associates can reach their full potential, we are committed to retaining, developing and attracting diverse talent as a diversity-forward employer.

The reimagined Diverse Leaders Development Program has doubled the number of associates and now include expanded external partner expertise, dedicated trainings as well as CEO and executive mentorship for high-potential, future company leaders. We will continue to invest in significant and incremental activity to support our diverse slate recruitment efforts.

Teams across the company will continue to acknowledge and celebrate lived experiences with always on DEI internal programming that includes dedicated workshops, panels, keynote speakers and more programming for key moments such as Diversity Week, Pride Month, Black History Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, among others.