Walmart is continuing to expand its premium beauty selection as demand for higher-end products remains strong, even amid consumer caution on discretionary spending.
The retailer has added over 60 brands to its lineup in the past year, including Pretty Smart, Being, and Curology.
The company is also growing its beauty marketplace, which launched last year.
Since then, brands such as L’ange and Victoria’s Secret have recorded double-digit growth, while hair tool brand T3 has seen triple-digit gains, according to Vinima Shekhar, US vice president of beauty merchandising at Walmart.
“Customers have been loving the addition of premium beauty to Walmart since we first launched our initial assortment a few years ago,” Shekhar added.
“We’ve worked to identify brands that our customers are looking for across the category and are excited to bring them to Walmart.”
Alongside its expansion, Walmart introduced the latest participants in its beauty accelerator program, Walmart Start, which helps emerging brands break into mass retail.
Since launching in 2022, the initiative has brought more than 10 brands into Walmart stores and online.
The 2024 cohort includes Maison 276, a hair care brand for silver and blonde hair, Nappy Styles, a natural hair care line inspired by master barbers, Lattafa, a fragrance brand influenced by Arabian culture, and Kativa, a hair care company focused on formulas free from harsh chemicals.
Beauty remains a resilient category, with prestige sales rising 7% year over year in 2024, outpacing the 3% growth seen in the mass market, according to a Circana report.
“The beauty industry’s resilience continues to shine as consumers turn to beauty to not only look, but also feel good,” said Larissa Jensen, Circana’s global beauty industry adviser.
“With beauty products intertwined with consumers’ emotional needs and wellness routines, maximizing this opportunity will go a long way to ensure a healthy future for our industry.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
