Walmart is scaling a new in-store “Beauty Expert” role across the U.S., as it looks to elevate its beauty proposition and compete more directly with specialty retailers.
Following a 22-store test, Walmart plans to expand the dedicated beauty associate position to 425 locations by the end of 2026.
The role, first piloted in Northwest Arkansas and later in Dallas, introduces category-specific staff focused solely on beauty rather than general store duties.
The positions are paid between $14 and $35 per hour depending on market, reflecting a more skilled, service-oriented function.
The initiative is tied to Walmart’s broader “Beauty 2.0” redesign, which shifts beauty departments closer to the front of stores and aims to create a more specialty-style retail environment.
Beauty Experts are trained beyond standard onboarding, with ongoing education across skincare, cosmetics and haircare.
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Associates are also given product samples to test themselves, enabling more informed, consultative recommendations, a clear move toward experiential retail.
The strategy brings Walmart into closer competition with players like Sephora and Ulta Beauty, where in-store expertise and personalised service are core to the value proposition.
It also aligns with wider category moves in the form of Target launching its “Beauty Studio” concept in approximately 600 stores while Dollar General continues to expand its “Beauty Reinvention” initiative.
Mass retailers are increasingly recognising that beauty is not purely a price-led category. Conversion is heavily influenced by guidance, trust and product education, areas where traditional big-box formats have historically underperformed.
By introducing trained specialists, Walmart is attempting to close that gap while leveraging its scale and pricing advantage.
This is a structural shift, not a tactical tweak. Walmart is moving beauty from a transactional category to a service-led one, a necessary step if it wants to capture higher-margin spend and compete beyond price.
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