Digital Product Management Intern

What's the deal? Luum, an Oakland-based robotics startup automat…

The beauty-wellness convergence: Ulta Beauty partners with Midi Health to redefine the retail experience. Rifan Muazin September 14, 2026 6 minutes read In a strategic maneuver that underscores the deepening intersection between clinical healthcare and personal grooming, Ulta Beauty has officially integrated the women's telehealth pioneer, Midi Health, into its expansive wellness portfolio. This partnership marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the beauty retail giant, signaling a transition from selling products that enhance aesthetic appeal to providing tools that support internal health and physiological longevity. Beginning this past Sunday, Ulta launched an initial collection of seven supplement SKUs via its online portal. The rollout is scheduled to accelerate throughout September, with five core products hitting the shelves of over 300 brick-and-mortar locations. This move is more than a simple shelf-space expansion; it represents a fundamental shift in how one of America's largest beauty retailers views the "life stages" of its consumer base. The strategic pivot: merging clinical rigor with retail accessibility. The partnership with Midi Health is unique because it marks the first time Ulta has collaborated with a dedicated women's healthcare platform. While Ulta has previously curated a robust wellness section - incorporating high-profile brands like Kourtney Kardashian Barker's Lemme, Naomi Watts' menopause-focused Stripes, and the DTC-native supplement brand Ritual - Midi Health brings a distinct level of clinical credibility to the table. Midi Health, which was founded in 2021, initially gained traction by addressing the underserved market of perimenopause and menopause. However, as the company has matured, it has expanded its scope to include age-agnostic wellness, offering virtual consultations with board-certified nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives, supported by insurance providers such as Aetna and Cigna. "Health is a way to feel beautiful, feel good, feel great about yourself," said Joanna Strober, co-founder and CEO of Midi Health. "There is an intersection between beauty and health that we feel strongly about. And so, we're excited that Ulta also sees that." Chronology of a wellness expansion. The integration of health-focused products into the beauty aisle has been a multi-year effort for Ulta Beauty. The timeline of this transition reflects broader industry trends: * 2021: Midi Health is founded, focusing on specialized midlife care for women. * 2022-2024: Ulta begins pilot programs for its "Wellness by Ulta Beauty" initiative, testing the waters with ingestible beauty and internal health products. * February 2026: Midi Health hits a major industry milestone, raising $100 million in Series D funding and achieving a $1 billion "unicorn" valuation, signaling strong investor confidence in the future of women's health technology. * Second Quarter 2026: Ulta Beauty reports strong fiscal performance, with an 8.9% increase in net sales to $3 billion, providing the financial runway to double down on high-growth categories like wellness. * September 2026: The official launch of the Midi Health collection at Ulta, marking the retailer's first partnership with a full-service telehealth platform. A curated assortment for modern life stages. The product lineup hitting Ulta shelves is designed to move beyond the traditional "beauty supplement" aesthetic, focusing instead on functional, science-backed solutions. The initial range includes: * GLP-1 Support: Targeted supplements for individuals navigating the complexities of weight management medications. * Metabolic & Hormonal Support: Including berberine for weight management and cortisol support supplements to combat the physiological impacts of chronic stress. * Performance Nutrition: Creatine gummies aimed at supporting muscle mass and cognitive function, reflecting a broader shift toward strength-focused wellness among women. Dr. Kathleen Jordan, MD, chief medical officer of Midi Health, emphasizes that the scientific rigor applied to these supplements is identical to the standards used for the pharmaceuticals the company prescribes. "What I want women to know is that Midi puts the same scientific rigor behind their supplements that we do to the care we give," Dr. Jordan stated. Official responses and corporate vision. The leadership at Ulta Beauty views this partnership as an essential evolution of the brand's mission. Laura Beres, VP of wellness at Ulta Beauty, noted that the company's vision is to deliver an "empowering, approachable, and holistic" assortment. "As we continue to grow, we are expanding the way wellness shows up at Ulta Beauty, especially curating solutions for our guests' life stages," Beres said. "Midi is an exciting next step in that evolution. It allows us to address an important area of women's wellness in a more intentional way." The partnership also addresses the demographic reality of the modern beauty shopper. While the products are highly relevant to midlife women navigating hormonal shifts, they also cater to younger cohorts interested in preventative health. "It could be younger women shopping at Ulta, but I also think there are a lot of moms who go there with their daughters," said Strober, highlighting the cross-generational appeal of their new product range. Implications for the retail landscape. The entry of Midi Health into Ulta serves as a case study for the blurring lines between pharmacy, beauty, and wellness. This trend is visible across the retail sector: * The "Beauty Studio" Model: Competitors like Target have launched "Beauty Studio" formats that place hair, skin, and nail supplements alongside traditional cosmetics like blush and mascara. * The Telehealth-Retail Hybrid: Similar to the Midi-Ulta model, telehealth providers like Wisp have begun cross-merchandising their services with skin-care products, such as their collaboration with Stripes. * The Education Gap: One of the most significant challenges in this shift is the need for specialized knowledge. Selling supplements for weight management or hormonal regulation requires a higher level of expertise than color-matching a foundation. To bridge this, Ulta is instituting training programs for its sales associates to ensure they can explain the science behind the products with the same authority as they do for high-end serums or moisturizers. Addressing skepticism and regulatory hurdles. The supplement industry has long faced scrutiny due to the lack of stringent FDA oversight compared to prescription pharmaceuticals. This has led to a climate of consumer skepticism. Both Midi Health and Ulta are acutely aware of this, prioritizing transparency in their marketing and education efforts. Dr. Jordan proactively advises that consumers should treat supplements as part of a larger medical conversation. "I always encourage women and anyone to talk about the supplements they take with their care provider, because there are some interactions and things people should know about," she explained. By encouraging this dialogue, Midi Health is attempting to position itself as a responsible, clinical partner rather than just another consumer goods brand. Conclusion: the future of the beauty ecosystem. As Ulta Beauty continues to capitalize on the wellness boom, the success of the Midi Health partnership will likely serve as a barometer for future retail strategies. By moving into the "life stages" space, Ulta is effectively becoming a wellness destination that supports the consumer from their early years through midlife and beyond. The convergence of $3 billion in quarterly revenue and a $1 billion valuation for their new partner indicates that the market for science-backed, approachable women's health products is not just a passing trend - it is the new frontier of beauty. As the line between "looking good" and "feeling good" continues to dissolve, retailers that can successfully navigate the intersection of clinical care and consumer retail will be the ones to define the next decade of the beauty industry. Administrator

Sprouts' new CEO, Costco exits its marketplace & Ulta is told to get the Flock out | Fast Five. September 9, 2026 The long Labor Day weekend here in the U.S. is over, and I'm already back to doing what I do every week: finding five new things in retail to argue about. For this week's Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, Shelley Huff is back for another round, and as always, having her on makes for a great conversation. Omni Talk covered Amazon's latest grocery push, Ulta's surveillance-tech backlash, Costco quietly killing Costco Next, Sephora's TikTok Shop experiment, and Sprouts getting a new CEO just as comps turn negative. And, as tends to happen when Shelley joins me, Omni Talk didn't agree on everything. That made this week's weekly retail news rundown particularly fun, because the real story was not just what happened. It was what these moves say about where retail is headed. Amazon's grocery gimmick. Amazon used Labor Day to launch another limited-time grocery storefront, offering cookout essentials starting at $2, produce under $4, and grilling proteins under $10. Shelley saw the move less as an offensive grocery play and more as a defensive one, arguing Amazon is likely trying to protect share during key holiday periods when Walmart, Target, and Kroger have a natural advantage. (Source) I still think there is an offensive element to it. Amazon may be using these little events as "death by 1,000 cuts," creating more reasons for customers to think about buying groceries on Amazon. Shelley agreed that if Amazon can deliver on the freshness and quality promise, it could eventually chip away at competitors' share. "I think consumers tend to expect that from them at this point," she said. Ulta's Flock problem. Ulta is facing social media backlash over its use of Flock Safety's automated license-plate reader technology at fewer than 1% of its stores. Shelley's take was pretty direct: "A retailer should not deploy technology like this unless they can actually explain it." She believes the bigger problem may be communication, not surveillance itself. (Source) Her point was that retailers have to be transparent about what data is being captured, how long it is kept, and why the technology is being used. "If you don't create your own narrative, somebody else is going to create it for you," she said. For Ulta, the technology may have a legitimate defensive purpose, but the retailer needed a plan to explain it before the internet explained it for them. Costco kills Costco Next. Costco quietly shut down Costco Next, its member-only online marketplace, after nearly a decade of letting members shop products from third-party suppliers at exclusive pricing. Shelley thinks the move makes sense because Costco already has one of the strongest trust relationships in retail, and a marketplace adds another layer of supplier vetting, quality control, and customer service. (Source) When I asked Shelley whether any club should have a marketplace, her answer was even clearer: "It doesn't necessarily make sense for them." I agreed. If a product is important enough, it can make its way into the club, while broader ecommerce assortment can act as a testing ground. For membership clubs, keeping the customer relationship intact matters too much to hand that experience off. Sephora bets on TikTok. Sephora is piloting a new Drop Shop storefront on TikTok Shop, featuring exclusive monthly product drops, creator content, and livestream shopping. Shelley was particularly excited about this one because she sees something much bigger happening than another social commerce experiment. (Source) "Amazon captures demand, whereas TikTok can actually create it," she said. Her bigger prediction? "The next generation of great brands won't just have customers, they'll have communities." TikTok gives consumers a place to discover, learn, interact, and buy all at once, which is particularly powerful in beauty. I agreed, especially because Amazon is where people go looking for something, while TikTok is where they can discover something they never knew they wanted. Sprouts stays the course. Sprouts is getting a new CEO, with Nick Konat taking over from Jack Sinclair in January as the grocer works through two consecutive quarters of negative comps. Shelley, who shops at Sprouts at least once a week, thinks the transition is less about changing the strategy and more about continuing to execute the one already in place. (Source) "Don't confuse a leadership transition with a strategy transition," she said. That may be the most important takeaway here. Sprouts still has plenty of room to grow, and Shelley sees this as a rare CEO transition where the incoming leader gets to build on a strong brand rather than walk into a turnaround. My advice to Nick is much the same: stay pragmatic, stay focused, and don't get distracted. Be careful out there, Chris and the Omni Talk team P.S. Be sure to check out all its other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/ Music by hooksounds.com.