Beauty Advisor

Hair tool brand Wavytalk debuts at Ulta Beauty stores. In-store assortment features collection of brand's hero tools. September 28, 2026. 9:47 AM NEW YORK - Wavytalk has expanded its partnership with Ulta Beauty via a debut at the beauty retailer's stores. The debut brings Wavytalk's innovative styling tools into Ulta's brick-and-mortar locations following the brand's successful debut on Ulta.com earlier ths year. The in-store assortment includes some of Wavytalk's hero tools, including Blowout Boost, designed to create smooth, voluminous blowouts, and Power Wave, the brand's easy-to-use waver for defined, effortless waves. Both are available in Ulta-exclusive Periwinkle and Sunset Blush colorways, according to a statement released today announcing the debut. The assortment also includes Steambrush Pro in Periwinkle, available exclusively at Ulta Beauty and adding steam-powered smoothing to the retailer's hair tools offering. A broader selection of Wavytalk products is available on Ulta's website. "Expanding into Ulta Beauty stores is an important milestone for Wavytalk because it gives consumers the opportunity to discover and experience our tools in person," says Marina Fernandez, senior director of brand and retail at Wavytalk. "It's an exciting next step in making Wavytalk even more accessible to our community." To celebrate the in-store debut, Wavytalk will host an exclusive styling masterclass followed by a public in-store activation on Wednesday at Ulta Beauty's Chelsea location in New York City. The day will begin with a one-hour session for media and creators, hosted by a Wavytalk in-house stylist and featuring live demonstrations of Blowout Boost, Power Wave, and Steambrush Pro. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the activation open to the public. Attendees can experience the brand and its products through live styling, product demonstrations, giveaways, and interactive moments. Technology to make hair styling faster, easier, more intuitive Known for pairing cutting-edge technology with user-friendly design, Wavytalk continues to disrupt the hair care category with innovations designed to make styling faster, easier, and more intuitive. From ionic technology and adjustable heat settings to steam-powered styling and versatile curling capabilities, Wavytalk's tools are engineered to deliver smooth, defined results while supporting healthy-looking hair. The expansion into Ulta Beauty stores builds on Wavytalk's growing retail presence and gives more consumers the opportunity to experience the brand's high-performance styling tools in person, while exclusive products and colorways bring Wavytalk is an expression-first hair brand built on Hair Talks, a platform that celebrates the connection between hair and self-expression. Hair Talks embodies Wavytalk's belief that every strand tells a story and that styling can inspire creativity, confidence, and a sense of community. The brand creates intuitive, high-performance tools that transform everyday styling into a statement, empowering people to look good, feel good, and show up as their truest selves. Guided by the mission to make styling effortless without compromising hair health, Wavytalk designs tools that are fast, versatile, and engineered for minimal damage with maximum results. From sleek strands to bouncy curls, every product is crafted to unlock self-expression across all hair types and textures.

UAE-Based Amaani raises $5M in Series A funding for GCC expansion. Sep 27, 2026, 23:01 PM Amaani, the UAE-based company behind beauty brand AÏZA, has raised $5 million in a Series A funding round as it prepares to expand across the GCC and beyond. The round was led by BECO Capital, with participation from Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV's Surge. The company previously raised $3 million in a seed round led by Peak XV's Surge (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA) in September 2025. With the latest Series A, Amaani's total funding has reached $8 million. AÏZA: Amaani's first brand. Shubham Poddar founded AÏZA, Amaani's first brand, in 2023. The skincare and haircare brand draws on the ingredients, rituals, and heritage of Arabia. AÏZA's products reinterpret regional ingredients such as dates, black seed, frankincense, rose, and bakhoor through modern skincare and haircare formulations developed with laboratories in Korea, Japan, and Italy. Its model uses technology and AI across creative testing, customer analytics, marketing, and operations. "Rather than importing an established global playbook into the Middle East, Shubham and the team are building one from here. AÏZA is showing that a brand can be authentically rooted in the Arab world and still have the ambition and product quality to compete globally," said Nader Amiri, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Homegrown Ventures, in a statement. In late 2025, Poddar was featured on Forbes Middle East's 30 Under 30 list for 2025 in the Commerce & Finance category. In the first half of 2026, AÏZA's net revenue increased more than ninefold year-on-year as the brand expanded from a digital-first business into regional retail. It is currently available through aiza.co, Ounass, and Ulta Beauty in the UAE. GCC expansion. According to the company, the proceeds will fund expansion across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, while investing in product development, talent and technology infrastructure. Saudi Arabia will be the priority market, with the brand set to launch at Ulta Beauty's Red Sea Mall in Jeddah and Riyadh Park in Riyadh in late September, followed by Kuwait and Qatar in Q4. MENA startup funding. MENA-based startup attracted $1.7 billion across 242 funding rounds in the first half of 2026, according to Wamda. Fintech remained MENA's largest investment destination, attracting $708.7 million across 51 rounds, followed by logistics with $315 million and proptech with $241 million across 18 deals. E-commerce came fifth, attracting $75.6 million across 15 deals.

Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman sold 2,000 shares of common stock for approximately $1.1 million on 17 September 2026, according to an SEC filing. The shares were sold at a weighted average price of $545.88, slightly above the market close of $543.73 that day. Following the sale, Steelman retains 40,489 shares, representing 0.0942% of the specialty beauty retailer. The transaction involved only around 5% of her holdings. Since Steelman became CEO in January 2025, Ulta Beauty's stock has risen nearly 30%. The company reported trailing-twelve-month revenue of $13 billion and net income of $1.2 billion. In the first half of fiscal 2026, revenue increased 10% year-on-year.