Walmart on Tuesday (Aug. 23) announced the first class of Walmart Start, its beauty accelerator program that features five upstart brands that have the potential to launch at the retail giant.
“Walmart Start focuses on finding the next big names in beauty,” the company said in a news release. “Each founder was motivated to start their brand and business to fill a gap in the market, either in innovations or price accessibility, which aligns with the Walmart Beauty strategy and resonates with the Walmart customer.”
The five brands include Dossier, a perfume company founded “out of a desire to make premium fragrances accessible to everyone,” and Undefined Beauty, a Black female-founded and owned brand that sells skincare and wellness products that are “non-toxic, plant-based, cruelty-free, and inclusive.”
The class also features PaintLab, a nail brand that started by developing innovative press-on nails that replicate the gel manicures of a professional salon, “while celebrating the unique style within us all.”
There’s also Pardon My Fro, a Black female-founded and owned haircare company “crafted specifically for those proud of their hair and their heritage,” and The Hair Lab by Strands, which lets consumers access customized hair care through “scientific expertise and state-of-the-art technology.”
See also: Walmart to Import British Cosmetic Kiosk Concept ‘Beauty Space’ to US Stores
Earlier this year, Walmart teamed up with British retailer Space NK to bring “prestige beauty products” to its website and roughly 250 of its stores.
The collaboration — known as “BEAUTYSPACENK” — combines Walmart’s size and scale “with the iconic British personal care and beauty company’s assortment of high-quality beauty brands and products,” Walmart said at the time.
The collection includes more than 600 products from 15 brands especially for Walmart’s customers, encompassing a variety of prices in categories that include skincare, makeup, hair care and bath and body.
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