Ulta Beauty has tapped Meena Harris and artists Timothy Goodman and Emmy Star Brown for its latest campaign.
Dubbed Beauty&, the campaign aims to “inspire all to reclaim beauty on their own terms,” per a statement from the retailer. It encompasses a podcast launch, a limited-edition T-shirt collection and a $200,000 donation to the Jed Foundation, which serves mental health causes for teenagers and young adults.
“As an industry leader, we believe we have a responsibility to drive progress rooted in positivity, inclusivity, and celebration. Beauty& was born from the insight that the duality of confidence and insecurity in the beauty industry has existed for far too long, and when we focus our energy on the good, beauty can and does deliver. Our comprehensive campaign reflects the many ways we can celebrate individuality, resilience, strength, and above all else, the beautiful possibilities that live within each of us,” said Karla Davis, Ulta Beauty’s vice president of marketing, in an email.
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Harris, who is also the founder and chief executive of Phenomenal Media (and niece of vice president Kamala Harris), told WWD the campaign’s message resonated with her own. “That’s also setting a great example for the industry in terms of being a leader and thinking about accessibility, inclusivity and going beyond this DE&I lens to really think about how we define concepts of beauty and really start with something that is bringing that equity lens [to the industry],” she said.
Harris, who worked as a freelance makeup artist in college, didn’t rule out other ways she could become involved in beauty. Last year, she collaborated with Live Tinted on a Diwali-themed gift box; prior to that, she served as a muse for Monday Haircare.
“I would love to imagine, thinking from the Phenomenal perspective, of expanding our product assortment, whether that’s a marketplace where we feature products from other women-owned brands,” she said. “My secret is I’m always trying to find how I can get my personal passions into what we’re doing at Phenomenal. Cooking and beauty are definitely up there, top of my list.”