Ulta to Suspend Certain In-Store Beauty Services Over Coronavirus Concerns
Ulta has joined the ever-increasing group of companies making adjustments to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
On Thursday, March 12, the beauty giant posted an update to their website alerting customers that they will be “temporarily stopping our skin, makeup, brow, lash and waxing services.” The notice added that employees will implement a “no-touch approach” to selling assistance (like shade-matching). “We’ll be increasing our focus on hand washing, chair and hard surface cleaning before and after every guest, and tool sanitization,” read the statement from Ulta’s CEO, Mary Dillon.
Though initially hair appointments were to continue as scheduled, the company later also announced it would be "temporarily discontinuing" all in-store hair services from March 16. "We’ll be working with guests who have appointments to reschedule for a later date. We greatly appreciate your understanding and flexibility," Ulta announced on March 15.
The original announcement came a day after Ulta posted another update from Dillon, explaining that they would be taking extra precautions to keep their stores clean. “In addition to our regular cleaning procedures, increased sanitization measures are being added to all locations with extra attention to product testers and high traffic areas,” the announcement read. “For any guest wanting to use a tester or trial a product, please ask an associate to assist you. In addition, GLAMlab, our virtual try-on experience in the Ulta Beauty App, is a great way to virtually explore, try on, and test colors and shades.”
Regarding Ulta employees, Dillon’s statement added: “Associate care is always at the core of our commitment. For all store, corporate, and distribution center associates, we continue to be flexible, continue to focus on prevention, and continue to encourage them to stay at home if they are not feeling well.”
Ulta is not the only beauty company implementing precautionary measures; on March 13, Sephora announced that they would be suspending all in-store makeup services until further notice, and stores would be using hospital-grade disinfectants on tester products. Glossier has taken the extra step of temporarily closing down their retail locations in New York, L.A., Atlanta, and London, while postponing the debut of their Arizona pop-up store. “From a company perspective, by closing our stores, we’ll sacrifice some near-term business goals, but we're prepared to put public health ahead of our bottom line,” Emily Weiss, Glossier founder and CEO, said in a statement.
Such actions come on the heels of the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declaring coronavirus a pandemic. With bans on large gatherings and an emphasis on social distancing, we’re seeing more and more companies and organizations do their part to limit the spread of COVID-19. While disruptions to daily life can be difficult and challenging, it’s important to remember that everyone needs to work together in order to stop the spread of the illness, as health should always be a priority.
Editor's note: this post was updated on March 17 to reflect new changes to Ulta's services.
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