A former teacher created Scarlet after seeing students unprepared for their first periods and developed a "period purse" kit of menstrual essentials for teens and tweens. Ulta Beauty launched Muse Accelerator in 2022 to amplify nascent, BIPOC-founded brands from underserved communities and accelerate retail visibility and growth. Muse is part of Ulta's ESG initiatives and complements Sparked, targeting access and mentorship gaps exposed after COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd. Company leaders emphasize supporting founders motivated by unmet needs to build a more inclusive, equity-driven beauty industry.
Seventeen years ago, in a classroom full of fifth grade girls, former teacher Dana Roberts noticed one thing missing: period kits. Half of her students had started their menstrual cycle that year - her daughter included - but when the time came, they were grossly unprepared, mentally and materially, with not one appropriate "First-Period"-specific product available to them. That "aha" moment led Roberts to create the "period purse," a curated kit of menstrual essentials.
"What inspires me is people and founders, typically these earlier stage brands, coming from a 'why,'" Philips said. "It usually comes from that unmet need they couldn't find in the industry because more often than not, they're not the only ones with that need." Launched in 2022, Muse Accelerator, which focuses on brands created by BIPOC founders in underserved communities, is one of two programs Ulta Beauty has added as part of its environmental, social and governance plan.
#menstrual-health #teen-feminine-care #bipoc-founders #corporate-accelerator #beauty-industry-equity
Collection
[
|
...
]