Ulta is increasing its wellness store to have extra health-focused manufacturers and extra shelf area for these gadgets.
Melissa Repko ? CNBC
Santa could also be bringing you some dietary supplements this 12 months.
Together with typical vacation want listing gadgets like clothes, fragrance and devices, the wellness class is poised to achieve recognition this buying season and past — significantly as retailers like Ulta Magnificence and Goal give it extra shelf area lengthy earlier than the beginning of New 12 months’s resolutions.
Magnificence is at all times a top-performing vacation class. November and December mixed account for about 25% of annual spending on status magnificence gadgets, which incorporates manufacturers often bought by specialty magnificence retailers and shops, in response to Circana, a market analysis group. Vacation consumers mentioned they plan to spend a mean of $247 on magnificence whereas shopping for items this 12 months, the fourth-highest vacation class for spending, in response to Circana’s annual survey.
But the wonder class’s assortment has grow to be wider ranging with the addition of extra well being and wellness-focused gadgets, equivalent to merchandise that promise to enhance vitamin, hydration and sleep.
Larissa Jensen, international magnificence trade advisor at Circana, mentioned wellness has gained consideration for the reason that Covid pandemic as shoppers prioritize self-care and feeling good from the “inside out.”
She mentioned health-related merchandise sometimes relegated to drugstore cabinets, equivalent to enamel whitening kits, nutritional vitamins, full-body deodorants and eye drops, have gotten a glow-up. Some now come in additional engaging packaging, have gotten backing from influencers and celebrities or have moved to the wonder part as retailers seize an opportunity to mix magnificence and wellness and grow to be a one-stop store.
Ulta Magnificence, particularly, has carved out more room in its shops for wellness. The specialty retailer, which has greater than 1,450 shops throughout the nation, has at all times carried some particular person gadgets associated to wellness and “magnificence from inside,” mentioned Laura Beres, the retailer’s vice chairman of wellness.
But as demand grew after the pandemic, Ulta began to open wellness retailers inside its shops in 2021 and devoted about 4 to eight toes of shelf area to gadgets together with probiotic gummies, sleep masks and aromatherapy oils. In August, the corporate mentioned it could increase the dimensions of these wellness retailers to as much as 45 toes in a couple of third of its shops. It is added almost 30 new wellness manufacturers to its shops, bringing its complete to about 100, Beres mentioned.
She mentioned prospects who store wellness lower throughout ages, however Ulta has seen progress particularly with millennial consumers and shoppers with family incomes of greater than $100,000. She mentioned innovation has sparked extra curiosity, particularly as prospects search options for key life levels that manufacturers neglected prior to now, equivalent to wants for pre- and post-pregnancy and menopause.
This 12 months, she mentioned Ulta is carrying some reward units of wellness gadgets, together with an Creation calendar of Saje Pure Wellness’ important oils and a magnificence sleep reward set from Kourtney Kardashian’s nutritional vitamins model, Lemme. But she mentioned she expects wellness to grow to be an even bigger a part of the vacations sooner or later because the class grows.
“It is the right mixture of with the ability to give another person the reward of leisure throughout the vacation season in a very elevated approach that simply frankly, hasn’t existed available in the market earlier than,” she mentioned.
Neom Wellbeing is likely one of the manufacturers carried in Ulta Magnificence’s wellness retailers. The UK-based model makes dwelling fragrances and physique care gadgets with important oils meant to scale back stress, enhance sleep or increase temper or power ranges.
Courtesy of Neom Wellbeing
One of many manufacturers in Ulta’s wellness store is Neom Wellbeing, a United Kingdom-based firm that sells dwelling fragrances and body-care gadgets. Neom sells on-line by means of Amazon and its web site, with many top-sellers centered on enhancing sleep.
Amanda Kahn, common supervisor for the U.S. at Neom, mentioned the corporate’s early sellers this vacation season had been stocking stuffers that price lower than $20. As consumers search worth due to inflation, wellness gadgets are engaging as a result of they’re additionally sensible, she mentioned.
“It feels very giftable whereas additionally delivering a profit that everybody can use,” she mentioned.
Customers at a Bathtub & Physique Works retailer at an outlet mall on Black Friday in Dawn, Florida, US, on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.
Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Photos
Bathtub & Physique Works, finest identified for its fragranced soaps, candles and lotions, has launched extra wellness-focused gadgets, too. Early this month, as an illustration, it started promoting a brand new wellness perfume assortment known as “Water Winter Mint” with peppermint and alpine waters scents and elements together with hyaluronic acid and shea butter.
Kristie Lewis, senior vice chairman of merchandising for the corporate, mentioned extra prospects have turned to the mall staple for body-care merchandise or items that increase temper and clear up health-related challenges, equivalent to dry pores and skin or hassle falling asleep.
Bathtub & Physique Works plans to maintain increasing its aromatherapy line and its ingredient-led merchandise, she mentioned. It has aromatherapy physique merchandise with pure important oils and launched a vacation assortment with the scents eucalyptus pine and vanilla nutmeg.
“We’re seeing shoppers actually purchase them for themselves, but in addition for items for vacation as a result of who doesn’t need stress aid or sleep, particularly round November and December?” she mentioned.
Vitamin and well being has been a trending class at Goal, too, Chief Industrial Officer Rick Gomez mentioned on a retailer tour within the Minneapolis space in October. He mentioned wellness has lower throughout most of the classes Goal sells, equivalent to Joylab, a non-public model that is providing shiny colours and floral prints of exercise gear, Khloe Kardashian’s Khloud protein popcorn, and wonder kits and pores and skin masks.
He mentioned a few of these gadgets are giftable, too. Gomez mentioned he purchased his nephew protein powder as a present.
Wellness might achieve extra sq. footage at Goal subsequent 12 months, he added. It is one of many concepts Goal is contemplating as its cope with Ulta Magnificence ends in August and the branded magnificence retailers inside a whole lot of its shops shut, Gomez mentioned.
Whereas dietary supplements are usually extra common round New 12 months’s decision season, Gruns is hoping its gross sales get a vacation bump. It is promoting some packs of gummies with a vacation aptitude, together with a Grinch-inspired bitter punch taste.
Courtesy of Gruns
Grüns is likely one of the wellness gadgets on Goal’s cabinets. The superfood greens gummies are a more healthy spin on a fruit snack for adults, however with a dietary punch just like a greens powder, mentioned founder and CEO Chad Janis. Its identify is impressed by “grün,” the phrase for inexperienced in German.
Retailers together with Walmart, Sprouts Farmers Market and Sam’s Membership promote the gummies, which have expanded to different traces for youths and for immune help for the reason that firm was based in 2023.
Whereas vitamin and complement gross sales are inclined to spike across the new 12 months, Janis mentioned the corporate hopes its gummies might be a present or a stocking stuffer. It is promoting some holiday-inspired gadgets, together with a Grinch-inspired bitter punch taste and a Goal pack that is vacation themed.
Walmart is carrying some wellness gadgets for the vacations, too, because it sees millennial and Gen Z consumers hunt down self-care and wellness gadgets year-round, equivalent to reward units of physique washes from vitamin maker Olly and vitamin patches from Barrière that appear like stickers or non permanent tattoos.
Even outdoors of the wonder aisles, retailers have leaned into wellness as a gift-giving class, equivalent to Finest Purchase, which sells Oura rings and has demos for the health-tracking wearables, and Kohl’s, which carries gadgets together with therapeutic massage weapons and transportable ice baths.
Throughout this vacation season, wellness may additionally get extra consideration from consumers who purchase gadgets for themselves whereas purchasing for items for family and friends, Circana’s Jensen mentioned.
“Here is a bit of decoration with a lip gloss for you and enamel whitening merchandise for me,” she mentioned.
But, within the coming years, Jensen mentioned she expects wellness to achieve prominence on vacation want lists due to their excessive value tags and their wider acceptance. She in contrast it to anti-aging skin-care merchandise and reward units.
She mentioned they as soon as appeared taboo and now, they’re an merchandise that individuals request.
