Shopbop offers an incredibly well-curated selection of beauty products, allowing users to search by ingredient, formula and even color – with one of the widest collections of cruelty-free beauty items on offer.
This boutique offers nontoxic skin- and hair-care brands founded by Black women, from Roen brow pencils to Afrique’s botanical Shell perfumes – as well as carefully curated pieces that serve both functional and artistic needs.
Space NK Apothecary
Space NK was established by Nicky Kinnaird in Covent Garden in 1993 and since has become the go-to place for beauty discovery worldwide, offering an eclectic selection of innovative cosmetics, skincare, gadgets and upscale boutiques that provide customized experiences catering to beauty enthusiasts with an appreciation of niche or cult brands.
Space NK offers high-performance products designed to address self-care needs, like the Diptyque Baies Scented Candle made of vegetable and paraffin waxes that burn evenly while emitting an exquisite scent. Space NK also sells trending items seen online such as Milk makeup or Charlotte Tilbury lipstick – two items featured prominently.
oo35mm
Chinatown’s oo35mm (“oh-oh thirty five millimeter”) has quickly become one of the premier spots for K-beauty and Japanese skincare products, stocking popular Asian brands like Etude House, Dolly Wink and Hada Labo as well as The Ordinary and Cosrx products. Tucked behind an unassuming storefront is this go-to shop offering K-beauty solutions at great prices!
Formerly, the boutique focused more on stationery, Sanrio items and cute trinkets from Asia; since 2009 they’ve fully transformed into an Asian Beauty skincare destination. Stocked are niche Korean brands like Pyunkang Yul and manyo Factory as well as Western staples such as The Ordinary and Shiseido.
Glossier
Glossier prides itself as a direct-to-consumer beauty brand that prioritizes customer experience. Their website is user-friendly, with convenient ways for customers to find products that suit them; such as featuring specific items whenever someone moves their cursor over any category tab on the site.
The showrooms at Lululemon are carefully crafted to be Instagrammable, featuring crisp white walls with colorful pops of pink. Employees wear pink jumpsuits and are friendly and helpful – offering samples of product while answering any inquiries about it or answering questions you might have about its usage. As cashless purchases can also be made using your phone, once complete orders can be picked up at the counter.
Sephora
Sephora stands out among beauty retailers due to its exceptional product offering and store experience, particularly its beauty virtual artist tool which gives customers more customized ways of testing out makeup.
This community offers customers an outlet to share inspiration and tips, access exclusive events and promotions, rate products they’ve tried, write reviews for those they like and much more!
Sephora stands out from many beauty brands by having both traditional and digital marketing teams operate under one department, which fosters collaboration to deliver superior customer experiences. Furthermore, the company has made an effort to address inclusivity and gender equality issues within their organization.
Ulta Beauty
Ulta Beauty stores are designed to engage their shoppers, telling a narrative and forging relationships through tutorial displays and product offerings that cater to various interests. Customers can also get expert advice from Ulta’s Pro Team; comprised of makeup and hair industry specialists ready to share their knowledge with other enthusiasts.
At Target, they’re passionate about supporting women of color through initiatives like MUSE 100 and Conscious Beauty, while at the same time supporting emerging beauty brands through Sparked incubator program. Plus they give out free gifts such as makeup, skincare and haircare products!
five below
Beauty brands recognize the power of merging online and offline shopping experiences, which explains why digital giant Glossier has ventured offline by opening two flagship spaces in NYC.
These locations stock iconic clean skincare brands such as Odacite, Marie Veronique and Rahua alongside West Coast makeup and body care favorites like makeup trials via cotton pads for trialing makeup prior to purchase. In addition, sanitary swabs and cotton pads are readily available so customers can test out makeup prior to making their final purchase decision.
They host events and collaborate with KOLs and influencers in local markets to increase engagement with customers and stand out in a crowded marketplace. By gathering customer data, they offer tailored products and services that increase conversions and loyalty among their target customer demographics.
