Walmart Launches Beauty Bars Pilot Program as Amazon Threatens Top Retailer Spot

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3.10.2026

Quick Facts

Walmart launched Beauty Bars in 40 select stores in April 2025 as part of pilot program to help customers test products and consult beauty experts
Amazon is expected to overtake Walmart as top US beauty retailer by 2025 with 14.5% market share versus Walmart’s 13%, according to Morgan Stanley
Walmart added over 40 premium brands in 2025 and expanded virtual try-on technology to nearly 500 hair color products

Walmart launched Beauty Bars in 40 select stores in April as part of a pilot program designed to help customers explore new products and consult beauty experts. The initiative represents the retailer’s latest effort to compete in the premium beauty space as Amazon threatens to overtake Walmart as the top US beauty retailer.

Amazon is expected to capture 14.5% of the US beauty market by 2025 compared to Walmart’s 13%, according to Morgan Stanley research. The combined market share of Walmart and Target could slip to 25% in 2030 from 26% in 2024.

“If I had to choose one word to describe where Walmart Beauty is, it would be transformation,” said Vinima Shekhar, Vice President of Beauty at Walmart, who assumed the role in 2024. “We want to be the most trusted and accessible beauty destination for everyone, at every stage of life.”

Walmart added more than 40 premium brands in 2025, building on the 60 brands it added in the previous year including Pretty Smart, Being and Curology. The retailer expanded its virtual try-on technology to nearly 500 hair color products through its mobile app.

The retailer’s Spring Beauty Event from April 18 through May 31 offered over 1,800 deals across skincare, cosmetics, hair and accessories. Walmart operates within 10 miles of 90% of the US population, giving it unique reach in the beauty market.

“About 90% of the US population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart or Sam’s Club, and you just can’t reach more people than that,” said Zach Rieken, CEO of hair-care brand Odele, which launched at more than 1,500 Walmart stores in February.

The beauty industry showed resilience in 2024 with prestige beauty sales rising 7% year-over-year while mass market options increased only 3%, according to Circana. Only 14% of US beauty buyers believe higher prices indicate better quality products, the research firm found.

Brook Harvey-Taylor, founder of Pacifica Beauty, noted the shift in customer demand. “There are customers saying they want to buy beauty at Walmart, and we aren’t at Walmart,” she said. “It’s been a marked shift, over about a year and a half, that our customers has been like, ‘Walmart is where we want to find beauty.’”

Walmart previously attempted premium beauty partnerships, including a 2022 collaboration with British luxury beauty store Space NK. Space NK sold its US division in 2024, and Ulta Beauty acquired it in 2025.

The retailer continues expanding through its Walmart Start accelerator program, which has brought more than 10 brands to stores since debuting in 2022. Data from CreatorIQ shows Walmart achieved 23% growth in TikTok earned media value, second only to Sephora’s 32% growth.