Ulta MUSE: Reshaping Beauty Training by 2027

Let’s be real: keeping up with new products is a constant headache for beauty pros. One day there’s a new line, the next there’s a new technique, and consistent, good training is hard to come by. The Ulta MUSE Accelerator program is changing that by making solid training a requirement for the emerging brands it supports. As a result, pros are seeing a fundamental change in how they learn the skills they need for these new products, from the basics to advanced applications.

For years, professional education in beauty has been a mess. Salons and solo pros were stuck relying on brand reps who were often more focused on making a sale than actually teaching a skill, leading to inconsistent training. This left huge gaps, especially when a small brand launched a new product. Think about a startup creating a new hard wax for sensitive skin. Without a real training plan, pros would hear about it on social media or try to figure it out on their own, which is a recipe for unhappy clients. In the past, your options were a patchwork. Big, legacy brands had their academies, but that meant shelling out for travel and tuition. Smaller brands just didn’t have the cash for that, so you’d get a quick demo or a product one-sheet and be expected to figure out the rest. It was a huge roadblock for anyone trying to use new products from independent creators. We saw this over and over again as specialized skincare ingredients became popular, pros would buy the stuff but have no idea how to actually use it in a service because there was no formal guidance. The core mistake was assuming that just having a product on the shelf meant pros were ready to use it correctly. This is exactly the gap the Ulta MUSE Accelerator, which launched in 2021 and is on its fifth group of brands, was designed to fill. MUSE (that’s for Magnify, Uplift, Support, Help) gives grants, mentorship, and a path to retail for new beauty brands, with a focus on those started by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) founders. The program’s design builds specialist training right into its DNA. A key part of the deal is that participating brands *must* create clear, solid educational content for their products. This is a huge change. For example, a MUSE brand creating a pro body care line for different skin tones has to spell out exactly how to apply it, what the contraindications are, and the right aftercare, it’s not just about listing benefits. With Ulta backing the program, these training requirements are non-negotiable. And it makes sense, because a 2024 National Retail Federation report showed that customers are demanding more diverse beauty products, so retailers like Ulta need to make sure pros know what they’re doing. The accelerator makes getting that training much more straightforward.

So here’s how it works. First is the brand identification and vetting. Ulta’s team and other industry pros pick brands that are doing something new, have market potential, and fit their diversity goals. This first step sets a standard for quality and professionalism. Next comes curriculum development support. As part of the program, brands get help structuring their training materials which includes hands-on workshops, digital courses, and even programs to train other educators. A professional waxing brand entering the accelerator, for example, would have to build out detailed protocols for its hard wax, covering everything from temperature settings and application angles to specific post-wax soothing methods, ensuring every pro gets the same, correct information. Finally, there’s the distribution of educational content. Ulta uses its massive network of stores and pro contacts to get these training modules out there, whether through virtual workshops, materials sent to Ulta Beauty at Target service locations, or by adding the content to pro education sites. This broad access means a pro in Atlanta, Georgia can get trained on a new skincare line from a MUSE brand based in New York without ever leaving town. That kind of local access is a huge plus. And we’re already seeing this approach pay off. According to Ulta’s 2025 Impact Report, over 70% of pros who took training from a MUSE-affiliated brand said they felt much more confident and skilled with those specific products. That confidence makes for better client experiences. Picture a client getting a full body wax from a specialist who not only uses a new, ethically sourced hard wax with total assurance but can also explain why it’s better and give specific aftercare advice, all thanks to the MUSE program’s required training. That level of skill improves the whole appointment. The program also pushes the industry to be more inclusive. By supporting BIPOC-founded brands, the training automatically covers a wider range of client needs, so specialized techniques for different hair textures and skin types get built into formal education instead of being passed around as salon gossip. When a pro gets trained on a MUSE brand’s hyperpigmentation line, they’re gaining a specific, marketable skill for a diverse clientele that most old-school beauty programs just ignore. The effects are felt beyond just the individual pro, too. Salons that make continuing education a priority, especially with programs like the MUSE Accelerator, are reporting better client retention and more bookings. For instance, if a salon in Buckhead advertises that its team is trained on the newest, most inclusive product lines, it’s going to pull in a wider range of clients who are looking for providers that know what they’re doing. It’s a way for a business to lead the market, not just play catch-up. The mentorship component is also huge, because it teaches new brand founders how to scale their business, including the part everyone underestimates: professional education. This helps ensure that as these brands get bigger, their focus on great training doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. It creates a cycle where new ideas are always paired with solid education, which just makes for a stronger, more skilled professional workforce.

By forcing brands to build education into their DNA from day one, the Ulta MUSE Accelerator program is fundamentally changing specialist training. It’s giving beauty professionals the exact skills they need to master new products and serve an increasingly diverse client base with confidence.