Ulta’s $25M Bet: Future of Waxing in 2024

It’s weird. The beauty industry is booming, yet a 2025 Deloitte study found a staggering 40% of people still can’t find services that actually work for their specific skin tone or hair type. This gap is a massive opportunity for skilled beauty pros, especially waxers, as retail giants like Ulta evolve. Ulta’s MUSE Accelerator program is aiming to fill that void by cultivating a new generation of diverse, highly skilled waxing professionals who can finally meet this demand.

2024 Ulta MUSE Investment: A $25 Million Bet on Inclusivity

When Ulta Beauty put $25 million into its MUSE Accelerator program in 2024, they were sending a clear signal. The program is built to scale up BIPOC-owned beauty brands, but this is a strategic move that goes far beyond just putting new products on shelves to address a glaring lack of representation. My take is that Ulta sees the huge, untapped market in serving diverse communities. They know that if they bring in new products, they’ll eventually need new services to match. For a working waxer, this means the kinds of clients walking in and the product knowledge we’ll need are about to change. If the brands Ulta is backing are made for specific skincare needs, the pros in the treatment room better be ready to deliver.

Consumer Demand: Over 70% Prioritize Inclusive Brands

A McKinsey & Company survey from late 2025 found that over 70% of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers actively look for brands that show a real commitment to diversity and social responsibility. This is a fundamental shift in what people value. That number tells me the old “one-size-fits-all” model for beauty services, including waxing, is dead. Clients are searching for estheticians who get their specific needs, whether that’s managing ingrown hairs on coarse, curly hair or knowing how to prevent hyperpigmentation after a wax. Any pro getting into the business today has to have a much broader skillset and a deeper understanding of different skin and hair types if they want to compete. It also means the small, independent waxing studios that genuinely live these values are the ones set up for real, long-term success.

Specialized Training: The New Baseline for Excellence

In 2025, the National Cosmetology Association reported a 15% jump in enrollment for advanced hair removal courses, specifically the ones that teach how to work with diverse skin and hair types. That’s a big increase over the prior year. From my experience, a basic esthetics license is just the starting line. It’s not enough to really succeed in a market that’s all about personalization. New waxers, and even vets looking to grow, must get certified in things like advanced Brazilian techniques, protocols for highly sensitive skin, and pre/post-care for conditions like PCOS or keratosis pilaris. This specialized knowledge gives you better client results and builds the kind of trust that creates clients for life. I see too many new pros fail because they think their initial license is all they need and then get stumped by real-world client issues.

Digital Presence: 60% of Booking Decisions Start Online

A 2026 report from Square on beauty bookings showed that almost 60% of clients find and book their appointments online, using filters to search for specialists and read reviews. That stat is a wake-up call. Your skill in the treatment room doesn’t matter if nobody can find you. In my opinion, your online visibility is now directly tied to your business’s viability. Relying on word-of-mouth alone just doesn’t work anymore. You have to build a strong online portfolio that shows off your expertise, includes client testimonials (with their permission, obviously), and clearly lists your specializations. That means having a good social media game and making sure your booking system is easy to use on a phone. Without that digital front door, even the best waxer on the planet will have a hard time connecting with today’s clients who demand easy, transparent booking.

Challenging Conventional Wisdom: Is “Brand Loyalty” Dead?

The old-school thinking in beauty retail is that people are loyal to big, established brands. But the data from Ulta’s MUSE program and the way shoppers are behaving tell a totally different story. The idea of “brand loyalty” as this unbreakable force is outdated. What I’m seeing is a switch to value loyalty and professional loyalty. A client isn’t going to stick with a product line if the brand doesn’t reflect their personal values, or, more importantly, if they can’t find a pro who knows how to use it correctly for their skin and hair. This is a huge opening for small, indie waxers and new brands. Instead of trying to out-spend the big guys on marketing, you should focus on building real, trust-based relationships with your clients by giving amazing, personalized service and showing you share their values. A client who feels seen and heard by their waxer will come back to *you*, no matter what new product is trending.

The beauty industry is changing, fast. It’s moving to a model where authenticity, inclusivity, and real expertise are what matter. For waxing professionals, this is a clear opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Putting your money and time into advanced training, building a solid digital presence, and connecting with what your clients actually care about is how you’ll win. This all ties back to the growing conversation about consumer rights and how people choose their service providers.