What is Conscious Beauty at Ulta Beauty?
Trusted by top retailers, certification bodies, and 90,000+ brands
Conscious Beauty isn’t just good for the planet—it’s good for business.
More than a clean label, it’s a signal of trust that helps shoppers discover values-aligned products and rewards brands that meet clear, science-informed standards. Today, over 300 brands are certified through Ulta Beauty’s five Conscious Beauty pillars—each focused on a different dimension of ethical and sustainable product development.
Why should brands participate?
Retail Momentum
With clean beauty projected to grow 12 percent globally by 2027, nearly half of its 600+ brands are now certified under at least on Conscious Beauty pillar - signaling industry recognition and widespread adoption.
Premium Placement
Certified products earn the Conscious Beauty lotus + leaf icon, increasing discoverability across Ulta Beauty's 1.4k+ stores, digital campaigns, and Ulta Beauty magazine reaching 100M+ readers - driving over 11M impressions in 2024.
Top Badge
In 2024, Ulta Conscious Beauty was the most popular retail trust badge on the Novi platform with the highest number of eligbile brands activated.
Conscious Beauty gives brands a powerful way to scale impact and visibility—turning sustainability into a growth engine.
Get startedUlta Beauty Pillars:
Clean Ingredients
Avoiding or limiting chemicals listed on Ulta’s Made Without List™, such as parabens and phthalates. This list is continuously reviewed by technical experts who are part of the program's Advisory Council.
Cruelty Free
Verified by third-party certifications like PETA, Leaping Bunny, or Choose Cruelty-Free to ensure no animal testing.
Give Back
Recognizes brands actively contributing to environmental or social impact causes.
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Vegan
Formulated without animal-derived ingredients, including common additives like beeswax or lanolin.
Sustainable Packaging
At least 50% of product packaging (by weight) must be recyclable, refillable, or made from recycled/renewable materials.
How to join Conscious Beauty at Ulta Beauty
To certify under Conscious Beauty, brands must meet Ulta Beauty’s criteria for one or more of the five program pillars. While the requirements vary by category, Novi simplifies every step of the journey. Here's how it works:
01
Assess
Evaluate products against Ulta Beauty’s criteria, such as the Made Without List or Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) thresholds for packaging. Note that Clean Ingredients and Vegan can be certified per SKU, but other pillars require brand-wide compliance.
02
Upload
Upload all relevant data and evidence through the Novi platform. Novi streamlines the process, ensuring that brands provide comprehensive and accurate information for evaluation by Novi’s system.
03
Subscribe
Submit payment to Novi for your annual subscription to Ulta Beauty's Conscious Beauty program.
04
Activate
Digital icons appear on product listings and shelf tags once approved.
05
Renew
Brands must re-certify annually and submit updates for any formula changes.
Novi is Ulta Beauty’s technology partner for Conscious Beauty. It helps brands instantly screen SKUs, close data gaps, and submit verified claims so they can earn the Conscious Beauty mark and unlock greater visibility and sales.
Novi helps unlock in-store promotion, digital exposure, and shelf presence at Ulta Beauty.
