Target’s beauty business is emerging as one of the brighter spots in the retailer’s broader turnaround, with the company reporting high-single-digit beauty sales growth in the second quarter and preparing to significantly upgrade the category’s in-store experience.
The momentum comes as Target sharpens its focus on style, newness and value. In Q2, all six of its core merchandising categories posted sales growth, with Beauty among the strongest performers. Overall, Target’s net sales rose 5.3%, comparable sales increased 3.8% and traffic climbed 3.6%.
Now, Target is moving from assortment expansion to a more fundamental rethink of how beauty is shopped.
The centerpiece is Target Beauty Studio, which Target plans to debut in more than 600 stores and online in Q3. Originally announced in March as a fall launch, the concept is designed to give prestige beauty a dedicated destination inside Target rather than simply adding more premium products to the existing beauty aisles.
The Studio will feature more than 80 global, prestige and emerging brands, including more than 60 that are new to Target shoppers, spanning skin care, hair care, fragrance and cosmetics. The assortment will also include exclusive launches available only at Target.
Target is borrowing elements of specialty beauty retail—elevated fixtures, curated displays, trend and ingredient education and dedicated beauty team members—while retaining the accessibility and value positioning that define the mass merchant.
The retailer says signage will highlight what is new, trending and exclusive, while explaining ingredients, trends and brand stories in more approachable terms. Dedicated team members will provide recommendations and product guidance, while beauty-specific Target Circle rewards will encourage discovery and repeat purchasing.
The Studio will also be built as an omnichannel experience: products will be available in stores and online, connecting physical discovery with Target.com, the Target app, social inspiration and Target Circle.
Target has described Beauty Studio as a structural investment in the category, coordinating product, presentation, service and loyalty rather than simply creating a new shop-in-shop.
Target’s broader 2026 strategy calls for more premium and emerging beauty brands, updated presentation and an enhanced service model. Beauty Studio is effectively the physical manifestation of that strategy, and the company is rolling it out at scale just as beauty is posting high-single-digit growth.
