Sacheu Beauty, the viral Los Angeles brand cofounded by content creator Sarah Cheung, is entering a new chapter with its first in-store retail partnership, rolling out its full color cosmetics line across 700 Ulta Beauty locations this month.
The expansion marks a milestone for the brand, which first gained attention in 2020 with its stainless steel gua sha tools and later skyrocketed in popularity thanks to its peel-off, longwear lip liner stain.
“What we carry through all of our product development is solving real problems,” Cheung said.
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Sacheu Beauty’s rise was fueled by TikTok virality; Cheung used a peel-off brow tint as lip liner in a post that garnered more than a million views in 24 hours, which inspired the brand’s lip stain.
“All of the lip liners I had that claimed to be longwear weren’t actually longwear,” she went on. “I found a hack that can last me through coffee and meals and cheeseburgers.”
Ulta Beauty took notice, featured Sacheu Beauty in its Sparked program — a virtual experience to discover new brands — brought the brand’s tools into stores and expanded the assortment online. Cheung also participated in the retailer’s Muse Accelerator program, which supports early-stage brands with BIPOC founders.
“We’ve seen a direct translation between viral moments on TikTok into sales at Ulta [Beauty],” said Vincent Hickey, Sacheu Beauty’s chief commercial officer, adding that Sacheu Beauty’s point of sales at the retailer have increased six times year-over-year.
Sacheu Beauty is projecting to surpass $100 million in revenue by 2026 with Ulta Beauty leading the growth, according to the brand.
The company is scaling fast, quadrupling its production capacity and growing to a team of 28.
“Having a viral moment is amazing, but you have to catch up,” Hickey said. “We’ve invested heavily in supply chain infrastructure and grown our internal teams to make sure we’re set up for long-term success.”
The Ulta Beauty rollout includes Sacheu Beauty’s lip liner stain, as well as its new cheek, contour and highlighter products, all focused on long-lasting formulas. “We want to drive our Gen Z audience in-store while reaching new customers who may not have discovered us on TikTok,” Hickey said.
Sacheu Beauty will also celebrate the launch with an immersive “Sacheu World” pop-up in Venice, Calif., later this month.
“At Ulta Beauty, we’re proud to champion brands that reflect the creativity and innovation shaping today’s beauty landscape — and Sacheu exemplifies all of that and more,” said Kaitlin Rinehart, Ulta Beauty’s vice president of merchandising, in a statement. “As an inclusive and accessible brand that has leveraged social media to build an engaging community with its viral and experiential Peel-Off Lip Liner Stain, Sacheu brings a fun modern edge to our assortment. Its commitment to clean, effective ingredients and content-driven education resonates deeply with our guests of all ages, especially those discovering products through platforms like TikTok.”
Through the partnership, the retailer aims to meet consumer demand for “authenticity, long-lasting performance and easy to use formulas that are inspired by leading beauty hubs across the world,” Rinehart went on.