We used to have a gorgeous store in one of the beautiful malls in Chicago but when the COVID hit we decided to close our locations and only focus on online.⁠ ⁠

So people ask us whether Brick-and-mortar retail is dead? ⁠ ⁠

Well, in my opinion it isn’t dying, it’s evolving......⁠ ⁠

The future of beauty shopping in a post COVID world:⁠ ⁠

A quick check-in with beauty retailers from around the world signals a major overhaul in the traditional shopping routine.

Beauty brands are adopting suitable precautions to ensure optimal safety for those pursuing products at retail outposts.

Ulta Beauty, one of the largest beauty retailers in USA, has resumed in-store shopping at over 650 locations in accordance with safety standards. ⁠ ⁠

Safety precautions and no more beauty testers but sealed samples...⁠ ⁠

And that's GOOD!⁠ ⁠

The argument against makeup testers isn’t new.

Studies dating as far back as 1971 have discovered that 43 per cent of eye makeup samples, such as mascara wands and eyeliners, featured microbial contamination.⁠ ⁠ In 2015, a multinational makeup retailer found itself on the receiving end of a lawsuit from a woman who contracted herpes after testing a lipstick sample at a store. ⁠ ⁠

So the retail is not dead, it just will have to be different. And that's not necessarily a bad thing!⁠

Dr. Liia