Always a strong champion of self-expression, Ulta Beauty has announced the launch of The Joy Project, “a long-term initiative created to help beauty enthusiasts and consumers at large find, embrace and experience joy.”
In partnership with best-selling author, motivational speaker and award-winning podcast host Mel Robbins, the brand is on what they call “a critical mission to combat what research found to be the number one obstacle to experiencing joy—our inner critic.”
According to a release, the retailer commissioned The Joy Study, a third-party sample of how 5,000 national adults and teens experience joy and the common barriers to experiencing it on a daily basis. They hope the gathered insights will “spark a national conversation about the barriers to joy we all face and how to overcome them.” To that end, the findings will be part of associate training curriculum, crafted by Robbins, to positively transform the way Ulta Beauty’s 53,000 associates think about themselves and ultimately empower guests to do the same.
“At Ulta Beauty, we strive every day to use the power of beauty to bring to life the possibilities that lie within each of us, and joy is a feeling we want everyone to experience when walking through our stores,” said Michelle Crossan-Matos, chief marketing officer, Ulta Beauty. “The reality is, there’s a joy deficit in our country, which if left untreated, will only continue to hold people back from living the lives they’ve always wanted. As industry leaders, who care deeply about how people experience beauty and show up in the world, we believe it’s our responsibility to help change this. By taking an inside out approach, in helping our associates unlock their own barriers to joy, and using our platforms to positively influence the communities we serve, we know we can ignite a movement that will help people everywhere live more authentic, and joyful lives.”
One key finding: The research found that 73 percent of those surveyed experience negative self-talk, 70 percent experiencing it don’t recognize negative self-talk when they’re actively doing it, and 91 percent identify negative self-talk as a primary obstacle in their ability to experience joy.
“It’s stunning that the research shows that negative self-talk is the biggest obstacle to experiencing joy, yet the majority of us don’t even realize how much we engage in it. I’m proud to work with Ulta Beauty and The Joy Project to address this head on. Knowing Ulta Beauty’s associates hear this self-criticism from their guests every day, Ulta Beauty and I are giving them the tools to help their guests silence the inner critic and experience more joy,” said Robbins in a release. “There are so many brands and companies publicly discussing well-being, but few are activating in such a meaningful way. I’m honored to work with Ulta Beauty, creating custom trainings that will empower those associates to silence that inner critic and coach guests to do the same all with a mission to inspire a national conversation to spread more joy.”
