Drugstore beauty is taking another leap into the future! After hearing that CVS Pharmacy partnered with Glamsquad & eSalon to create the “Beauty IRL” store-within-a-store (which I wrote about here), I recently read that its drugstore competitor Walgreens is getting in the game as well. They are partnering with Birchbox, the well-known beauty subscription service, to bring Birchbox boutiques to 11 select Walgreens locations in 6 U.S. cities starting this December! See the image below from Walgreens’ Instagram with city listings/times.
This is very similar to CVS’s “Beauty IRL” concept in that these Birchbox-branded boutiques will “live” within a larger Walgreens store. But while Birchbox (and most other beauty subscription services) are synonymous with mini or sample sizes, these boutiques will be stocked with full–size makeup, skincare & haircare products from Birchbox’s roster of brands. To be more specific, this partnership will introduce 40 new brands into Walgreens including Sand & Sky, Wander Beauty, Embryolisse, Winky Lux & ARROW, to name a few. How exciting!
Interestingly, the products will be merchandized by need and not by brand inside these Birchbox boutiques, which I think is really cool and unlike a lot of other shopping experiences we know. So if you’re not the biggest beauty shopper nor very brand-loyal, this may be something that excites you.
A rendering of a Birchbox-Walgreens boutique. Image source: Businesswire.com
A rendering of a Birchbox-Walgreens boutique. Image source: Businesswire.com
Supposedly each boutique will have “Birchbox-trained” beauty consultants to assist you, plus a “BYOB” (Build Your Own Birchbox) section where you can curate your own Birchbox from a selection of beauty mini’s. I think this is such a cool idea as I’ve been a Birchbox customer for a number of years now (and I love a mini anything). And if you don’t live in or near any of the cities listed above, the Birchbox offerings will also be available online at walgreens.com.
I think this will be another great option for beauty shoppers (big or small). It’s awesome to see drugstore retailers making big investments that will ultimately give their customers a different, more exciting experience. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Are you excited for Birchbox to come to Walgreens? I’d love to know!
Xo, Erica
Sources used: Fastcompany.com, CNBC.com, news.walgreens.com, CEW.org, businesswire.com.
PIN IT!
This sounds wonderful! Wish we had a Walgreens..lol
Apparently you will still be able to order items online, but fingers crossed they’ll expand locations in the future!
That’s good!
What a cool idea! I have not tried their subscription service but I like the idea of trying it out in a brick and mortar location before committing to a subscription 🙂
For sure. I’ll be checking to see where they open in NYC so I can see it in the flesh!
This sounds like a great idea. I like their product and would love to have it at Walgreen as it’s so close to our house. You are so up to date with your beauty lands news. You go girl.
Thanks, I try to be!
How exciting! Hopefully they’ll add my state soon! I love the build your own box idea!
Apparently you’ll be able to order online as well, but I hope they expand locations as well!
This is very interesting news! Sounds very exciting Erica!!
😉