I’m not gonna lie — Ulta is one of my favorite places in the world by far. It offers a wide array of cheap makeup that a poor fashionista like me doesn’t feel that bad about splurging on, which gives me the tools to play around with my look without feeling guilty about it. Let’s just say I might spend too much time there.
But unfortunately, Ulta just might have a dirty secret — quite literally.
Twitter user @fatinamxo, a former employee from one of the stores, tweeted a thread that doesn’t exactly put the company in a good light. In fact, it might make you rethink going there altogether.
Apparently Ulta resells old, used makeup.
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931112007741440
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931115346456576
She goes on to show the difference between a brand new product vs. a new one, just in case you want to inspect your own purchases.
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931125282705411
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931144610066433
Apparently, at the store she worked at, it was a pretty common practice.
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931144610066433
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931149626408961
Though it seems like Ulta’s corporate offices might not be 100% onboard with the practice.
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931150830292992
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931152226930689
Apparently, it’s not just her store that does this — multiple people came forward to tell her that the stores they worked also resold used makeup, often without proper sanitization.
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931171885699072
It’s honestly something we should all be aware of when buying makeup.
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931176138706945
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931179506753537
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950931185928232962
https://twitter.com/fatinamxo/status/950934693503012864
People online are coming forward to say that some of the products they bought from Ulta, online or in store, were obviously already used when they got them.
You ain't safe online either. I got a 8 pc sample gift set and my powder highlighter had a finger print in it.😷
— Issablackipino (@Tarada_B) January 10, 2018
I had swatch fingerprints in my ABH sugar glow kit. 🙄🙄🙄 @ultabeauty @norvina1 it was truly disgusting. pic.twitter.com/EFIOGiiLl7
— Kel (@kelmarant) January 11, 2018
Ughhh I had that happen with a lip liner I bought, it was used. I think people try stuff and stuff it back in the box 😩I’m so sorry
— norvina (@norvina) January 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/sarbeef_/status/950995014703833088
sdf
Apparently it’s not all Ultas that practice this, but still — how do you know which ones do and which ones don’t?
No really I would be calling. I worked at Ulta for years and we never did this. I was the queen at damaging out stuff. I had a friend who worked at ulta in another state & a friend who worked at MAC inside of a Macy’s and they both told me about cleaning and resealing 🤮
— 👽 (@Keyana_Marie_) January 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/alllyysssaw/status/950991890467323905
The ulta at the Fullerton center in California also does this with online orders including lipsticks but they are not cleaned.
— gaychelray (@cakefacerache) January 10, 2018
As @fatinamxo mentioned, this isn’t just about getting ripped off — it’s a health risk. You don’t know what you could catch from using someone else’s makeup — infections, viruses, you name it. You literally have no idea what you’re getting into when you start using a stranger’s makeup.
The fact of the matter is this: enough people made the claim to make me think that it’s probably not an uncommon thing that Ulta does. So if you’re thinking about buying makeup, maybe skip Ulta for a while until they get this whole thing sorted out. If this gets enough exposure, they’ll probably be forced to. 
