Why Is Morphe Cosmetics Closing Its U.S. Stores?

Makeup brand Morphe announced that it will close its U.S. stores to focus on selling through its website and wholesaling to retail partners including Target and Ulta. 

In a Twitter post, a company spokesperson said: “We have made the difficult decision to close all Morphe stores in the U.S. We are forever grateful to our store teams for their passion, talent and dedication over the years.”

We have made the difficult decision to close all Morphe stores in the U.S. We are forever grateful to our store teams for their passion, talent and dedication over the years.

— Morphe (@MorpheBrushes) January 5, 2023

The iconic cosmetics company believes the shift will position Morphe to “better compete in the broader beauty landscape and more efficiently reach our customers where and how they shop.”

As per WWD, some makeup artists and other Morphe lovers said on social media that they were shockingly only given a day’s notice about their local store’s closing.

In a subsequent post, the retailer said customers could continue to shop Morphe’s products, which include makeup brushes and tools, and other makeup and skincare items, on its website and at its retail partners. According to its website, Morphe still has retail stores in the U.K., Australia and Canada.

Morphe is part of Forma Brands' portfolio, which also includes Playa Beaut, Lipstick Queen, Bad Habit and Jaclyn Cosmetics. 

The cosmetics brand built a reputation largely with young people through its relationships with popular beauty creators and influencers, like James Charles and Jeffree Star. But those relationships eventually soured for the retailer and caused controversy for Morphe. The brand cut ties with Jeffree Star in 2020 and winded down its partnership with James Charles in 2021. 

Morphe built large online followings across social media, however, it is safe to say the brand largely failed to develop a larger recognition.

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