An Ulta worker revealed all of the foundation, makeup, and perfumes she destroys, finding the process “satisfying.”
The video was uploaded by TikTok user Angie (@angiefabianamejia) who showed herself doing “damages” at Ulta on a Sunday night. First up was lipstick which she pressed the wax against the trash can and let it fall. Next, she dumped Lancome’s brush cleaner all over the piles of makeup and dropped the bottle. Then, the Ulta worker unscrewed the concealer and allowed all of its contents to pour out. Another lipstick was smeared all over a blush palette, destroying both products. Afterward, she ruined eyeliner, more lipstick, and squirted concealer everywhere. Mot of the products seemed to be from the major beauty brands Smashbox and MAC.
In the caption, Angie stated, “Ulta damages be so satisfying everytime.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Angie via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment and Ulta via email. Although the video amassed 4 million views, the content creator disabled her comments. However, Angie wasn’t the only Ulta worker who exposed what the company does with its returned merchandise. User Erica Elizabeth shared what her store did with “damaged items.” The makeup artist had to “cut the wire on a flat iron to squeeze all the moisturizer out of a bottle.”
According to GoBankingRates, “Ulta Beauty never puts returned items on the shelf to protect its brand integrity. Its policy strictly prohibits the resale of used, damaged, or expired products. Instead, the company’s guest services webpage suggests that it trains its employees to inspect and properly dispose of any used, damaged, or expired returns. On the other hand, there’s nothing stating whether or not Ulta Beauty considers any product that leaves their store used or if there is a policy surrounding what constitutes a used product, like open packaging. So, the company may throw away or otherwise dispose of unused products.”
@angiefabianamejia Ulta damages be so satisfying everytime #damages #fyp #asmr #satisfying #ultabeauty ♬ original sound – 𝔸𝕟𝕘𝕚𝕖♡︎🇭🇳
Furthermore, content creators have exposed how wasteful different companies are. The beauty industry “amounts to 120 billion units of trash each year,” according to Trvst. A woman blasted Family Dollar for the boxes upon boxes for discarding unopened food, clothes, and pillows. Popular dumpster diver Ella unveiled her TJ Maxx haul, finding brand-name products, such as “Calvin Klein boxer briefs, a Coach purse, a Calvin Klein sweatshirt, BioSilk shampoo and conditioner set, candles, skincare items, and even another purse from Steve Madden.”
Why do companies dispose of seemingly intact products? So, the company can save an extra buck. “Many corporations have policies that prefer destroying perfectly good merchandise over giving them away because they can write off the item as a loss and they do not have to worry about the liability of any harm the merchandise may cause,” per Wise Bread.
