Inside Ritual's $250M Rise And Nationwide Launch At Ulta Beauty

Forbes

4 days ago

Nine years after launching, Ritual has hit an impressive $250 million in sales and just launched in ... More 300 Ulta stores nationwide.
When Kat Schneider founded Ritual in 2016, her mission was clear: to create a transparent, science-backed supplement brand for women who care about what they're putting in their bodies—and why. Less than a decade later, the company has crossed a major threshold, surpassing $250 million in retail value and, this month, launching in 300 Ulta Beauty stores nationwide. It's a double milestone that not only underscores Ritual's explosive growth but also signals something bigger: a shifting consumer mindset around wellness, efficacy, and the relationship between supplements and beauty.
'Crossing $250 million in sales and continuing to be a profitable business is a testament to the fact that women value transparency and high-quality products when it comes to their health,' Schneider says. 'Having the #1-bestselling prenatal and the only leading prenatal backed by its own human clinical study also reinforces that women care about science and efficacy. They want to know their products are actually working.'
This emphasis on proof, not just promise, has been core to Ritual's DNA from the start. But it's also what sets the brand apart in a now hyper-saturated—and often murky, sometimes intentionally so—supplement space. With more than 100,000 supplements now on the market (up from about 3,000 when Ritual launched) and little regulatory oversight, many consumers have grown increasingly skeptical about what's actually in their vitamins and capsules, even as interest in them soars. Schneider and her team have responded by doubling down on visibility, safety, and third-party validation.
Some of Ritual's most defining moves include creating the industry's first visible supply chain—which openly names its ingredient suppliers and their manufacturing locations—earning the Clean Label Project's Purity Award across every product, and committing $5 million to clinical research. The goal is to ensure every product is backed by human clinical studies by 2030, setting a new bar for transparency and scientific rigor in the supplement space. It's an aggressive investment, and a rare one in the supplement industry, but Schneider sees it as essential. 'Our most recent clinical trial on our prenatal was a landmark study, not just for Ritual but for women's health,' she says. 'It helped advance research and better understand the impacts of prenatal vitamin supplementation on mother and baby.'
That same rigor is now being brought to Ritual's first major retail partnership, with Ulta Beauty. While the brand has long been a darling of the DTC space, its move into brick-and-mortar reflects both growing demand and evolving consumer habits. 'I've always believed in the convergence of beauty and wellness,' Schneider says. 'Online, we've seen our consumers shopping holistically, looking for benefits both from the inside out and the outside in, but retail has been slower to adopt this trend. That's why we knew Ulta was the perfect partner—they've been ahead of the curve.'
Schneider's focus on transparency has prompted Ritual to build the industry's first visible supply ... More chain, listing ingredient suppliers by name and location, and commit $5 million to clinical research.
In a bold move, Ritual chose to launch at Ulta exclusively with its clinically-studied SKUs, including its bestselling prenatal and Hyacera, a supplement formulated to reduce fine lines and support skin hydration. Backed by a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, Hyacera showed a 356% reduction in crow's feet after 12 weeks—results that rival those of popular topicals, but from the inside out. 'No false promises,' Schneider says. 'Just real, science-backed results.'
Early data suggests this approach is paying off. According to Schneider, in-store signage highlighting clinical backing, particularly for the prenatal, has been among the most effective tools in driving consumer trust and purchases. 'It's resonating because it reinforces that these aren't just pretty bottles with buzzwords," she explains. 'These are products that are doing the work.'
Of course, scaling a values-driven company presents its own set of challenges. For Schneider, the key to maintaining Ritual's integrity has been codifying its standards early and evolving them with intention. That includes everything from launching the brand's Certificate of Traceability, which allows customers to access batch-specific test results, to improving its B Corp score to 120. 'Transparency isn't a one-time initiative,' she says. 'It's something we're always evolving.'
It's also something today's wellness consumer increasingly demands. Over the past several years, Schneider has witnessed a seismic shift in what customers expect from the brands they buy. 'The wellness consumer has become significantly more informed and discerning,' she notes. 'We've stayed committed to raising the bar, pushing for stronger regulation, and leading by example.'
That commitment to elevating the category was a major driver behind Ritual's recent partnership with Serena Williams, who joined the brand not just as a spokesperson but also as a Women's Health Advisor. 'She truly aligns with our values and our mission,' Schneider says. 'It's our first collaboration with A-list talent, and we were intentional in choosing someone who shares our commitment to integrity and impact.'
While Ritual may now be a large presence on Ulta shelves across the country, Schneider says the brand's DTC roots remain strong and will continue to shape its future. 'Ritual will always be a digitally-native brand at its core,' she says. 'But our shift to an omni-channel approach has been happening for a few years and has proven very successful. Our goal is to make high-quality supplements accessible wherever our consumers choose to shop.'
Ritual's shift to an omnichannel approach has already proven successful with consumers and advances ... More the brand's goal to make high-quality supplements accessible everywhere.
Schneider is tight-lipped about what's next for Ritual but hints that the brand's expansion will continue to follow its North Star: women's health. 'Our vision is to be with [our customer] from her first period to her last hot flash,' she says. 'Having the #1 prenatal positions us well to expand into other life stages and categories.'
It's a mission that feels both deeply personal and urgently needed, especially given the historical underfunding of women's health research. 'I have three daughters,' Schneider adds. 'So the advancement and investment in this space isn't just a business priority—it's my legacy.'
With over $250 million in sales, a growing retail footprint, and a clinical research pipeline that rivals some pharmaceutical companies, it's safe to say that legacy is already taking shape—and reshaping the wellness industry in the process.