Sharon Chuter’s Uoma Beauty Heads to QVC – WWD

Sharon Chuter is no stranger to getting her voice heard.

The creator of Uoma Beauty and the Pull Up or Shut Up campaign knows how to take a megaphone to her mission. Now, she’s broadening her and her brand’s reach even further with a QVC partnership, kicking off in March.

Uoma’s full assortment — including its hero foundation, available in six different formulas across a 51-shade range — as well as concealers, highlighters, contour sticks, a range of eye shadow palettes, lipsticks and lip glosses, will launch on the channel. Prices range from $18 to $44 for full-sized products.

Chuter’s first appearance will be on March 11 as part of QVC’s monthlong “31 Days of Makeup” event, and she’ll also be promoting the Trippin Smooth Powder, Stay Woke Concealer and Drama Bomb Extreme Volume Mascara.

The launch reinforces with Chuter’s strategic priority for the year, which is getting more face time with consumers instead of concentrating on the operational aspects of her business.

“My focus is going out to my consumers,” she said. “Now is the opportunity to get intimate not only with my existing shopper, but a new one. On the front end, we’re very young, we’re very vibrant, but people don’t realize how many mature audiences we have in our tribe. It’s an opportunity to touch a new customer for the first time, and I get to do it myself.”

Chuter said she had initially talked to the retailer pre-COVID-19 just after Uoma launched, and though the pandemic thwarted those plans, the business is now stable enough to go big on the platform.

“I’m happy we waited until now,” she said. “We’ve built a name; 2019, 2020 would have been too early. Now, we’ve learned our products well, and we know how to deliver them.”

She also hinted that down the line, QVC would gain exclusivity around certain new launches. QVC is equally as bullish on the partnership.

“Uoma Beauty has quickly captivated the beauty industry with innovative color cosmetics created for all,” said Anna Baker, vice president and general merchandise manager for beauty at QVC, in a statement. “What makes this brand so special is that it is redefining the standards of inclusivity in beauty by going beyond just shade range to offering unique, skin-loving products that are suitable for all skin tones and types. Sharon is a dynamic storyteller whose passion exudes through her products which promote authentic self-expression.”

The brand grew sevenfold last year — the latest in a long string of successes. But Chuter’s not interested in growth for growth’s sake. “We’ve built really solid growth in three years with no celebrity, no brand ambassador, no nothing. We’re growing, we’re thriving, but we’re moving away from a VC [venture capital] model of just growing at all costs,” she said. “I’m going to keep serving my consumers; my consumers are my first investors.”