A Manhattan-based Ulta Beauty salon is facing backlash after allegedly denying service to a Black woman and her child, telling them they don’t handle that “kind of hair.”
Per Gothamist, a racial discrimination lawsuit was filed after Lauren Smith and her 7-year-old daughter, identified as C.M., visited Ulta Beauty’s East 86th St. location on July 6, 2025, and were denied service.
The Ulta Beauty employees cited Smith and her daughter’s hair “type” and “texture,” as the reason they denied service, according to the complaint. They claimed to be inexperienced with that “kind of hair” and criticized Smith for not disclosing in advance “what kind of hair” they had.
The lawsuit, filed by Smith and C.M, alleges their hair was “completely covered” during the exchange with the workers, and no employee ever actually inspected their hair. The complaint called the stated refusals a pretext for unlawful racial discrimination.
“This discriminatory treatment occurred in full view of other customers, causing severe humiliation to Ms. Smith and traumatic distress to her 7-year-old daughter who left the store crying hysterically and asking, ‘What is wrong with my hair?’ and ‘Why can’t I go there if there are brown girls [in ads] on the walls?’” according to the complaint via Gothamist.
The outlet reports that the salon’s stated reasons for denying service violate the New York State Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination based on traits historically associated with race, including hair texture.
Smith and her daughter, both professional models, made an appointment with the beauty giant ahead of a scheduled photoshoot.
Despite the confirmed appointments, Smith and C.M were told their assigned stylist, identified in the complaint as “Jessica C.,” was “not comfortable” doing their “type” or “texture” of hair.
According to the lawsuit, a store manager then defended Jessica C.’s refusal and criticized Smith for not specifying her hair type.
The alleged discrimination arrives after Ulta issued a press release celebrating Black beauty. “Ulta Beauty recognizes the importance of magnifying, uplifting, supporting and empowering the influence that Black voices bring to the beauty industry,” the website states.
The plantiffs attorney, Wendy Dolce, alleges the incident was part of a pattern of “systemic corporate indifference” by Ulta Beauty outlets, citing press reports and legal claims alleging similar conduct.