Free People boosts offering with beauty and wellness online

US apparel and lifestyle retailer Free People has expanded its empire to include a beauty and wellness category online, following the success of fellow URBN subsidiaries Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie in the same sphere.

The chain has tasked Jessica Richards, senior beauty merchant and founder of Shen Beauty, to tailor Free People's assortment "for active young professional women who care about what they put in and on their bodies," with the beauty selection to include more than 600 items spanning skin care, hair care, nail, makeup and wellness.

The category, which will feature 20 to 30 brands at the outset including RMS, Love & Sage, Dr. Alkaitis, Fountain, Pai Skincare, The Beauty Chef, Sun Potion, Maya Chia and Nicole Granato, will debut in stores from October this year, with price points ranging from $6 to $150.

Richards added that she isn't ruling out collaborations to produce beauty items unique to Free People with Free People branded beauty products down the line also a possible expansion route.