Flower Knows Expands to 450 Ulta Beauty Stores
The Hangzhou-founded beauty brand, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is testing whether its online popularity can translate into mainstream global retail.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Beauty
Flower Knows, a beauty brand founded in Hangzhou, debuted in 450 Ulta Beauty stores and opened a global flagship in Shanghai. The brand, which now has a presence in more than 20 countries, is marking its 10th anniversary in 2026.
Why it matters
The expansion tests whether a brand still heavily dependent on China can scale into a diversified international business. Its growth so far has relied on a fast beauty model and organic social media attention.
Flower Knows reported RMB 1.7 billion ($254 million) in 2025 revenue and RMB 280 million ($41.8 million) in net profit, with China generating roughly 80% of sales. The company has not disclosed how much of its growth is expected to come from its newly added U.S. retail footprint.
The players
Flower Knows
A Hangzhou-founded beauty brand known for fairytale-inspired packaging and products, now operating in more than 20 countries.
Ulta Beauty
A major U.S. beauty retailer that carried Flower Knows products in 450 of its stores in this debut.
Proya Cosmetics
A Chinese cosmetics company that holds majority ownership of Flower Knows following a recent transition.
The details
Flower Knows was founded in 2016 by cosplayers Yang Zifeng and Zhou Tiancheng and has built its identity around fairytale worldbuilding and whimsical product design rather than traditional Chinese aesthetics. The brand has transitioned to majority ownership under Proya Cosmetics.
Timeline
2016: Flower Knows is founded in Hangzhou.
2025: The brand generates RMB 1.7 billion in revenue.
2026: The brand debuts in 450 Ulta Beauty stores, opens a Shanghai flagship and marks its 10th anniversary.
Culture Shift
Flower Knows reflects the growing trend of China-founded beauty brands moving from domestic social media success into established Western retail channels such as Ulta Beauty. Its whimsical, non-traditional aesthetic marks a departure from the heritage-based branding many Chinese cosmetics brands previously leaned on.
Shoppers at Ulta Beauty locations carrying Flower Knows can now buy the brand in person rather than only online. Consumers outside those 450 stores will still need to shop through other channels to find the products.
The takeaway
Brands built on social media momentum face a real test when they move into physical retail, where shelf space and steady sales matter more than online buzz. Watching how Flower Knows performs at Ulta will show whether virality can carry a brand into the mainstream.
Further reading
Explore more beauty news and trends to see how brands are shaping the category.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Beautymatter.
