Retail giant Target and the beauty supply chain Ulta Beauty have announced the corporate equivalent of a “conscious uncoupling.”

The companies launched their “store within a store” partnership back in 2021, come August 2026, those mini Ulta shops that now inhabit 600 or so Targets will pack up their makeup cases and leave.

When Target and Ulta announced they were shacking up together not so long after the pandemic hit, it was one of those couples that made sense on paper.

Target was gaining a major brand in the beauty and wellness space that could bring higher-end products to its shelves.

And Ulta was broadening its geographic footprint with a brick-and-mortar behemoth whose sales were soaring.

However, just like people, companies change, according to Olivia Johnson, professor of consumer science and retailing at the University of Houston.

“We saw Target at the height of where they were at, they're not at their place anymore,” Johnson said. “When your partner starts to gain a little weight, or the hairline starts to recede, you start to wonder, ‘Did I sign up for this forever?’”

Inflation and political controversy have caused lackluster sales at Target the past couple of years. Neither Target or Ulta agreed to an interview request.

Jennie Liu at the Yale School of Management says while the Ulta-Target marriage was built on the idea of convenience, Ulta customers often go to stores for haircuts or a consultation with a makeup pro.

“So you might go into Ulta for more of an experience, whereas with Target you might be going to stock up on some frequently purchased items,” Liu said.

Because of that difference, it’s hard to put a salon chair in a Target.