Uni has named Kaia Gerber its first Creative Partner in Residence, as the Los Angeles-based beauty brand expands into more than 1,600 Ulta Beauty doors nationwide on July 12.
Gerber, the 24-year-old model and actress, will collaborate across campaigns, partnerships, events and product development, though her involvement remains in the “discovery phase,” said Uni founder and chief executive officer Alexandra Keating.
“Everything’s kind of on the table,” Keating said. “We’ve just got to figure out what’s right for her and us, and where we think that there’s opportunity.”
Gerber fronts a new campaign showcasing Uni’s bestselling 24-Hour Body Serum, as well as Plush Marine Shower Oil and Microalgae Body Oil. Photographed by Theo Wenner, the campaign will appear across Ulta Beauty stores.
The partnership came together after Keating learned that Gerber was already using Uni’s products. Introduced through a mutual friend, the two connected directly and began exploring ways to work together.
“Usually there’s an agency, an agent or management [involved], and you’re not really dealing with the person. With Kaia, it was just her and I,” said Keating.
Kaia Gerber for Uni.
Courtesy of Uni/Theo Wenner
“What drew me to Uni was that it never felt like just another body care brand,” Gerber told WWD in an exclusive statement. “There is a real point of view behind the products. I’ve always treated body care with the same intention as skin care, and Uni makes that ritual feel elevated. As Creative Partner in Residence, I’m excited to help expand that world and be part of what the brand is building next.”
According to the company, Uni is projected to close 2026 up 309 percent year-over-year at Ulta Beauty. Keating said Uni’s overall revenue has grown 300 percent year-over-year.
The company, launched in 2022 by the Australian former technology entrepreneur, has built its business around body care products formulated with marine-inspired ingredients and packaged in recyclable aluminum bottles with reusable pumps. Uni previously raised a $4 million seed round backed by Sound Ventures and later secured investment from L’Oréal’s venture capital arm Bold, which supported the brand’s Ulta Beauty expansion. Keating said Uni is in the process of closing an additional funding round as the brand scales its retail footprint and broader business.
“Top line is really supporting the big growth that’s happening in Ulta,” Keating said. “Then alongside that becomes team and brand. You kind of need to invest in all of it for it to have that growth.”
Alexandra Keating
Courtesy of Uni
Much of Uni’s growth has been driven by its bestselling $43 24-Hour Body Serum. Building on that momentum, the company recently launched Sunset, a $72 fragrance inspired by the product’s scent after repeated customer demand.
Uni has also refined its retail strategy. After first entering physical retail through Erewhon, the brand has streamlined distribution around a single retail partner in each market.
“We’ve pulled out of other retailers in order to deepen our relationship [with Ulta Beauty],” Keating said. The brand follows the same model with Mecca in Australia and Space NK in the U.K.
To support its Ulta Beauty expansion, Uni invested heavily in merchandising and operations talent last year, said Keating, noting the company employs about 16 people internally, alongside contracted sales staff supporting Ulta Beauty.
Keating aims to maintain an even split between wholesale and direct sales, including Uni’s website, Amazon, TikTok Shop and other social commerce channels.
“My goal is to keep it 50/50,” she said.
The U.S. remains Uni’s largest market, followed by Australia and the U.K.
She added that she runs the business with an 80/20 approach, directing most resources toward proven growth initiatives while keeping the remainder for testing new ideas.
Looking ahead, Keating sees the Creative Partner in Residence position for the long term.
“I think of this Creative in Residence role as something that we will continue to have,” she said. “This isn’t just something that we’re going to do with Kaia.”
Keating said she’ll also look to Gerber to help identify future creative partners for the brand.
