A Black mother and her young daughter are suing Ulta Beauty for racial discrimination after employees at the beauty chain's Upper East Side location in Manhattan allegedly refused to style their hair, telling the pair they don't work with their "kind of hair," according to a federal lawsuit filed in New York.

Lauren Smith and her 7-year-old daughter, identified in court documents only as C.M., arrived at the Ulta store at 188 East 86th Street on July 6, 2025, with confirmed 11 a.m. hair styling appointments ahead of a 3 p.m. professional photoshoot, according to the Gothamist. Both are professional models. But despite their scheduled appointments, the pair were turned away before a single strand of hair was touched.

According to the complaint, filed March 11 in Manhattan federal court, the assigned stylist, identified as "Jessica C.," told Smith she was "not comfortable" working with their "type" or "texture" of hair. Store employees also reportedly admonished Smith for not disclosing in advance "what kind of hair you have," telling her they lacked experience with "YOUR kind of hair."

Here's the part that makes it even worse: both Smith and her daughter were wearing hats that completely concealed their hair at the time. No employee asked to see, touch, or examine their hair before refusing service. The lawsuit calls the stated reasons a clear "pretext for race-based discrimination."

The store manager, identified in the filing as Mohammed Salam, allegedly backed the stylist's decision and further chided the mother and daughter for not making their hair type known when booking the appointment.

The complaint describes the fallout in painful detail. Smith and her daughter were humiliated in front of other customers. The 7-year-old reportedly left the store crying hysterically, asking her mother, "What is wrong with my hair?" and "Why can't I go there if there are brown girls [in ads] on the walls?"

That last line alone tells you everything about the disconnect between how Ulta markets itself and how its employees allegedly treated these customers. On its website, the company describes itself as the nation's largest specialty beauty retailer, with approximately 1,500 locations, and says it is committed to "creating a more inclusive world." Its site also states that "Ulta Beauty recognizes the importance of magnifying, uplifting, supporting and empowering the influence that Black voices bring to the beauty industry."

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Wendy Dolce, alleges Ulta violated federal civil rights law, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law, all of which prohibit discrimination based on race in places of public accommodation. The complaint also cites New York State licensing requirements that mandate cosmetologists be trained to work with all hair textures, not just some.

The filing goes further, alleging that this incident is not an isolated one but part of what it calls "systemic corporate indifference" by Ulta Beauty. The complaint references press reports and prior legal claims alleging similar racially discriminatory conduct at other locations. That includes allegations from Ulta employees in 2019 that the company engaged in racial profiling of customers. At the time, Ulta released a statement saying it was "disappointed to hear that anything like this could have happened in our stores."

Smith and her daughter are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as court-ordered policy changes including mandatory anti-discrimination training for salon employees and updated service policies.