Two-time Dancing with the Stars champion Peta Murgatroyd has landed her self-tanning brand, Peta Jane Beauty, in more than 600 Target stores nationwide, a move she says grew out of years of frustration with products that left her orange under stage lights.
The product line, which first launched in 2023, is now part of Target's new Beauty Studio concept, a major overhaul of the retailer's cosmetics section that went live on September 10. Target rolled out the Beauty Studio after ending its partnership with Ulta Beauty, replacing the shop-in-shop model with its own curated beauty destination stocking more than 1,600 products from 90 brands. Most of those brands are entirely new to Target's shelves.
Murgatroyd, an Australian-born professional dancer who won Season 14 alongside NFL star Donald Driver and Season 22 with model and activist Nyle DiMarco, told Target her path to the beauty business started backstage.
Murgatroyd said she began working with a tanning expert in 2015, a full eight years before Peta Jane Beauty officially hit the market. The goal, as she described it, was straightforward: build a self-tanner that did not force customers to choose between good color, good smell, a smooth feel, and an even fade.
"While I was on Dancing with the Stars, I was self-tanning every week and constantly searching for a product that looked great under stage lights and on camera. Everything I tried seemed to make me orange, feel sticky, smell bad, or fade unevenly."
She added that no single brand could deliver the full package. "One brand would have amazing color but a terrible smell, or vice versa. There was nothing that could do everything," she said.
That gap in the market became her business plan. Working with an experienced lab, Murgatroyd and her team developed a product line built around what she called "five essentials", a standard she said the brand refused to compromise on.
"We refused to settle for just one benefit," Murgatroyd said. "For us, success meant delivering all five essentials together. We also build the brand around real-life routines."
The lineup now includes a self-tanning mousse, face and body mists, body and face lotions, and applicator tools. Prices range from roughly $12 for blending brushes and applicators up to $40, $44 for the seven-ounce self-tanning mousse. Face and body mists run about $20, while lotions fall between $24 and $34.
Peta Jane Beauty's arrival is part of a broader retail strategy. Target's Beauty Studio rollout across more than 600 locations marks the retailer's biggest bet yet on owning its beauty business outright rather than outsourcing it to a partner brand. The company framed the move as a win for small founders and emerging labels.
A Target news release stated: "Through our ongoing work with founders, Target helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses while bringing fresh ideas, trends and innovation to guests."
The Beauty Studio is available both in stores and online, giving brands like Peta Jane Beauty access to Target's massive foot traffic. The retailer is also expanding its physical footprint, with eight new stores opening across six states this fall.
Target has been busy on other fronts, too. Earlier in September, the company launched a nostalgic fashion line inspired by '90s and early 2000s styles, complete with a printed catalog, a throwback play aimed at millennial shoppers. The retailer has also brought in new international beauty brands as part of its push to stock the Beauty Studio with fresh names.
What separates Murgatroyd's pitch from the usual celebrity product launch is the timeline. She did not slap her name on an existing formula after gaining fame. By her own account, the development process started in 2015, years before the brand went to market, and involved sustained collaboration with industry specialists.
She also emphasized versatility. "Whether someone wants a full tan with the mousse, a quick touch-up with the mist, or a gradual glow with the daily body lotion, there's an option that fits their lifestyle," Murgatroyd said.
That approach, building a product around how customers actually use it rather than around a marketing hook, is the kind of practical thinking that tends to hold up in a crowded beauty aisle. Target's willingness to stock the line in its flagship beauty concept suggests the retailer sees the same potential.
Shoppers hunting for deals on beauty products and other Target merchandise can also keep an eye on the retailer's periodic loyalty member sales, which have offered discounts of up to 40 percent.
In a market flooded with celebrity brands that coast on name recognition, a dancer who spent eight years in a lab before putting her product on a shelf is at least doing it the old-fashioned way, earning the spot.