And the newest retailer to enter the beauty biz is ...

The newest concept in beauty retail is called The Glossary and it is arriving on more college campuses courtesy of Barnes & Noble College.

The Glossary concept was piloted at the Barnes & Noble Emory University and Southern Methodist University bookstores and more recently expanded to the campuses of Tulane University and the College of William & Mary. The newest location set to open in August will be on the campus of the University of California at Riverside.

The Glossary is a store-within-a-store concept that Barnes & Noble College describes as a “dynamic shopping environment that offers students the opportunity to explore, sample and purchase a wide variety of mass and prestige beauty products.”

“We built our reputation as one of the most trusted campus retailers by continuously innovating and creating new merchandising ideas we know our students are looking for,” said Joel Friedman, chief merchandising officer with Barnes & Noble College. “We are excited to introduce The Glossary to our college partners, making the brands and products students want easily accessible to them for the first time.”

To execute the beauty concept, Barnes & Noble College is working with global retail design and build firm RPG to design, brand and manufacture The Glossary, and prestige health and beauty brands distributor EC Scott Group to stock its shelves with product.

To distinguish The Glossary from the main bookstore, RPG used warm colors and hand-drawn original art to create a unique, approachable presence. Main drive-aisle spaces and in-store locations position The Glossary for high traffic, while product displays create and encourage in-store experimentation. To appeal to a diverse spectrum of college students, The Glossary features a wide range of products, from prestige brands like Smashbox, Philosophy, Bliss and Lipstick Queen, among others, to traditional mass-market brands including Burt’s Bees, CoverGirl and Maybelline.

“Through in-depth student discussions and focus groups, we recognized a gap in access to beauty solutions on campus and worked with them to help shape The Glossary,” said Lisa Mazzio, director of merchandise, fashion trends and beauty, Barnes & Noble College. “Their feedback informed the categories and brands we sell, the look and layout of the stores themselves, and the format that inspires self-discovery rather than in-aisle beauty consultants, which students expressed were less desired.”

According to Mazzio, RPG created a concept that appeals to a wide array of campus consumers and the concept’s design attracts value seekers, product perfectionists and brand devotees. It is also scalable to add, evolve and change the product mix in the future as Barnes & Noble College looks to extend the concept to its 748 stores on campuses nationwide.