The worlds of beauty, health and wellness continue to converge, with Bluemercury partnering with Flex to enable customers to use pre-tax funds via HSA and FSA.
Overall, 35 percent of Bluemercury’s total product assortment is HSA and FSA eligible, including SPF, acne care, eczema care, dandruff care and post-procedure skin care. For skin care, customers will be able to use these funds on around 75 percent of products.
The Flex partnership also enables eligibility for select medical-grade and at-home devices.
Eligible brands include SkinCeuticals, Augustinus Bader, HigherDOSE, M-61, Therabody and La Mer, with Bluemercury currently the only luxury beauty retailer offering customers the ability to use HSA and FSA funds toward eligible La Mer purchases online.
Nadia Hassanein, head of digital, technology and data at Bluemercury, which is owned by Macy’s Inc., said: “Our clients are thinking about skin care and wellness as part of their overall health routine. It’s not just a beauty splurge anymore, and so more and more people are realizing their health extends beyond the doctor’s office and into their daily routines. A lot of them have HSA and FSA dollars that are sitting there that they want to spend, but the process has historically been very clunky. For us, the partnership with Flex removes that friction, and it creates that transparency for our clients that empowers them to invest in the products and the brands that they already love.”
As for how it works, Flex will manage most of the back end operations: Fully embedded within Bluemercury’s existing online checkout, customers can select Flex as a payment method and use their HSA or FSA card on eligible purchases. Flex then powers the infrastructure behind the scenes, helping Bluemercury align with IRS eligibility requirements while streamlining HSA and FSA acceptance online.
Additionally, customers can split payments between HSA and FSA funds and a credit or debit card.
“Skin care is increasingly recognized as part of health care when clinically recommended or used to address specific skin conditions,” said Sam O’Keefe, chief executive officer of Flex. “Bluemercury is a leader in luxury, results-driven beauty, and we’re proud to partner with them on the full HSA/FSA opportunity, from discovery to purchase, so consumers can put pre-tax healthcare dollars toward qualifying products that support skin health.”
