Sally Beauty says Chief Operating Officer Chris Brickman has taken over as CEO

Sally Beauty said Thursday that Chief Operating Officer Chris Brickman has taken over as CEO of the beauty products seller.

His first day was Sunday. The company had announced plans for Brickman to succeed Gary Winterhalter in May.

Winterhalter had been CEO of the Denton, Texas, company since 2006, when it was spun off from hair-care company Alberto-Culver, which was later bought by consumer goods company Unilever in 2010. Winterhalter will stay on Sally Beauty's board as executive chairman.

The company, which sells makeup, shampoos and other beauty products at 4,800 stores around the world, also announced Thursday fiscal first-quarter results that missed Wall Street expectations. Sally Beauty said it was hurt by an unfavorable foreign currency exchange and an increase in health care expenses.

Shares of Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. rose 87 cents, to 2.8 percent, to $32 in afternoon trading Thursday.