What Ulta Beauty does

Ulta Beauty, Inc. is a U.S.-headquartered specialty beauty retailer that operates more than 1,500 stores across the United States alongside ulta.com and the Ulta Beauty mobile app. The company sells approximately 30,000 products from roughly 600 brands across mass, prestige, and wellness beauty categories, supplemented by in-store Beauty Services (hair, waxing and brows, makeup and lash application, ear piercing) and an owned private label, Ulta Beauty Collection. Its Ulta Beauty Rewards® loyalty program encompasses approximately 46.7 million members and drives roughly 95% of total sales, providing the data backbone for the company's AI-driven personalization engine and an exclusive-launch platform for celebrity and emerging brands (e.g., Drake's Better World Fragrance House, Bella Hadid's Ôrəbella, Ayesha Curry's Sweet July, AG1 wellness drinks).

Underlying technology includes the Ulta AI shopping assistant built on Google's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, integration with Google's Universal Commerce Protocol for agentic commerce across Search/Gemini/Gmail/YouTube, Klarna buy-now-pay-later checkout, Uber Eats same-day delivery from 1,500+ stores, a TikTok Shop storefront, Adobe Experience Cloud for personalization and analytics, and a new Salt Lake City regional distribution centre. Ulta generates revenue primarily through one-time retail product sales across physical stores and digital channels, with auxiliary streams from the freemium loyalty program, the co-branded Ultamate Rewards Credit Card, advertising via UB Media, in-store Beauty Services, and international expansion into Mexico, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom (via the Space NK acquisition). In fiscal 2026 Ulta generated approximately $12.4 billion in revenue (up 9.7% YoY) with a 10.6% net margin and 40.1% Q1 gross margin, supported by 70 net new U.S. store openings, a planned experiential Times Square flagship for late 2027, and an evolving omnichannel stack spanning e-commerce, mobile, marketplaces, and agentic commerce surfaces.

Name

Ulta Beauty

Legal name

Ulta Beauty, Inc.

Website

https://ulta.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Ulta Beauty is a U.S. specialty beauty retailer operating 1,500+ stores and ulta.com, selling ~30,000 products from 600+ brands across mass, prestige, and wellness. Its 46.7M-member loyalty program and Ulta AI personalization engine drive ~95% of sales, with international expansion into Mexico, the Middle East, and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Beauty Retail

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Beauty & Personal Care Online Retailers (CRAFADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Beauty & Fragrance Department Stores (CRAGADAD), Beauty & Personal Care Marketplaces (CRAFABAB)

Keywords

• Specialty beauty retail
• Cosmetics and skincare
• Fragrance and hair care
• Beauty loyalty program
• Wellness products

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolingbrook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Specialty Retail Store Sales: Core revenue from 1,500+ Ulta Beauty stores across the U.S. selling 600+ brands across mass, prestige, and wellness beauty categories; Q1 FY2026 generated $3.16 billion in net sales with 70 net new stores opened year-over-year.
2. E-commerce & Digital Sales: Direct online sales via Ulta.com and the Ulta Beauty app, with mid-teens ecommerce comparable sales growth in Q1 FY2026, supported by Klarna BNPL, Uber Eats delivery, and TikTok Shop storefront integration.
3. Loyalty Program Monetization: Ulta Beauty Rewards® membership program with 46.7 million members drives approximately 95% of sales; co-branded credit card (Ultamate Rewards Credit Card) offers 2 points per $1 plus member-only promotions.
4. UB Media & Marketplace Advertising: UB Media and Ulta Marketplace monetize brand advertising placements, exclusive brand launches, and co-marketing partnerships across Ulta's owned digital surfaces.
5. Beauty Services & In-Store Experiences: In-store beauty services including Hair Services, Waxing & Brows, Makeup & Lashes application, and Ear Piercing generate ancillary revenue and drive store traffic.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Core offering

Ulta Beauty operates the largest U.S. specialty beauty retail chain, selling 600+ established and emerging brands (approximately 30,000 products) across mass, prestige, and wellness categories through 1,500+ stores, ulta.com, mobile app, and third-party marketplaces. The company combines retail of third-party brands with its own Ulta Beauty Collection private label, in-store beauty services, and the Ulta Beauty Rewards loyalty program (46.7M members) that drives approximately 95% of sales through AI-driven personalization.

Product overview

Ulta Beauty operates an integrated omnichannel specialty beauty retail platform rather than a single software product. The platform combines a 1,500+ store U.S. retail network, the Ulta.com e-commerce site, the Ulta Beauty mobile app, and the Ulta Beauty Rewards loyalty program (46.7M members driving ~95% of sales), which together underpin the company's data-driven personalization engine. Layered on top are a private label offering through Ulta Beauty Collection, in-store Beauty Services (Hair Salon, Waxing & Brows, Makeup & Lashes Application, Ear Piercing), and the Ulta AI shopping assistant built on Gemini Enterprise, all supported by partnerships with Klarna, Afterpay, Uber Eats, TikTok Shop, and Google's Universal Commerce Protocol. Curated sub-platforms extend the core assortment: Conscious Beauty (clean/cruelty-free/vegan/sustainable), K-Beauty World (CosRX, Mixsoon, NEOGEN, Rom&nd), Luxury at Ulta Beauty (prestige), and SPARKED at Ulta Beauty (emerging brands), while MUSE Accelerator and Ulta Beauty World (the annual consumer expo) develop brand pipeline and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ulta Beauty Collection: Ulta's owned private-label brand spanning makeup, skin care, suncare, body care, candles, and gifts & value sets.
• Wellness by Ulta Beauty
• Luxury at Ulta Beauty
• Conscious Beauty
• SPARKED at Ulta Beauty
• Prisma Ventures
• UB Media
• MUSE Accelerator

Products and services

• Ulta Beauty Collection
• Ulta Beauty retail store network
• Ulta.com
• Ulta Beauty Mobile App
• Ulta Beauty Rewards
• Ulta Beauty Rewards Credit Card
• Beauty Services
• Ulta AI shopping assistant
• Beauty in 2 hours or less
• K-Beauty World
• Ulta Beauty TikTok Shop
• Ulta Beauty World 2026 Orlando

Quantifiable outcome

• 11.1% net sales growth and 11.6% operating income growth in Q1 FY2026
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and flagship.

• Athlete-Founded Beauty Brands (Forta Cosmetics, Swair, Medalist Skin)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 June 2026Athlete-founded beauty brands including Forta Cosmetics (WNBA's Lexie Hull), Swair, and Medalist Skin are gaining retail distribution through Ulta Beauty alongside Nordstrom and Sephora, positioning themselves in the intersection of women's sports and beauty.
• Bath & Body WorksmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 June 2026Bath & Body Works announced a retail partnership with Ulta Beauty to launch body care and home fragrance products (fragrance mists, body cream, hand soap, three-wick candles) in over 600 Ulta stores and Ulta.com starting July 12, 2026. The Juniper Breeze fragrance returns as an Ulta exclusive. Aligns with Bath & Body Works' 'Consumer First Formula' strategy to shift away from mall-based retail toward off-mall locations and reach consumers through Ulta Beauty's highly engaged beauty shoppers.
• Polite SocietyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 June 2026Polite Society, a makeup brand founded by former Too Faced founders Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson, launched its largest-ever affiliate campaign through Ulta Beauty's TikTok Shop in March 2026. Polite Society was among the 17 brands debuting on Ulta's TikTok Shop; the brand first entered retail exclusively through Ulta Beauty in August 2023.
• Space NK (UK Retailer Acquisition)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Ulta Beauty completed the acquisition of UK retailer Space NK as part of international expansion strategy under new leadership, alongside entering Mexico and engaging through TikTok Shop.
• Sweet July (Ayesha Curry)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 June 2026Ayesha Curry's skincare brand Sweet July launched on Ulta.com effective June 17, 2026, marking a significant expansion for the brand launched in 2023. The move aims to increase brand visibility and consumer access across the United States as Sweet July establishes itself as a leading beauty brand inspired by Jamaican heritage and Curry's personal experience with cystic acne.
• Being Frenshe (Ashley Tisdale French / Maesa)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 June 2026Wellness brand Being Frenshe, founded by actress Ashley Tisdale French and developed in partnership with Maesa, expanded its distribution to Ulta Beauty with products available online June 16 and in stores nationwide June 22, 2026. Ulta marks the brand's first major retail partnership, focused on fragrance and body care inspired by Tisdale's experience with anxiety and emotional well-being.
• Warpaint LondonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 June 2026Warpaint London PLC announced a new partnership with Ulta Beauty to launch an online Christmas gift range in the US, adding to an already improved Christmas order from Walmart. The company also launched W7 products in 2,200 Dirk Rossmann stores in Germany, maintained its full-year forecasts, and reported a debt-free balance sheet with cash of £20.6 million.
• Unite HairminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 15 June 2026Professional haircare brand Unite Hair has launched in all Ulta Beauty locations nationwide and reports 55% business growth at the six-month mark this year, with its 7Seconds Detangler selling a bottle every 20 seconds. Now also expanding into 300 Sephora stores in August.
• CymbiotikaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 June 2026Cymbiotika, a premium supplement brand, partnered with Ulta Beauty as part of Ulta's Wellness category expansion into beauty-from-within supplements and wellness products.
• Rael (K-Beauty Brand)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 June 2026Rael, a K-beauty inspired wellness brand, announced the launch of two new clinical-grade hydrogel masks (Cryo Soothing and Glutathione + Vitamin C Brightening) at Ulta Beauty and on getrael.com at $4.99 for single masks and $18.99 for 4-packs, bringing advanced Korean skincare technology to U.S. consumers.
• KlarnamajorTechnology or Integration · 3 June 2026Klarna partnered with Ulta Beauty to offer flexible buy-now-pay-later payment options on Ulta.com and the Ulta Beauty app. Shoppers can pay in full, split purchases into four interest-free installments, or select longer-term financing. Adds to Ulta's existing Afterpay option (introduced 2019) and expands Klarna's retail network to over 1 million merchants while giving Ulta additional checkout flexibility on the largest specialty beauty retailer's digital channels in the U.S.
• Better World Fragrance House (Drake)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 May 2026Better World Fragrance House announced the launch of Cloudar, its second eau de parfum created with perfumer Michael Carby, making its exclusive retail debut at Ulta Beauty locations nationwide and Ulta.com beginning June 7. The 3.4 oz Eau de Parfum Spray is priced at $152, marking continued expansion of the brand's prestige fragrance market presence following the commercial success of Summer Mink in 2025.
• Ôrəbella (Bella Hadid)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 May 2026'Ôrəbella, a functional fragrance brand founded by supermodel Bella Hadid, secured an undisclosed Series A funding round while products are currently available in 1,500 Ulta Beauty doors. The company hired former L'Oréal executive Anish Agarwal as CEO to lead expansion into the Middle East and UK markets and extend into hair and body mists within the $12 billion functional fragrance market.
• DC Studios / Warner Bros. Pictures (Supergirl Film)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 May 2026Ulta Beauty announced an exclusive integrated marketing partnership with DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures tied to the Supergirl feature film (June 26, 2026) starring Milly Alcock. The campaign includes co-branded promotional spots across cinema, social media, CTV, and streaming, immersive in-store displays at all Ulta Beauty locations, limited-edition product collections from Ulta Beauty Collection, Joico, Sol de Janeiro, and OPI, and premiere events in NYC, LA, Dallas, and Chicago.
• Landing InternationalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 May 2026Landing International, a B2B technology and distribution platform founded in 2013, completed its inaugural National K-Beauty Week (May 11-17) with a Nasdaq closing bell ceremony in Times Square, featuring pop-up activations at Ulta Beauty stores across New York, California, Georgia, and Florida. The company has placed more than 225 Korean beauty and wellness brands in major U.S. retailers including Target, Walmart, and Ulta Beauty.
• Dr. MelaxinminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 May 2026Dr. Melaxin, a K-beauty acne-focused skincare brand, launched at Ulta Beauty as part of the brand's U.S. retail expansion strategy.
• AG1majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 May 2026AG1 announced a partnership with Ulta Beauty to launch AG1 and AGZ health drinks at more than 1,500 Ulta Beauty stores and on ulta.com starting May 2026. This marks AG1's first partnership with a beauty retailer, representing a strategic expansion into the beauty and wellness retail channel. The launch features 7-count and 14-count packs along with an AG1 Start Here Kit designed to support trial and habit-building.
• Dime BeautyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 May 2026Dime Beauty launched its newest fragrance 'Stay Awhile' at $62 per unit, rolling out through Ulta Beauty, Amazon, and its own channels, while simultaneously lowering prices on 17 products by an average of 20 percent. Fragrance now comprises roughly a third of the brand's $100 million business.
• Uber Technologies / Uber EatsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 May 2026Ulta Beauty and Uber Eats announced a nationwide partnership adding over 1,500 Ulta Beauty stores to the Uber Eats marketplace for on-demand and scheduled delivery of beauty, wellness, and self-care products. Customers can shop thousands of products from more than 600 brands with same-day delivery, including $0 delivery fee for Uber One members. Marks Ulta Beauty's entry into on-demand delivery and intensifies competition with Sephora, which joined Uber Eats in 2025.
• Adobe (Marketing & Analytics Technology)majorTechnology or Integration · 5 May 2026Adobe's enterprise CMO Rachel Thornton highlighted Ulta Beauty as a customer using Adobe GenStudio and Audience Agent tools to analyze customer data and market to individual consumers as 'a segment of one.' Ulta also leverages Adobe Experience Cloud for personalization and analytics.
• It's a 10 HaircareminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 May 2026It's a 10 Haircare sells more than 10 million bottles of its flagship Miracle Leave-in product annually across 140 countries and 40,000 retailers including Ulta Beauty, Target, Sally Beauty, CVS, and Walmart. Ulta Beauty secured a three-month exclusive on its new rebrand lineup with Khloé Kardashian as global ambassador launching summer 2026.
• Rizos Curls (Latina-founded)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 May 2026Rizos Curls, founded by Julissa Prado in 2017, became the first Latina-owned curly hair care brand to be sold nationwide at all Ulta locations, growing from self-funded beginnings in her uncle's garage to nationwide Ulta distribution.
• NielsenIQ (NIQ)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026NIQ and Ulta Beauty announced a strategic data sharing collaboration to enhance industry visibility and decision-making in the U.S. beauty marketplace. Ulta will share sales data with NIQ, expanding measurement and insights through NIQ's Full View™ of Beauty and other solutions. NielsenIQ also commissioned research titled 'Smart Beauty: AI, Personalization & the Gen Alpha Consumer' on Gen Alpha beauty shopping behavior.
• VaynerX (Tamara Group Agency)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 April 2026VaynerX launched Tamara Group as a launch partner with Ulta Beauty, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, method, and PetSmart. Tamara Group is VaynerX's third agency brand focused on attention, media, and relevance marketing in a social-first world, combining publisher expertise with agency execution. Led by Ryan Harwood, the agency employs nearly 100 people.
• NOYZ (Ella Langley 'Be Her' Fragrance)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 April 2026Country music artist Ella Langley launched a new fragrance called Be Her Eau de Parfum in partnership with NOYZ, developed with Robertet perfumer Jérôme Epinette, available online and exclusively at Ulta Beauty.
• GoogleflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Ulta Beauty and Google announced Gemini-enabled innovations at Cloud Next '26: agentic commerce capabilities integrated into Google's AI Mode in Search and Gemini app, plus Ulta AI, a new AI shopping assistant built with Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. The Universal Commerce Protocol powers personalized product recommendations and streamlined checkout for Ulta Beauty's 46+ million loyalty members across 30,000 products from ~600 brands.
• Parlux (Fragrance Licensing - Drake, Billie Eilish, Paris Hilton)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 April 2026Parlux reported estimated 2025 net sales of $345 million with Eilish Fragrances brand growing 30 percent. Eilish fragrance became the number-one SKU at Ulta Beauty in 2025. Parlux is expanding its retail reach beyond Ulta into Sephora and international markets including Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
• TikTok / TikTok ShopflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 March 2026Ulta Beauty became the first U.S. specialty beauty retailer to launch on TikTok Shop on March 17, 2026, featuring a curated assortment of brands exclusively available at Ulta. The launch included 17 brands including Polite Society (whose largest-ever affiliate campaign debuted on the platform), targeting younger shoppers and reducing friction between content and commerce.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Bluemercury (Macy's): Bluemercury, owned by Macy's, is a U.S. multi-brand specialty beauty retailer combining indie, prestige, and clean beauty brands with in-store spa services. It competes with Ulta in the prestige beauty discovery and services niche, though at a smaller footprint (~200 stores).
• Sally Beauty Holdings: Sally Beauty Holdings operates a large North American specialty beauty retail chain (Sally Beauty and BSG) selling professional and mass-market hair, skin, and nail products. It is comparable to Ulta as a multi-brand beauty specialty retailer with a store-based and digital omnichannel model, though skewed toward professional and value consumers.
• Sephora (LVMH): Sephora is LVMH's global multi-brand specialty beauty retailer and Ulta's most direct competitor in the U.S. prestige and mass beauty market, with overlapping brand assortments, comparable experiential store formats, and parallel loyalty programs (Beauty Insider). Both compete intensely for prestige brand exclusivities, share of beauty consumer wallet, and now on Uber Eats same-day delivery.

Emerging players

• Glossier: Glossier is a digitally native beauty brand with selective retail distribution and its own DTC storefront. It competes with Ulta for share of the prestige-leaning millennial and Gen Z beauty consumer and increasingly distributes through Ulta's SPARKED program, making it a partial channel partner as well as an emerging competitive threat.
• Sephora at Kohl's: Sephora's shop-in-shop concept inside Kohl's stores offers prestige beauty in off-mall locations, conceptually analogous to Ulta's prior Target shop-in-shop. It is an emerging distribution format that intensifies competition for incremental beauty discovery in non-mall retail real estate.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon Beauty: Amazon's beauty marketplace is a broad incumbent in U.S. beauty e-commerce, carrying mass, prestige, and indie brands with Prime delivery. While not a specialty beauty retailer, it competes for the same beauty consumer spend and pressures Ulta on price, selection breadth, and same-day fulfillment economics.
• CVS Beauty: CVS Pharmacy operates a large health and personal care retail footprint in the U.S. with a meaningful beauty assortment. While broader and more health-care-anchored than Ulta, it competes for routine beauty and personal care replenishment trips and benefits from wide geographic reach.
• Target Beauty: Target's beauty category is a broad-incumbent competitor that, until August 2026, also housed Ulta shop-in-shop locations. Target competes with Ulta on accessible mass and masstige beauty across its general merchandise footprint and is a meaningful channel partner/competitor for shared beauty brands.
• Walmart Beauty: Walmart's expanding beauty category, including prestige brand rollouts, competes with Ulta for mass and accessible masstige beauty shoppers. Walmart's national store footprint and omnichannel scale position it as a broad incumbent competitor for entry-level and routine beauty purchasing.

Regional players

• Bath & Body Works: Bath & Body Works is a U.S. specialty retailer of body care, fragrance, and home scent products. It is now launching Ulta-exclusive products inside 600+ Ulta stores under a 2026 partnership while continuing to operate its own ~1,800 standalone stores, making it both a brand partner and a category competitor in body care and fragrance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ultabeauty
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ultabeauty
• Facebookfacebook.com/ulta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ulta
• Instagraminstagram.com/ultabeauty
• Pinterestpinterest.com/ultabeauty
• TikToktiktok.com/@ultabeauty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ulta Beauty