Sephora and Ulta's spring sales reveal shifting beauty consumer trends

Two major beauty retailers, Sephora and Ulta, recently held their spring sales events—each revealing distinct trends in customer preferences. While Sephora’s event boosted organic brand visibility and featured a mix of K-beauty and indie labels, Ulta’s sale saw stronger demand for dermatological skin care and established names like Clinique. Sephora’s Spring Savings Event outperformed Ulta’s Let’s Haul Sale in brand sponsorship, with a 37 percent increase in promotional activity. The retailer’s own private label line led online sales, capturing 4.5 percent of the total. Kérastase followed closely in second place with 2.8 percent, while K-beauty and indie brands such as Innisfree, Glow Recipe and Dieux drove skin care purchases.

At Ulta, Clinique took the top spot with a 2.9 percent share of online sales. The retailer’s private label line secured third place, just behind La Roche-Posay, which held 2.6 percent. Dermatological brands dominated the skin care category, with La Roche-Posay claiming five of the top 10 bestselling products. Sol de Janeiro was the only brand to appear in both retailers’ top-10 lists. Sephora’s event also saw a 55 percent year-over-year rise in organic brand visibility, a trend less pronounced at Ulta.

The two sales highlighted differing consumer priorities. Sephora’s event favoured its own label and niche brands, while Ulta’s shoppers leaned toward clinically focused skin care and trusted names. Both retailers, however, demonstrated the growing influence of private labels in the beauty market.