Today’s post is a full battle of the beauty stores: Sephora vs Ulta. I’ve been shopping at both for over 15 years, and still get confused on what to buy where - each store has their own exclusive brands, their own product lines, different loyalty programs, and different beauty services. Before the holiday season and their sales start, I wanted to sit down and really break down the pros and cons of each store. Below, I’m sharing what brands to buy where, how to maximize their loyalty programs, and which store is ultimately better - whether it’s for makeup, skin, hair, specific age groups, sales, and returns.

One note: each store is constantly shuffling their brand roster, with new additions added (and beloved favorites leaving) all the time. This post is current as of August 2025, and I will do my best to update it as things change moving forward.

Sephora vs Ulta

Put simply, Ulta is known for their extensive drugstore selection as well as higher-end brands; Sephora is more of a luxury destination with lots of indie up-and-coming brands, too. One of the biggest selling points of Sephora vs Ulta is what brands they house, as there are quite a few Sephora-exclusive and Ulta-exclusive brands. There are honestly way too many brands to list everyone single one on this post (7+ pages for Ulta alone!), but I highlight the main ones below.

Another note: many of these brands have their own website to purchase from (or other retailers like Revolve, Nordstrom, etc.), but I’m specifically highlighting what you can buy at Sephora but cannot at Ulta, and vice versa.

Sephora exclusive brands

makeup

skincare

fragrance

haircare

Ulta exclusive brands

makeup

skincare

fragrance

haircare

brands at both Sephora and Ulta

The following are brands that you can find at both Sephora and Ulta! While I prefer the customer experience at Sephora, I will buy the products from these brands from Ulta as often as I can because the loyalty program is much better.

fragrance at both stores, makeup lines only at Sephora:

makeup

skincare

fragrance

hair

wellness, nails, and tools

Sephora vs Ulta loyalty program

Both rewards programs are free to join, but the perks vary wildly. You get a birthday gift at each store, but Ulta gives you 2x points for your entire birthday month, regardless of tier.

Sephora Beauty Insider

1 point per $1, regardless of level
Tier upgrades by how much you spend per year:
- Insider: up to $349
- VIB: $350 - $999
- Rouge: over $1000
Free standard shipping for all members (no minimum)
Discounts for each tier during sale events:
- Insider: 10%
- VIB: 20%
- Rogue: 20%, plus early access to the sale and some products
There are random point multiplier events, where you can get 2x, 3x, or 4x the points based on tier (Insider to Rogue, respectively).
VIB and Rogue get access to exclusive gifts, though they change annually.

Ulta Beauty Rewards

Points per $1: 1 for Member, 1.25 for Platinum, 1.5 for Diamond
Tier upgrades by how much you spend per year:
- Member: up to $499
- Platinum: $500 - $1119
- Diamond: over $1200
Platinum and Diamond members get exclusive deals and early access to sales/ new products. Points never expire at these tiers, too.
Diamond members get a full-size exclusive gift, $25 off a beauty service, and free shipping over $25; all other tiers must spend $35

which is better?

Ulta is the winner. There are more perks, and they make it easier for you to earn more points, whereas you can spend $1000 annually at Sephora and will still earn points at the same rate as someone who spends $20 each year - so you’re not really rewarded for shopping loyally at Sephora.

You can also stack discounts with point redemption at Ulta, whereas you can’t redeem points/ use discount codes at the same time at Sephora.

Comparing point redemption, 500 points gets you $10 off at Sephora vs $17.50 off at Ulta. You can also get a discount ($3 off) with just 100 points, whereas you have to wait until you get 500 points to get a discount at Sephora.

Points per discounts:

Sephora
- (all tiers) $10 off per 500 points
- (Rogue only): $20 off per 1000 points
- (Rogue only): $100 off per 2500 points
Ulta (all tiers)
- $3 off per 100 points
- $8 off per 250 points
- $17.50 off per 500 points
- $30 off per 750 points

Keep in mind you spend $1 to earn 1 point; from that frame of reference, it’s crazy that spending $1000 at Sephora will only get you $20 off. You could make the argument that it’s harder to spend more at Ulta since they have cheaper products, but they have a good selection of high-end, too.

At the end of the day, Ulta’s reward program is the clear winner.

Sephora vs Ulta sales

Set your calendars! Ulta has more frequent sales, but they’re less convenient as many of the products are on sale for specific days only, so you either have to make multiple trips to Ulta or order online (must spend $35 for free shipping).

Sephora sales are totally worth it. Buy early, as popular products sell out. The Spring and Holiday events codes can be reused, so you can place multiple orders and will still get free shipping.

when Sephora has sales

Dates may vary but typically:

Spring Savings Event - early April, 10-20% off everything, depending on Insider tier
Holiday Savings Event - late October/ early November, 10-20% off everything, depending on Insider tier
Gifts for All Event - mid-December, one-time code for 20% off

Mini sales:

Oh Hair Yeah! sale - late April/ early May and early October, up to 50% off haircare
Memorial Day sale - select categories on sale
Summer Deal Week - early July, different deals daily
National Lipstick Day - July 29, discount on lipsticks

when Ulta has sales

Dates may vary but typically:

21 Days of Beauty - March and September, 50% off items, changes daily
Black Friday/ Cyber Monday deals, changes daily

Mini sales:

Love Your Skin sale - late December/ early January, 50% off select skincare
Spring Haul - May/ June, haircare jumbo savings and hot tool discounts
Big Summer Beauty sale - end of June/ early July, weekly deals up to 40% off
Fall Haul - late September/ early October, 20-40% off and BOGO deals, changes daily

Sephora vs Ulta for makeovers and beauty services

Whether you’re going to Sephora or Ulta, check your specific store first as not all stores offer all of the services.

Services at both Ulta and Sephora:

Makeup applications
Makeup lessons
Brow waxes
Lash applications
Facials

Services at Ulta only:

Ear piercings
Full-service hair salon
Benefit brow bar (tint, lamination, threading)

Prices vary based on the makeup look regardless of where you go, and both have great and bad reviews; it really seems like luck of the draw, so there’s no clear winner on which store is better. Regardless of store, check to see if the artist helping you is a brand rep; they’re loyalty is to their brand, so their recommendations may be biased. If you book an Ulta makeover, I highly recommend one with a MAC artist as they will typically offer advice/ tips throughout the process, which is really helpful.

Overall, I’d recommend consulting with a local professional makeup artist instead. Pro MUAs have stricter sanitation procedures (I’ve heard some Ulta stores use the floor testers for makeup services), and are better educated on shade-matching.

what’s better- Sephora or Ulta?

for makeup

Ulta for drugstore brands and their loyalty program, but as far as exclusive brands go, Sephora wins.

Overall, Ulta has a TON more exclusive brands (like 2x more), but I think quality over quantity wins out here, so Sephora. The Sephora-exclusive brands (like HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, MERIT, LAWLESS, Kosas, Tower 28 Beauty, and Armani Beauty) have cult-favorite products that are raved about for a reason. Sephora also really seeks out emerging indie brands and seems more ahead-of-the-trends than Ulta does.

The best Ulta-exclusive brands tend to be drugstore (ColourPop, Juvia’s Place), previous Sephora-exclusive brands, or can also be found at the local mall (MAC, KYLIE COSMETICS in Macy’s).

for skincare

Sephora, especially if you’re shopping in-store. Ulta has more drugstore options, but it’s easier to test products (and get samples) at Sephora.

Ulta has more variety when it comes to skincare tools and sunscreen, but more of the longtime favorite and new popular skincare brands like Biossance, Caudalie, Glow Recipe, La Mer, LANEIGE, Fenty Skin, and Summer Fridays are exclusive to Sephora.

for korean skincare

Both stores are in a race to meet the growing obsession with Korean skincare, so this may change, but for now, Ulta. They have medicube, ANUA, Fwee, and even more coming.

for fragrance

Ulta because of the loyalty program. But if you want something new or unique, Sephora has a larger selection with tons of indie and clean-beauty brands (like Commodity, The 7 Virtues, and PHLUR).

Sephora also has a better fragrance sampler (which you then exchange for a full-size bottle after testing them all out) than Ulta.

for haircare

Ulta for drugstore brands, hot tools (all price points), hair color/dye, extensions, and hair ties/ scrunchies and accessories. Brands like Ouai, Dyson, PATTERN, and Color Wow are also sold at Sephora, but Ulta has a better loyalty program.

For specialty brands like Dae, Davines, K18, Kerastase, and Oribe, Sephora wins.

For curly hair, there are more options at Ulta, but if you want luxury/ indie brands, Sephora is better.

for nails

Ulta, no debate.

for self-tanning

Ulta has more options overall, including Loving Tan, Tanologist, Coco & Eve, plus cheaper mitts and tools. Sephora has Isle of Paradise and Lux Unfiltered, but they’re not the best self-tanners in my opinion, so I recommend Ulta.

for tweens and teens

Studies show that teens prefer Sephora because it seems cooler and more luxurious, but I find the products at Ulta to be more teen-friendly. The prices are obviously cheaper (plus more drugstore options), plus they also have more bath and body brands. Both stores have Drunk Elephant and Fenty Beauty. Sephora has Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez and Glossier, but Ulta has r.e.m beauty, ColourPop, LUSH, and a larger selection of cute pimple patch stickers.

for mature skin

Sephora is better as they also have brands like Armani Beauty, Kosas, La Mer, MERIT, and HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA, but some of the top brands for mature skin are sold at both stores (Hourglass, Tatcha, Shisheido).

for men

I don’t think beauty should be gendered, but looking specifically at the variety of male grooming lines and products, Ulta wins.

For cologne, Ulta has more of the staple brands (Dior, Tom Ford, etc.) but there’s a wider selection at Sephora, plus lots of lesser-known indie brands, so you’re more likely to find something unique.

for makeup services

Both have hit-or-miss reviews, but Ulta has a slight advantage because the MAC artists typically provide a better look (even minimal, natural makeup) and tips along the way. Most Ulta locations also offer a full-service hair salon. But honestly, if you want a makeover or facial, book with a local pro MUA or esthetician.

for foundation match

It’s 2025, but getting your foundation matched properly is still kind of a nightmare. Ulta tends to have more options, but I personally like the brands at Sephora more. Either way, my best tips:

Try to have a swatch of what you already use from home; you know if it’s good, too cool/ warm/ light, etc.
Don’t trust store lighting or the natural light from a window (can be tinted weird) - head outside for the truest results.
Wait 10-15 minutes before you confirm it’s your shade, as they can oxidize. And if the formula has sunscreen, remember it can oxidize and look a little grey instead.
Ask for a sample and go home and do a full wear test.

for cheaper products and budgets

Ulta. Sephora is known for carrying luxury and indie brands, but Ulta has been and will probably always be the low-cost leader.

for in-store shopping

Each store varies so much that it’s hard to name one. I find Ulta overwhelming and cluttered, the lines are always long, and their employees tend to hover too much. Some find the employees at Sephora to be standoffish, but their stores tend to be a bit more organized and well-lit. Sephora is better for swatching and testing products, too.

sephora at kohl’s vs ulta at target

Both are a little confusing and the policies can be ambiguous; The Sephora at Kohl’s are typically larger and have a bigger selection, though. I personally avoid either unless I need something specific, but even then, Amazon Prime delivery is easier.

return policy

Ulta, unless it’s during the holidays. Both stores allow unused or gently used items to be returned, but Sephora only allows returns within 30 days. Ulta will give you a full refund within 30 days; for items returned after 31-60 days, you can get store credit.

Sephora typically allows for an extended return policy during the holidays; it’s not customary for Ulta to do that.

sephora collection vs ulta beauty collection

Both stores also have their own makeup lines. No clear winner - both are hit or miss, as are most makeup lines overall. Both are on the cheaper side, so it’s not too costly to try out either line.

for online shopping

Sephora. You get free shipping regardless of how much you spend if you’re a Beauty Insider (all tiers), and their website loads quicker and is easier to navigate. Ulta requires a $35 minimum, and the site is slow and annoying to use. I do like how Ulta’s brand page includes symbols to show what brands are cruelty-free/ vegan, though, and hope Sephora adopts something in the future.