4 Changes Coming to Sephora and Ulta, and How They’ll Affect Shoppers
Sephora and Ulta are the go-to stores for everything from moisturizer and mascara to face wash and foundation, offering competitive pricing even on premium products. But if your shopping routine has become as regular as your skincare routine, you might want to take note: There are some major changes on the horizon for both Sephora and Ulta. Read on to see how they will affect shoppers in the coming months.
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1
Ulta’s expanding its wellness space.
Part of looking your best involves feeling your best. Now, Ulta Beauty has announced it will be expanding its Wellness Shop offerings in the coming months, Women’s Wear Daily reports.
The company will increase its wellness shelf space from four to eight feet to 30 to 45 feet. The changes will affect more than 400 stores (which is more than 30 percent of its overall retail footprint), including about 50 stores that will also receive major fixture upgrades, per WWD.
The increase in shelf space is naturally coming with an expanded inventory. Brands like Armra, Bloom, Garden of Life, GuruNanda, Hatch Mama, Mary Ruth’s, Nature’s Bounty, Nutrafol, Nodpod, Revive Collagen, RitualSaje Natural Wellness, Rael, and Scarlet by Red Drop, Therabody, and Vital Proteins will be available for the first time.
As part of the expansion, the retailer is adding aromatherapy products to its selection. Specifically, the brand is bringing Saje Natural Wellness to shelves as part of an exclusive retailer agreement between the companies.
“The functional fragrance movement is really interesting, and it’s science-backed now. Aromatherapy can help with symptoms related to stress and mood support,” Laura Beres, president of wellness for Ulta, told WWD. “It is an acknowledgement of where the market’s moved, but where consumers have moved as well… It’s a great category for the little luxuries that people look for who may not have a lot of time to dedicate to going to a spa for a massage every week.”
2
E.l.f. products are getting pricier.
E.l.f. products are something of a cornerstone for the beauty industry, thanks in part to their high quality and affordable pricing. The brand has even seen its impressive performance and growth continue in recent months, boasting a 9 percent increase in sales during the first quarter of 2025, Glossy reports.
But while the company cited successful international expansion at Sephora stores abroad as a major reason for the bump, it also raised prices by $1 on its products on Aug. 1, marking just the third time in the company’s 21-year history that this has happened.
In an earnings call earlier this month, E.l.f. Beauty CEO Tarang Amin discussed the decision, citing potential economic headwinds as the reason behind the buck bump.
“Overall, retailer acceptance has been good for our price increase,” Amin said during the call, per Glossy. “We are hearing of a number of brands that are going to be taking pricing [increases]. In this environment right now, and with the uncertainty of tariffs and the tariff impact, you will probably see more and more companies take pricing [increases]. We tend to lead, and then we will see how many more follow.”
RELATED: Loyal Shoppers Are Ditching Ulta, CEO Says—Where They’re Going Instead.
3
A new celebrity line is coming to Sephora.
As Rihanna and Kylie Jenner have taught us, having a famous name tied to a skincare brand can turn products into must-have items practically overnight. Now, they’ll have some new company on the shelves at Sephora thanks to Hailey Bieber and the brick-and-mortar launch of her Rhode line on Sept. 1, Fast Company reports.
The move comes following the upstart company’s $1 billion acquisition by E.l.f. Beauty earlier this year. It will also take the skincare lineup’s “glaezd donut” look from TikTok Shop and the digital market into physical stores for the first time.
“Customers can expect glossy grey buildouts with sleek, soft edges and mirror moments for content. It’s what our community knows and expects from Rhode, now brought to life in a retail environment,” Bieber told Fast Company in an emailed statement.
4
Ulta is winding down a major retailer partnership.
Ulta “pop-up” spaces in Target locations across the U.S. have provided shoppers with an all-new type of one-stop shopping experience. But next summer, the two retailers have announced they will be ending their current arrangement and not renewing their contract when it expires in August 2026, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The partnership between the stores—which has been in place since 2021—saw large Ulta activations take over significant floor and shelf space at the Bullseye. Currently, around 600 stores feature the beauty and skincare setups, per the Journal.
The move comes as Target sees continued struggles with flagging sales. According to data from Placer.ai, the store has seen six consecutive months of dropping foot traffic year-over-year, down 3.9 percent in July.