Navigo Navigo Research

The New Ulta Landscape

Organic discovery contracted, the paid auction intensified, and Marketplace added a new long-tail layer. Here's how the shelf moved across five categories and what it means for the year ahead.

YTD
Jan–Apr
5
Categories
YoY
Trend Analysis
Market Overview

The Shelf is Shifting

Four forces moved at once. Organic visibility fell -15.2% while search demand grew +5.7%. Sponsorship intensified +65%, with native brands still holding 99%+ of paid voice. The pool grew +22% — but every net new brand is Marketplace. Strip those 114 out and the native incumbent set actually contracted ~3% (-25 brands).

down
-15.2%
Organic visibility YoY
avg across 5 categories
up
+65%
Sponsorship YoY
native owns 99%+ of paid voice
down
-25
Native brands (net)
shrank in 4 of 5 categories
up
114
Marketplace brands
0 ranked top 20
Portfolio Snapshot

How the Shelf Moved

The four-force read across all 160 sub-categories of Ulta beauty, YTD Jan–Apr 2026 vs. the same window in 2025.

Brands
618
+22% (+111)
Shelf widened sharply portfolio-wide.
Items
7,595
-12.9% (-1,123)
Slimmer catalogs; more brands, fewer SKUs each.
Organic visibility (weekly)
683.6M
-9.8%
Earned discovery is contracting.
Sponsorship activity (weekly)
780,160
+58.7%
Paid auction is absorbing what organic lost.

Brand count grew +22% but item count fell -13% — average SKUs per brand dropped from 17.2 to 12.3. More brands selling fewer items each. Meanwhile, more search intent is flowing through a smaller earned-discovery surface, which is the underlying pressure driving the +58.7% sponsorship spike.

Cross-Category Roll-Up

Marketplace Footprint By Category

Body Care

287 brands
MP 4.5%Native 95.5%
MP brands
56
Organic Δ
-6.2%
Native Δ
-15.3%
Spon. YoY
+98%

Fragrance

102 brands
MP 1.0%Native 99.0%
MP brands
7
Organic Δ
-43.8%
Native Δ
-6.8%
Spon. YoY
+56%

Hair

127 brands
MP 1.9%Native 98.1%
MP brands
11
Organic Δ
-12.9%
Native Δ
-9.1%
Spon. YoY
+64%

Makeup

200 brands
MP 1.2%Native 98.8%
MP brands
21
Organic Δ
+4.7%
Native Δ
-5.7%
Spon. YoY
+32%

Skin Care

251 brands
MP 1.6%Native 98.4%
MP brands
44
Organic Δ
-17.6%
Native Δ
-9.2%
Spon. YoY
+77%
Five Findings

What the Shift Means

01

Organic visibility fell -15.2%. Search demand grew +5.7%.

Average organic search visibility across the five categories fell -15.2% YoY, with declines in Fragrance (-43.8%), Skin Care (-17.6%), Hair (-12.9%), and Body Care (-6.2%); only Makeup posted a small gain (+4.7%). Search demand itself grew modestly (+5.7% in tracked keyword count), so consumers are searching more while seeing fewer organic results from any single brand. Earned discovery is the new battleground at Ulta, and the contraction is the underlying force driving everything else, including the spike in paid spend.

Discovery Contraction
-43.8%
Paid Auction

“Native brands are competing harder against each other, not Marketplace.”

Sponsorship YoY (avg)+65%
Native share of paid voice99%+

The auction is more expensive and more crowded year over year, even with Marketplace barely participating.

05

The winners are working all four forces in parallel.

Disciplined sponsored search, organic content into Marketplace and K-beauty keyword neighborhoods, hero-SKU rank protection, and brand extensions where the assortment is widening.

Losing Momentum
  • DIOR
  • CHANEL
  • OLAPLEX
  • BENEFIT
  • NEUTROGENA
  • TULA
Gaining Velocity
  • SOL DE JANEIRO
  • LA ROCHE-POSAY
  • ANUA
  • E.L.F.
  • CÉCRED
  • RARE BEAUTY
04

Marketplace explains all of the brand-pool expansion. Native incumbents actually shrank.

Pool +22% (+111 brands) portfolio-wide. Strip out Marketplace's 114 entrants and the native set contracted ~3% (-25 brands). Native counts fell in 4 of 5 categories.

-18
Makeup native
-11
Body Care native
+13
Fragrance native
114
Marketplace Footprint

A new supply layer, entirely in the mid- and long-tail.

114 Marketplace brands now appear in Ulta's tracked pool, capturing 1.0–4.5% of category share. None have cracked the top 20 in any category.

Category Deep Dive

Body Care

The biggest Marketplace footprint of any category — 56 brands, 4.5% net new share.

Organic Visibility YoY
-6.2%
vs YTD 2025
159.6M weekly impressions
Sponsorship YoY
+98.3%
weekly placements
101,428 weekly placements
Brands in Tracked Pool
287
was 242
+45 YoY
Marketplace Footprint
56
brands · 4.5% share
0.2% of category sponsorship

  • The brand pool jumped +18.6% YoY. Accessible self-care names like SOL DE JANEIRO and SALTAIR are taking share from legacy players like KITSCH and L'OCCITANE.

  • Sponsorship nearly doubled (+98% YoY) — the auction is heating up faster than the shelf itself.

Native Movers
Gainers
  • Sol de Janeiro+2.0
  • Saltair+1.9
  • Billie+0.8
  • Aquaphor+0.7
  • Bushbalm+0.7
Losers
  • Kitsch-1.5
  • Earth Therapeutics-1.2
  • Hempz-1.1
  • L'Occitane-1.1
  • Da Bomb-0.9

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sales

#
Brand
Sales
YoY
1
Sol De Janeiro
5.6%
+2.0%
2
Tree Hut
5.1%
-0.4%
3
Ulta Beauty Collection
4.8%
+0.6%
4
Earth Therapeutics
4.0%
-1.2%
5
Saltair
3.1%
+1.9%

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sponsorship

#
Brand
Spon.
YoY
1
Sol De Janeiro
9.3%
+0.1%
2
La Roche-Posay
6.1%
-1.6%
3
Hempz
5.9%
-2.0%
4
Naturium
3.9%
+0.9%
5
Good Molecules
3.7%
+2.0%

Top 5 Marketplace Brands

Year 1 · all net new
#
Brand
Sales
1
Inked By Dani
0.7%
2
Goongbe
0.6%
3
Apotheke
0.5%
4
Vivaiodays
0.2%
5
Glimmer Wish
0.2%
Marketplace Read

  • Body Care has the largest MP footprint in the portfolio — 56 Marketplace brands at 4.5% of category dollar share, entirely net new.

  • MP fills white space native didn't own: INKED BY DANI (#34), GOONGBE (#41), APOTHEKE (#55). Yet Marketplace barely shows up in paid (0.2%) — the shelf changed faster than the auction.

Category Deep Dive

Fragrance

Smallest Marketplace footprint, but the biggest YoY pool expansion in the report.

Organic Visibility YoY
-43.8%
vs YTD 2025
42.2M weekly impressions
Sponsorship YoY
+55.6%
weekly placements
58,730 weekly placements
Brands in Tracked Pool
102
was 82
+20 YoY
Marketplace Footprint
7
brands · 1.0% share
0.1% of category sponsorship

  • Fragrance had the largest brand-pool expansion of any category (+24% YoY) — driven by native rotation and licensed launches.

  • The prestige reshuffle is real: DIOR, CHANEL, GUCCI and CAROLINA HERRERA gave up nearly 10 points combined. Niche and modern prestige — BETTER WORLD FRAGRANCE HOUSE, NOYZ, PRADA, TOM FORD — picked it up.

  • Sponsorship rose +56% YoY, with the auction tilting back toward heritage houses defending share.

Native Movers
Gainers
  • Better World Fragrance House+2.9
  • Noyz+2.6
  • Prada+2.2
  • Tom Ford+1.7
  • Lake & Skye+1.4
Losers
  • Dior-3.3
  • Chanel-2.7
  • Gucci-1.6
  • Ariana Grande-1.5
  • Carolina Herrera-1.3

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sales

#
Brand
Sales
YoY
1
Yves Saint Laurent
7.4%
-0.7%
2
Valentino
6.8%
+1.3%
3
Sol De Janeiro
6.1%
+0.9%
4
Dior
4.2%
-3.3%
5
Burberry
4.1%
-0.6%

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sponsorship

#
Brand
Spon.
YoY
1
Chanel
14.4%
+9.3%
2
Dior
12.1%
+0.7%
3
Yves Saint Laurent
5.9%
+4.5%
4
Dolce&Gabbana
4.9%
+0.3%
5
Valentino
4.2%
-4.0%

Top 5 Marketplace Brands

Year 1 · all net new
#
Brand
Sales
1
Caswell-Massey
0.4%
2
Hawkins & Brimble
0.2%
3
Rosy & Earnest
0.1%
4
Teabless
0.1%
5
Tabbeau
0.1%
Marketplace Read

  • Only 7 Marketplace brands made the cut, combining for ~1% share — led by heritage names like CASWELL-MASSEY (founded 1752).

  • Marketplace barely competes here (0.1% of paid voice). MP entrants are winning on storytelling, not spend.

Category Deep Dive

Hair

11 Marketplace brands but only +5 net pool growth — direct incumbent replacement.

Organic Visibility YoY
-12.9%
vs YTD 2025
136.5M weekly impressions
Sponsorship YoY
+64.2%
weekly placements
198,728 weekly placements
Brands in Tracked Pool
127
was 122
+5 YoY
Marketplace Footprint
11
brands · 1.9% share
0.0% of category sponsorship

  • The pool only grew +5 brands, but native incumbents are getting rotated. CÉCRED, TANGLE TEEZER, WET BRUSH and NOT YOUR MOTHER'S are gaining; OLAPLEX, COLOR WOW, BUMBLE AND BUMBLE, CURLSMITH and DRYBAR are giving back.

  • Sponsorship jumped +64% to nearly 200K weekly placements — the second-largest paid volume in the portfolio.

Native Movers
Gainers
  • Cécred+1.9
  • Tangle Teezer+1.3
  • Wet Brush+0.9
  • Olivia Garden+0.7
  • Not Your Mother's+0.5
Losers
  • Olaplex-1.7
  • Color Wow-1.3
  • Bumble and Bumble-0.9
  • Curlsmith-0.9
  • Drybar-0.9

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sales

#
Brand
Sales
YoY
1
Redken
9.6%
-0.2%
2
Amika
4.2%
—
3
Kenra Professional
3.7%
-0.4%
4
Biolage
3.2%
+0.1%
5
Paul Mitchell
3.0%
+0.4%

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sponsorship

#
Brand
Spon.
YoY
1
Ouai
6.9%
+1.5%
2
Bumble And Bumble
5.6%
+0.7%
3
Virtue
5.5%
+0.5%
4
Paul Mitchell
4.6%
-1.2%
5
Olaplex
4.4%
-1.1%

Top 5 Marketplace Brands

Year 1 · all net new
#
Brand
Sales
1
House Of Foils
0.8%
2
Cleverman
0.3%
3
Goongbe
0.2%
4
Overtone
0.1%
5
Vivaiodays
0.1%
Marketplace Read

  • Hair is the cleanest case of replacement, not expansion. 11 Marketplace entrants moved in — native incumbents got rotated out roughly one-for-one. HOUSE OF FOILS (#41) leads; two others came in via Ulta's MUSE Accelerator.

  • Marketplace still holds 0% of paid voice. The shelf moved, the auction hasn't caught up.

Category Deep Dive

Makeup

The only category where Marketplace displaced native incumbents AND bought paid voice.

Organic Visibility YoY
+4.7%
vs YTD 2025
244.2M weekly impressions
Sponsorship YoY
+32.4%
weekly placements
231,355 weekly placements
Brands in Tracked Pool
200
was 197
+3 YoY
Marketplace Footprint
21
brands · 1.2% share
1.3% of category sponsorship

  • Native rotation is classic value vs. prestige: TARTAN + TWINE, ULTA BEAUTY COLLECTION, E.L.F., GLAMNETIC and JUVIA'S PLACE gaining; DASHING DIVA, BENEFIT, SALLY HANSEN, ESSIE, ANASTASIA and DIOR softening.

  • Sponsorship cleared 231K weekly placements as value-tier brands defend share against prestige.

Native Movers
Gainers
  • Tartan + Twine+1.3
  • Ulta Beauty Collection+0.5
  • E.L.F. Cosmetics+0.4
  • Glamnetic+0.4
  • Juvia's Place+0.4
Losers
  • Dashing Diva-0.7
  • Benefit Cosmetics-0.6
  • Sally Hansen-0.5
  • Essie-0.5
  • Anastasia Beverly Hills-0.5

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sales

#
Brand
Sales
YoY
1
Opi
4.1%
-0.3%
2
E.L.F. Cosmetics
4.0%
+0.4%
3
Tarte
3.9%
-0.1%
4
Ulta Beauty Collection
3.9%
+0.5%
5
Nyx Professional Makeup
3.8%
-0.1%

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sponsorship

#
Brand
Spon.
YoY
1
Nyx Professional Makeup
10.7%
-4.8%
2
Morphe
5.1%
+1.5%
3
Urban Decay Cosmetics
4.4%
-0.1%
4
Tarte
4.3%
+3.4%
5
Benefit Cosmetics
4.3%
+0.2%

Top 5 Marketplace Brands

Year 1 · all net new
#
Brand
Sales
1
Palladio Beauty
0.2%
2
Inked By Dani
0.2%
3
Doll 10
0.2%
4
Manucurist
0.1%
5
Nails Inc.
0.1%
Marketplace Read

  • Makeup is the leading indicator. 21 Marketplace brands moved in while the overall pool only grew by 3 — meaning ~18 native brands quietly got rotated out.

  • One MP brand changed the math: MANUCURIST captured 1.2% of all Makeup sponsorship — mid-tier-native levels of spend — despite sitting at #110 in share. That single behavior raises the auction floor for everyone.

Category Deep Dive

Skin Care

44 MP brands and the largest absolute brand-pool expansion (+41).

Organic Visibility YoY
-17.6%
vs YTD 2025
149.0M weekly impressions
Sponsorship YoY
+77.2%
weekly placements
242,452 weekly placements
Brands in Tracked Pool
251
was 210
+41 YoY
Marketplace Footprint
44
brands · 1.6% share
0.3% of category sponsorship

  • Skin Care saw the biggest absolute shelf widening in the portfolio — 41 new brands. Native is splitting along trend lines: clinical/derm (LA ROCHE-POSAY, AVÈNE) and K-beauty (ANUA, MEDIHEAL) gaining; legacy actives (TULA, GOOD MOLECULES, THE ORDINARY, NEUTROGENA) losing.

  • Sponsorship grew +77% to 242K weekly placements — the largest paid volume of any category.

Native Movers
Gainers
  • La Roche-Posay+2.5
  • Anua+1.7
  • Avène+0.5
  • Mediheal+0.5
  • E.L.F. Cosmetics+0.5
Losers
  • Tula-1.5
  • Good Molecules-1.2
  • The Ordinary-1.1
  • Loops-0.8
  • Neutrogena-0.6

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sales

#
Brand
Sales
YoY
1
La Roche-Posay
8.8%
+2.5%
2
Clinique
8.2%
-0.5%
3
Dermalogica
4.3%
-0.3%
4
Cerave
3.3%
+0.3%
5
Anua
3.1%
+1.7%

Top 5 Brands by Share of Sponsorship

#
Brand
Spon.
YoY
1
Good Molecules
10.2%
+3.6%
2
No7
8.9%
+6.4%
3
La Roche-Posay
8.3%
+1.7%
4
Clinique
7.0%
-3.5%
5
Cerave
3.4%
-0.1%

Top 5 Marketplace Brands

Year 1 · all net new
#
Brand
Sales
1
Atwater
0.2%
2
The Face Shop
0.1%
3
Prai Beauty
0.1%
4
Yadah
0.1%
5
Evre Skincare
0.1%
Marketplace Read

  • 44 Marketplace entrants now combine for ~1.6% category share. All sit mid- or long-tail; none crack the top 20. The pressure is breadth, not headline rank.

  • For native brands the risk compounds: Marketplace widens the shelf at the same time the native set itself is fragmenting — and K-beauty names are landing on the same keywords.

So What

Implications for Brand Strategy

Treat 2026 as the new baseline

The YTD 2025 window predates Marketplace's October 2025 launch, so this isn't a year-over-year read, it's a before/after of two structurally different versions of Ulta. Share comparisons against 2025 will lose meaning fast; the YTD 2026 numbers are the baseline brands should plan against.

The auction is the most expensive surface to defend

Sponsorship grew +32% to +98% YoY, averaging +65%. Native brands still own 99%+ of paid voice, but cost-per-placement pressure is rising. Brands with disciplined sponsored-search programs absorbed the auction shift; brands without them lost share to native competitors before Marketplace had to take any.

Organic discovery is the highest-leverage offense

Average organic visibility fell -15.2% YoY even as search demand grew. The brands gaining share reorganized content and SEO around the keyword neighborhoods Marketplace and K-beauty entrants are landing in. Legacy losers (DIOR, CHANEL, TULA) relied on heritage equity that no longer converts attention by itself.

Category playbooks differ because pressure does

Body Care and Skin Care need defensive plans against long-tail fragmentation. Makeup is the most aggressive read, the only category where Marketplace rotated incumbents out AND entered the paid auction at scale (Manucurist, 1.2%). Fragrance needs a niche-luxe migration plan; Hair is the safest. Same retailer, five different competitive realities.

Where Navigo Comes In

The shelf is shifting. Your growth plan should too.

Everything above is the new reality of Ulta. The brands that win the next 24 months won't be the ones who optimize a single channel — they'll be the ones who run Ulta, Amazon, RMNs, and paid media as one connected commerce engine.

One team, every channel

No handoffs between your Ulta agency, your Amazon agency, and your social agency. We run the whole shelf as one system.

Budget follows the shopper

As Ulta's mix shifts, dollars move with intent, between RMNs, Amazon, search, and social, not where last-click attribution sends them.

Built for this exact moment

We've been navigating Ulta's assortment changes in real time. You get a partner who's already solved what's coming next.

Want to see what this looks like for your brand on Ulta?

Send us your brand and we'll come back with a short, specific read on where you're exposed, where you can take share, and what we'd do in the first 90 days.

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