---
title: "Beauty retailers: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the retailers people buy beauty products from. Share of Search among Sephora, Boots, Ulta Beauty, MECCA and Cult Beauty, the beauty retailers Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/beauty-retailers"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Beauty retailers: Which are searched most?

Compare the retailers people buy beauty products from. Share of Search among Sephora, Boots, Ulta Beauty, MECCA and Cult Beauty, the beauty retailers Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Beauty retailers
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 5
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Sephora, 58.7%

## Which brand is most popular in search among beauty retailers worldwide?

- In August 2026, Sephora was the most searched among beauty retailers worldwide, with an estimated 16.6M branded searches and 58.7% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Boots is in 2nd place, 37.1 percentage points behind at 21.7% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sephora’s estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide increased from 52.5% to 58.7%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Boots’ estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide decreased from 28.9% to 21.7%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Ulta Beauty’s estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide increased from 12.9% to 14.5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sephora’s estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide peaked at 64.6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 52.5% in October 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Boots’ estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide peaked at 28.9% in October 2025 and was lowest at 19.4% in November 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Ulta Beauty’s estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide peaked at 16.2% in June 2026 and was lowest at 10.6% in November 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, MECCA’s estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide peaked at 4.9% in February 2026 and was lowest at 3.2% in November 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, MECCA and Cult Beauty held steady: their estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Sephora vs Boots: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/boots-vs-sephora): 58.7% against 21.7% Share of Search.
- [Sephora vs Ulta Beauty: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/sephora-vs-ulta-beauty): 58.7% against 14.5% Share of Search.
- [Sephora vs MECCA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/mecca-vs-sephora): 58.7% against 3.5% Share of Search.
- [Boots vs Ulta Beauty: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/boots-vs-ulta-beauty): 21.7% against 14.5% Share of Search.
- [Boots vs MECCA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/boots-vs-mecca): 21.7% against 3.5% Share of Search.
- [Ulta Beauty vs MECCA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/mecca-vs-ulta-beauty): 14.5% against 3.5% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for beauty retailers worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Sephora gained estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide, from 54% to 58.7%.
- In August 2026, Boots lost estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide, from 24.3% to 21.7%.
- In August 2026, Ulta Beauty lost estimated Share of Search among beauty retailers worldwide, from 16.2% to 14.5%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Cult Beauty worldwide fell 18.2% over 11 measured months, from 550K to 450K in August 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for MECCA worldwide fell 18% over 11 measured months, from 1.2M to 1M in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Sephora | 58.7% | 16.6M | +22.1% | Sephora |
| 2 | Boots | 21.7% | 6.1M | 0.0% | Boots |
| 3 | Ulta Beauty | 14.5% | 4.1M | 0.0% | Ulta Beauty |
| 4 | MECCA | 3.5% | 1M | 0.0% | MECCA |
| 5 | Cult Beauty | 1.6% | 450K | +22.3% | Cult Beauty |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Sephora | 16.6M | 52.5% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Boots | 9.1M | 28.9% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Ulta Beauty | 4.1M | 12.9% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | MECCA | 1.2M | 3.9% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Cult Beauty | 550K | 1.7% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Sephora | 30.4M | 64.6% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Boots | 9.1M | 19.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Ulta Beauty | 5M | 10.6% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | MECCA | 1.5M | 3.2% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Cult Beauty | 1M | 2.1% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Sephora | 24.9M | 58.8% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Boots | 9.1M | 21.6% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Ulta Beauty | 6.1M | 14.5% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | MECCA | 1.5M | 3.5% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Cult Beauty | 673K | 1.6% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Sephora | 16.6M | 58.5% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Boots | 6.1M | 21.6% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Ulta Beauty | 4.1M | 14.4% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | MECCA | 1M | 3.5% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Cult Beauty | 550K | 1.9% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Sephora | 13.6M | 55% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Boots | 6.1M | 24.7% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Ulta Beauty | 3.4M | 13.5% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | MECCA | 1.2M | 4.9% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Cult Beauty | 450K | 1.8% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Sephora | 16.6M | 58.3% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Boots | 6.1M | 21.5% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Ulta Beauty | 4.1M | 14.4% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | MECCA | 1.2M | 4.3% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Cult Beauty | 450K | 1.6% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Sephora | 16.6M | 58.5% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Boots | 6.1M | 21.6% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Ulta Beauty | 4.1M | 14.4% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | MECCA | 1M | 3.5% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Cult Beauty | 550K | 1.9% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Sephora | 13.6M | 53.8% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Boots | 6.1M | 24.2% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Ulta Beauty | 4.1M | 16.2% | 3 |
| May 2026 | MECCA | 1M | 4% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Cult Beauty | 450K | 1.8% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Sephora | 13.6M | 54% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Boots | 6.1M | 24.3% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Ulta Beauty | 4.1M | 16.2% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | MECCA | 1M | 4% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Cult Beauty | 368K | 1.5% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Sephora | 13.6M | 54% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Boots | 6.1M | 24.3% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Ulta Beauty | 4.1M | 16.2% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | MECCA | 1M | 4% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Cult Beauty | 368K | 1.5% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Sephora | 16.6M | 58.7% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Boots | 6.1M | 21.7% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Ulta Beauty | 4.1M | 14.5% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | MECCA | 1M | 3.5% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Cult Beauty | 450K | 1.6% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Boots | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Cult Beauty | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | MECCA | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Sephora | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Ulta Beauty | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Boots**: Measured on the search term “boots”.
- **Cult Beauty**: Measured on the search term “cult beauty”.
- **MECCA**: Measured on the search term “mecca”.
- **Sephora**: Measured on the search term “sephora”.
- **Ulta Beauty**: Measured on the search term “ulta beauty”.

- [Boots](/demand/global-en/brands/boots)
- [Cult Beauty](/demand/global-en/brands/cult-beauty)
- [MECCA](/demand/global-en/brands/mecca)
- [Sephora](/demand/global-en/brands/sephora)
- [Ulta Beauty](/demand/global-en/brands/ulta-beauty)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among beauty retailers worldwide?

In August 2026, Sephora was the most searched among beauty retailers worldwide, with an estimated 16.6M branded searches and 58.7% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Beauty retailers: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/beauty-retailers

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/beauty-retailers. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.