Beauty retailers in the United States:Which are most popular?

Name: Beauty retailers in the United States: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Ulta Beauty was the most searched beauty retailer in the United States, accounting for 40.8% of all searches among the five retailers we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Ulta Beauty and Sephora showed up in every answer. Sephora was recommended most often, coming first in two out of three responses.

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Top beauty retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions, Ulta Beauty and Sephora appeared every time. Sephora was recommended most often, coming first in two out of three answers. Ulta Beauty was second, and Bluemercury was third.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Answers that named it
Ulta Beauty	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	3 of 3
Sephora	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	3 of 3
Bath & Body Works	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	2 of 3
Sally Beauty	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	1 of 3
Bluemercury	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	1 of 3

Ulta Beauty3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Sephora3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Bath & Body Works2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Sally Beauty1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Bluemercury1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers

See every answer about beauty retailers

3 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Where should I buy makeup and skincare in the US?”
1. 1Sephora
2. 2Ulta Beauty
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best beauty stores in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which beauty store in the US has the best rewards program?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“beauty stores”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“makeup stores”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.

Which beauty retailers do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each beauty retailer by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all five beauty retailers we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States, by month

Month	Ulta Beauty	Sephora	Bath & Body Works	Sally Beauty	Bluemercury
Oct 2025	39.4%	29.5%	19.7%	10.8%	0.65%
Nov 2025	34.9%	31.2%	25.6%	7.7%	0.69%
Dec 2025	35.6%	29%	29%	5.9%	0.53%
Jan 2026	41.6%	31.2%	17.1%	9.3%	0.84%
Feb 2026	39.4%	29.4%	19.7%	10.8%	0.79%
Mar 2026	40.8%	30.5%	16.7%	11.2%	0.82%
Apr 2026	37.9%	38.1%	14%	9.3%	0.69%
May 2026	40.8%	30.5%	16.7%	11.2%	0.82%
Jun 2026	36.8%	27.5%	22.5%	12.3%	0.91%
Jul 2026	38.6%	31.7%	17.4%	11.6%	0.7%
Aug 2026	39.4%	29.5%	19.7%	10.8%	0.65%
Sep 2026	40.8%	30.5%	16.7%	11.2%	0.82%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Ulta Beauty	40.8%	8.2M	0%	+1.4 points
2, held 2nd	Sephora	30.5%	6.1M	0%	+1 points
3, held 3rd	Bath & Body Works	16.7%	3.4M	-18.1%	-3 points
4, held 4th	Sally Beauty	11.2%	2.2M	0%	+0.4 points
5, held 5th	Bluemercury	0.82%	165K	+22.2%	+0.2 points

1.Ulta Beauty
40.8%
Held 1st. 8.2M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.4 points.
2.Sephora
30.5%
Held 2nd. 6.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1 points.
3.Bath & Body Works
16.7%
Held 3rd. 3.4M estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -3 points.
4.Sally Beauty
11.2%
Held 4th. 2.2M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
5.Bluemercury
0.82%
Held 5th. 165K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among beauty retailers in the United States?

5 brands

In September 2026, Ulta Beauty was the most searched among beauty retailers in the United States, with an estimated 8.2M branded searches, 40.8% of all searches for the five we track. Sephora is in 2nd place, 10.3 percentage points behind at 30.5%.

United States beauty retailers, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Ulta Beauty	39.4% → 40.8%	41.6%Jan 2026	34.9%Nov 2025	1st
Sephora	29.5% → 30.5%	38.1%Apr 2026	27.5%Jun 2026	2nd
Bath & Body Works	19.7% → 16.7%	29%Dec 2025	14%Apr 2026	3rd
Sally Beauty	10.8% → 11.2%	12.3%Jun 2026	5.9%Dec 2025	4th
Bluemercury	0.65% → 0.82%	0.91%Jun 2026	0.53%Dec 2025	5th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ulta Beauty’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States increased from 39.4% to 40.8%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sephora’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States increased from 29.5% to 30.5%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bath & Body Works’ share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States decreased from 19.7% to 16.7%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ulta Beauty’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States peaked at 41.6% in January 2026 and was lowest at 34.9% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sephora’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States peaked at 38.1% in April 2026 and was lowest at 27.5% in June 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bath & Body Works’ share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States peaked at 29% in December 2025 and was lowest at 14% in April 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sally Beauty’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States peaked at 12.3% in June 2026 and was lowest at 5.9% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sally Beauty and Bluemercury held steady: their share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United States beauty retailers in September 2026?

4 changes

In September 2026, Ulta Beauty gained share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States, from 39.4% to 40.8%.
In September 2026, Sephora gained share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States, from 29.5% to 30.5%.
In September 2026, Bath & Body Works lost share of searches among beauty retailers in the United States, from 19.7% to 16.7%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Bluemercury in the United States rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 165K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for beauty retailers?

6 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among beauty retailers comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.