Ulta Beauty is a shopping and service-booking app for cosmetics and haircare, providing virtual try-on tools and loyalty tracking on iOS and Android.
Product velocity
Maintenance
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#3
Shopping · free
Sentiment
4.8
2.5M reviews
Nemesis
Sephora US: Makeup & Skincare
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
The app removes the friction of physical salon scheduling and shade selection by providing digital tools that bridge the gap between online browsing and in-store pickup.
For Beauty consumers seeking a mix of retail shopping, personalized product recommendations, and in-store salon services.
What does it look like?
Key features
Augmented reality tool for testing beauty products on the user's face via camera. Revenue link: Reduces purchase friction by simulating product results.
AI-driven tool that analyzes skin tone and undertone to suggest foundation shades. Revenue link: Drives higher average order value by increasing confidence.
In-app scheduling for hair, skin, and brow services at physical salon locations. Revenue link: Drives high-margin service revenue.
How much does it cost?
Monetization relies on retail sales and service bookings, with a credit card partnership serving as the primary financial product hook.
Velocity
Maintenance developmentperformanceUX improvementsopaqueShow more...
With 9 releases over the observed window and a last update 105 days ago, the app operates at a maintenance cadence of approximately 0.08 releases per week. Development is currently focused on stability, performance, and minor checkout flow refinements rather than significant feature expansion. The trend has decelerated from a more active pace in late 2025 to a slower, stability-focused release cycle in 2026. The publisher consistently utilizes opaque release notes, providing minimal insight into specific feature changes beyond general bug fixes.
Who built it?
Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance
2 apps tracked · Shopping
Ulta Beauty FLCUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Review voice lately leans frustrated. Users appreciate virtual try-on tools for cosmetics allow users to test products before purchasing online and in-store pickup service provides a convenient way for customers to bypass long wait times, but report frequent application crashes and login loops prevent users from accessing accounts or completing purchases.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Virtual try-on tools for cosmetics allow users to test products before purchasing online
- In-store pickup service provides a convenient way for customers to bypass long wait times
- Staff members in physical retail locations provide knowledgeable and helpful service to shoppers
- Frequent application crashes and login loops prevent users from accessing accounts or completing purchases
94 of 99 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Frustrated overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 2 user requests, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare
How's the Shopping market?
Ulta Beauty maintains a strong category presence, holding the #3 Free position in the US Beauty chart. The discrepancy between its high discovery rank and the reported checkout friction suggests that technical instability is currently suppressing potential grossing performance.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Sephora USA, Inc
The most direct competitor in the prestige beauty space, maintaining a near-identical release cadence and high-density feature set targeting the same high-intent demographic.
- Integrated 'Beauty Insider Community' features social forums, galleries, and groups directly in-app to drive retention—Ulta remains utility-focused.
- Exclusive 'Clean at Sephora' and 'Planet Aware' labeling systems provide a curated sustainability UX that Ulta's broader catalog lacks.
- Live 'Beauty Advisor' chat and virtual consultations offer a high-touch service layer compared to Ulta's automated AR tools.
Target: Shop. Style. Save.Contender
Amazon ShoppingContender
WalgreensContender
Walmart: Shopping & SavingsContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare
Where is it heading?
The beauty retail market is shifting toward integrated digital-physical experiences, and Ulta Beauty's current technical instability leaves it exposed to competitors who can offer a more reliable transactional funnel. Unless the team prioritizes stability over feature expansion, the loyalty-driven retention loop will continue to degrade as users migrate to more functional alternatives.
- Persistent login failures and checkout errors post-update prevent users from completing purchases, which directly compresses revenue and erodes trust.
- The current maintenance-only release cadence fails to address the high-frequency technical complaints, leaving the app vulnerable to competitors with more stable digital experiences.
The SWOT
- Loyalty rewards drive repeat purchase frequency
- Virtual try-on tools reduce online purchase friction
- Salon booking drives high-margin recurring service revenue
- Dedicated men's skincare tab captures underserved segment
- In-store pickup parking optimization reduces physical friction
- Livestream community events increase session duration
Next best moves
Rebuild authentication flow because login loops are the top-reported frustration → restore account access
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's high store rating masks a significant churn risk…
Read the full takeSince the last report: Technical instability has shifted from a manageable friction point to a primary driver of negative sentiment, as the release cadence has decelerated into a maintenance-only cycle. This transition is marked by a decline in sentiment score from 48 to 35 and a significant increase in the time elapsed since the last update.
Bottom line
Stabilizing the core transactional path is the prerequisite for unlocking the revenue potential of the existing rewards and salon-booking loops. Addressing the login and payment failures will directly reduce the churn currently eroding the app's high-intent user base.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 3 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is Ulta Beauty's virtual try-on accurate for all products?
Does the app allow for in-store pickup?
Are there known issues with the checkout process?
Sources
Report last updated