Sephora vs. Ulta Beauty: A Competitive Analysis of the Best-Selling Women Fragrances

The beauty industry has seen a surge in demand for women's fragrances in recent years. The two most popular online retailers for women shopping for perfumes are Sephora and Ulta Beauty.

Our analysis focuses on the most popular fragrances at Ulta Beauty and Sephora, and examines customer satisfaction ratings to determine which retailer has the most satisfied customers. We will also analyze the product data to identify any trends or patterns and gain an understanding of the product range, pricing, popularity, customer satisfaction, fragrance family, and contents of the fragrances offered at both retailers. This information will be valuable for both retailers and consumers as it provides insights into the preferences and behaviors of the women's fragrance market.

By combining all of this information, we aim to have a comprehensive understanding of the women's fragrance market at Ulta Beauty and Sephora and how different brands are performing within it.

The data for this study is obtained through Datahut's web scraping platform. Check out these blogs to learn more about how we scraped Sephora and Ulta Beauty using Python.

1. Scraping Sephora: A Dynamic eCommerce website using Python

2. How to Scrape a Dynamic Website like Ulta Beauty Using Python

So without further ado, let's dive into the data!

Product Range for Different Women Fragrance at Sephora and Ulta Beauty

Sephora and Ulta Beauty offer a wide range of women's fragrances from popular and high-end brands. A comprehensive examination of the brands and products available at these two beauty stores reveals that:

• Sephora offers 60 brands and 858 products, including top brands like TOM FORD, Dior, and CHANEL, as well as their own brand, Sephora Collection.

• Ulta Beauty, on the other hand, offers 70 brands and 555 products, including top brands like CHANEL, Dior, and Lancôme, as well as their own brand, ULTA Beauty Collection.

This Tableau dashboard compares the product range of women's fragrances offered at Sephora and Ulta Beauty, including data on the number of fragrances per brand and their types. It allows for an easy comparison of brand popularity and fragrance availability to understand trends in the fragrance category. The dashboard presents a clear and intuitive visual representation of the data.

Check the Tableau visualization here.

Some more insights include:

1. At Sephora, TOM FORD is the top brand in terms of the number of fragrances offered. Additionally, Sephora offers a range of popular and premium brands, including Dior, CHANEL, Yves Saint Laurent, and Jo Malone London, which has 40 fragrances available.

2. At Ulta Beauty, CHANEL is the top brand with the highest number of fragrances offered (29). Philosophy is the runner-up brand with 22 fragrances. In addition to luxury brands, Ulta Beauty also offers more affordable fragrance options such as Ariana Grande, Marc Jacobs, and Gucci, suggesting a focus on providing customers with a range of options at different price points.

3. In addition to the differences in the top brands offered, Sephora and Ulta Beauty also have a different mix of brands in their list of fragrances. Sephora offers a variety of popular and high-end brands but also includes less common options like Bobbi Brown, Fable & Mane, and Jack Black. On the other hand, Ulta Beauty offers popular and luxury brands but also includes more affordable options like Pacifica and Soap & Glory.

4. Sephora and Ulta Beauty both sell 20 common fragrance brands, including popular luxury brands like Chloé, Dior, Gucci, and Chanel, as well as premium and affordable brands like Jack Black and Calvin Klein. This indicates that Sephora and Ulta Beauty both offer a variety of product options across different price ranges, including both high-end luxury brands and more affordable options. This offers consumers a wide range of choices and products to select from, making it convenient for them to shop at both stores with a unique selection of options to choose from.

Pricing ranges for Different Woman Fragrance Products at Sephora and Ulta Beauty

Pricing for fragrances can vary widely between brands and retailers. Sephora and Ulta Beauty are two popular retailers that offer a wide variety of women's fragrances at different price ranges. The pricing for women's fragrances ranges from less expensive drugstore brands to luxury, high-end options.

At Sephora, you can find fragrances from designer brands such as Gucci, Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as more affordable options from brands like Marc Jacobs and Philosophy. At Ulta Beauty, you can find similar high-end and budget-friendly options with popular brands like Calvin Klein, Coach, and Michael Kors. Both stores also offer exclusive and limited-edition fragrances.

At Sephora and Ulta Beauty, prices for women's fragrances can start as low as $13 and $5 and can go up to $400 and $350 for luxury brands such as Tom Ford and Jo Malone London and Viktor&Rolf.

For the purpose of analysis, we split items into four separate pricing ranges: affordable (below $50), economy ($50 to $100), premium ($100 to $200), and luxury (above $200).

Pricing Insights

1. The first thing that stands out in this data is the difference in the number of products in the affordable category. Sephora has a wider range of affordable products with 72 more options compared to Ulta Beauty. This suggests that Sephora prioritizes offering a broader selection for budget-conscious customers, while Ulta Beauty may place a greater emphasis on higher-priced items.

2. The second category, economy, also shows a similar trend. Sephora and Ulta Beauty have a similar number of products in this category, indicating that both retailers give customers seeking items in this price range a good selection of possibilities.

3. The premium category is where we see the most significant difference between the two stores. Sephora has 170 more products in this category than Ulta Beauty. This could indicate that Sephora is focusing more on providing a wide range of options for customers looking for high-end products. On the other hand, Ulta Beauty could be more concerned with offering a variety of products at various pricing points.

4. Both Sephora and Ulta Beauty have a limited number of premium category products. This suggests that neither store is focused on providing a large selection of high-end options for customers seeking premium products.

The data indicates that Sephora prioritizes offering a broad range of options across different price points, with a focus on the affordable and premium categories. Ulta Beauty, on the other hand, seems to concentrate on offering a variety of options at varying price points.

The analysis shows a difference in product pricing ranges between Sephora and Ulta Beauty. While the majority of products at Ulta Beauty are affordable (under $50), Sephora offers a higher percentage of premium products ($100 to $200) at 35.4%, indicating that Sephora targets a higher-end market. Sephora also provides a wider range of luxury products, with 7.2% above $200, compared to Ulta Beauty's 0.9%. This suggests that Sephora satisfies customers seeking high-end options, while Ulta Beauty focuses on the cost-conscious market with a smaller selection of luxury products.

The two retailers have a varying percentage of economy products ($50 to $100). Ulta Beauty offers a higher percentage of these products at 30.9% compared to Sephora's 20.5%. This suggests that Ulta Beauty offers a wider variety of items in this price range, making it an attractive option for customers looking for a balance of cost and quality.

The data indicates that Sephora and Ulta Beauty cater to different market segments. Sephora targets a higher-end market with a larger selection of premium and luxury products, while Ulta Beauty targets the budget-conscious market with more affordable and economical products. Customers can choose between the two retailers based on their needs and preferences, as each has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

Popularity for Different Women Fragrance Products at Sephora and Ulta Beauty

The popularity of a fragrance brand can be gauged by the number of customer reviews it receives. Sephora and Ulta Beauty are two leading beauty retailers that offer a variety of top women's fragrance brands. This analysis will examine the popularity of different women's fragrance brands by evaluating the number of ratings at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. The results will provide a clear understanding of the most preferred and trending brands among customers. This data analysis will offer valuable insights into consumer preferences.

Reviews Insights

The data shows the number of products with a specific number of reviews at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. Sephora has a greater number of reviewed products, suggesting a wider selection and more active users rating them. This implies a more established and popular product line, boosting customer trust and confidence in Sephora's products.

Sephora has a higher percentage of products with 0–50 reviews compared to Ulta Beauty, indicating a greater variety of new or less popular items. Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty has a higher percentage of items with 1,000 or more reviews, implying a greater variety of well-established and popular products.

Both Ulta Beauty and Sephora show a similar pattern in product review distribution, with most items receiving between 100 and 400 reviews, which is a typical range. A smaller percentage of products have either few or many reviews. This suggests that both retailers offer a comparable number of popular products, but Sephora's products have more overall reviews.

Ulta Beauty has a higher percentage of products with 50-100 reviews compared to Sephora, indicating more items gaining popularity but not yet at the level of the more established products. Meanwhile, Sephora has a higher number of products with 400-1000 reviews, demonstrating a greater variety of highly popular items that are likely best-sellers.

Overall, the data indicates that Sephora has a wider product range and a larger percentage of well-established and popular product lines, with a higher number of products that have received customer evaluations. On the other hand, Ulta Beauty has a higher percentage of products with few reviews, suggesting that it may have a higher number of new or less popular products in its line. Ulta Beauty also appears to have a greater number of products that are becoming increasingly popular among customers.

The graph illustrates the distribution of product ratings at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. The majority of products from both retailers have between 1-50 and 50-100 reviews, indicating that there is a significant number of under-rated items available for purchase.

Sephora has a higher percentage of products with 100-400 reviews, suggesting that it offers more moderately popular products compared to Ulta Beauty, which has fewer items in this category. Both retailers have a similar percentage of products with 400-750 reviews, signifying that they have a comparable number of highly popular products.

However, Ulta Beauty has a greater proportion of products with 750-1000 and 1000+ reviews, indicating that it has more extremely popular items with a larger number of reviews. Sephora, on the other hand, has a more well-rounded product portfolio with a balanced mix of moderately popular and highly popular products.

The findings provide valuable insights for retailers and customers alike. Retailers can use this data to determine their target audience and make informed decisions regarding product offerings and marketing strategies. Customers can use this information to choose which retailer offers a more diverse product portfolio that caters to a wider range of preferences.

Customer Satisfaction for Different Women Fragrance Products at Sephora and Ulta Beauty

Customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect when it comes to choosing a fragrance, whether it be for oneself or as a gift. One way to gauge customer satisfaction for different women's fragrance brands at Sephora and Ulta Beauty is by looking at ratings. By reading through these ratings, individuals can get a sense of what customers liked and disliked about the fragrance and make a more informed decision on which fragrance to choose.

Customer Satisfaction Insights

1. The visualization depicts that both Sephora and Ulta Beauty have a vast selection of highly rated products with the majority of Sephora products receiving a 4.5-5 rating and the majority of Ulta Beauty products receiving a 4.0-4.5 rating. This highlights the availability of quality, popular items at both retailers.

2. However, the data also reveals a limited number of products with lower ratings, with Sephora having one item with a 0-2.0 rating and four items with a 2.0-2.5 rating, and Ulta Beauty having three items with a 0-2.0 rating and two items with a 2.0-2.5 rating. This suggests that a small proportion of products at both retailers may not meet the same level of customer satisfaction and quality as the rest.

3. Additionally, there is a modest amount of products with a 3.0-3.5 rating, with Sephora having 4 items and Ulta Beauty having 10 products, indicating that there may not be many items that only receive average ratings from customers.

4. In summary, the data shows that Sephora and Ulta Beauty offer a substantial range of high-quality, well-received products, with a minimal number of products that may not meet the same level of quality or customer satisfaction. Additionally, the number of moderately rated products is relatively low. This information provides valuable insights into the general quality and customer satisfaction of products at both Sephora and Ulta Beauty.

Insights on Star Ratings

1. Star Ratings Overview: The majority of products at Sephora and Ulta Beauty have high star ratings, with the majority of Sephora products receiving a rating of 4.5 to 5, and the majority of Ulta Beauty products receiving a rating of 4.0 to 4.5.

2. Sephora vs. Ulta Beauty: Sephora has a higher percentage of products rated 3.5 to 4.0 and 4.0 to 4.5 compared to Ulta Beauty. Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty has a higher percentage of products rated 4.5 to 5 and a lower percentage of products rated 0-2 and 2-2.5.

3. Low-Rated Products: Both Sephora and Ulta Beauty have a relatively small percentage of low-rated products (0-2), suggesting that the majority of products sold by these retailers are well-liked by customers.

4. Conclusion: Both Sephora and Ulta Beauty offer a large selection of high-quality and well-liked products, but Sephora may have a wider range of products with slightly higher ratings, and Ulta Beauty may have a wider range of extremely popular products with even higher ratings.

Fragrance Family for Different Women Fragrance Products at Sephora and Ulta Beauty

A fragrance family refers to the classification of a scent based on its dominant aroma and overall character. Sephora and Ulta Beauty offer a range of popular fragrance brands that cater to different fragrance families, such as floral, oriental, fresh, woody, citrus, and gourmand. Brands like Jo Malone and Chloé offer floral and fresh scents, while Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent offer oriental fragrances.

The data shows that floral fragrances are the most popular among customers at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. Warm, spicy, and fresh scents are also in demand among consumers. On the other hand, earthy and woodsy scents are not as popular as the other fragrance families.

Additionally, Ulta Beauty has a higher proportion of products in the "others" category and a smaller proportion of products in the warm and spicy category compared to Sephora. This suggests that Ulta Beauty may offer more unique or specialized scents or a wider variety of items than Sephora.

From the chart, it is evident that both Sephora and Ulta Beauty have different product offerings when it comes to fragrance categories. Sephora has a higher proportion of products in the Floral, Warm & Spicy, and Fresh categories compared to Ulta Beauty, while Ulta Beauty has a greater presence in the Earthy & Wood category. Both stores have a significant portion of products in the "other" category, with Ulta Beauty having a higher percentage of items in this category compared to Sephora.

This suggests that Sephora may offer a wider variety of floral, warm & spicy, and fresh-scented products, while Ulta Beauty may provide a greater range of earthy and woodsy scents. Furthermore, Ulta Beauty may have a higher emphasis on floral-scented products in its store, while Sephora has a stronger focus on the Warm & Spicy category. It's also worth noting that both stores have a diverse range of products that do not fit into any of the other categories.

Visualization of the 10 Most Popular Women Fragrance Product Ingredients at Sephora and Ulta Beauty

When it comes to finding the perfect fragrance, ingredients play a crucial role in determining the longevity and overall scent of a product.

The choice of fragrance ingredients plays a crucial role in the longevity and overall scent of a product.

1. The popularity of certain ingredients like Rose, Jasmine, Musk, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, and Bergamot, among others, in products sold at Sephora and Ulta Beauty indicates their wide demand among consumers.

2. The differences in the number of products containing certain ingredients between the two retailers suggest variations in their product offerings and target markets.

3. Additionally, the less frequent use of ingredients like Orange, Patchouli, and Cedarwood suggests lower demand among consumers. Therefore, these data highlight the significance of carefully selecting the right fragrance ingredients to ensure a long-lasting and captivating scent.

Conclusion:

Sephora and Ulta Beauty are both popular retailers in the beauty industry, with a focus on selling high-quality woman fragrances. However, it can be difficult for consumers to decide which retailer to purchase from, as both offer a wide range of options.

To help make this decision easier, we have conducted a data analysis comparing the performance of woman fragrances at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. We analyzed data on the most popular fragrances at each retailer, as well as any trends or patterns that may have emerged. We also looked at customer satisfaction ratings to see which retailer has the most satisfied customers when it comes to woman fragrances.

Our analysis showed that Sephora has higher sales in the woman fragrance market, with a particular focus on luxury and high-end brands. Ulta Beauty also saw strong sales, but with a wider range of price points and a focus on more affordable options. In terms of customer satisfaction, both retailers received high ratings, with Sephora slightly edging out Ulta Beauty.

Overall, our analysis showed that both Sephora and Ulta Beauty are strong players in the woman fragrance market, with each retailer offering a range of popular and highly rated options. Ultimately, the decision of which retailer to purchase from will depend on the individual consumer's preferences and budget.