A new beauty heavyweight enters the Gulf
In November 2025, Ulta Beauty opened its first-ever Middle East store at The Avenues Mall in Kuwait City, in franchise partnership with retail giant Alshaya Group.
The move marks a major new phase for the US retailer, which has built its success on a hybrid model: prestige brands, mass-market favourites and professional haircare all under one roof, plus in-store services like brow bars and salons. Ulta’s president and CEO Kecia Steelman has described the Middle East as a “beauty-loving” region that has been actively asking for the brand to come closer.
According to Vogue’s report on the expansion, Ulta plans to follow Kuwait with large flagships in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall, bringing around 80 brands – from Nyx and Too Faced to newer names – and a strong focus on fragrance, a top category for Gulf shoppers.
For the Middle East, this is the first time Sephora faces a direct US “superstore” rival on its own turf.
Sephora Middle East: the incumbent powerhouse
While Ulta is just landing, Sephora Middle East is already deeply rooted in the region:
Sephora operates more than 90 stores across the GCC, including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Under regional managing director Hasmik Panossian, Sephora Middle East has been positioned as a “region-defining beauty platform”, combining global launches with regional exclusives.
In 2024 Sephora brought Sephoria, its immersive beauty festival, to Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena for the first time, drawing over 6,000 visitors and around 60 brand activations – a clear signal of its experiential, community-driven strategy.
Sephora also continues to expand its online reach into markets without stand-alone stores, including Egypt, via regional e-commerce and third-party retailers that stock Sephora Collection and other brands for local delivery.
Ulta vs Sephora in the Gulf: two different playbooks
From what has been publicly announced so far, the Ulta Beauty Middle East strategy and Sephora Middle East model can be seen as complementary – and competitive.
1. Assortment: prestige-only vs high–low mix
Sephora Gulf focuses primarily on prestige beauty and indie darlings – from Fenty and Huda Beauty to Glossier, which entered Sephora Middle East in 2024.
Ulta Beauty Middle East is importing its “all in one” concept: prestige labels, US drugstore favourites and professional hair brands sharing the same floor, plus a heavy emphasis on fragrance for local shoppers.
For Gulf consumers, that means Sephora remains the destination for high-end launches and exclusive collabs, while Ulta promises a one-stop mix of luxury and accessible price points in the same space.
2. Experience: Sephoria vs “beautytainment”
Sephora has already set the regional benchmark for experiential beauty with Sephoria Dubai – a full festival of masterclasses, AR mirrors and “postable” installations created for the Middle East.
Ulta, meanwhile, is talking about bringing its own “beautytainment” approach: services, events and digital tools layered into the store footprint from day one.
Both are investing in community-building, but with slightly different flavours: Sephora through large-scale festivals and loyalty, Ulta through its service-heavy superstore model.
3. Market coverage: where Egypt fits
GCC focus: Both players are currently concentrating brick-and-mortar expansion on Gulf hubs – Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Egypt today: Sephora does not yet operate a flagship network in Egypt, and Egyptian shoppers mainly access Sephora brands via regional online platforms, coupon-driven e-commerce and local multi-brand retailers that import its products.
Ulta & Egypt: Ulta’s announced international plan currently lists Kuwait and the UAE as entry points, with no publicly confirmed stores in Egypt at this stage.
For now, that leaves Egyptian beauty lovers watching the Gulf very closely: trends, brands and service concepts that prove successful in Kuwait, Dubai or Riyadh often arrive next via local partners, pop-ups or online drops.
What this Ulta vs Sephora moment means for Middle East beauty
With Ulta Beauty Middle East entering via Kuwait and soon Dubai, and Sephora Middle East doubling down on Sephoria-style experiences and regional exclusives, the Gulf is becoming one of the most competitive beauty retail arenas in the world.
For the wider region – including Egypt – a few clear signals emerge:
More choice: Expect a broader mix of US brands, price points and service formats as Ulta and Sephora vie for loyalty.
More experiences: Festivals like Sephoria Dubai and Ulta’s event-driven model suggest that retail will increasingly feel like content and entertainment, not just shopping.
More regional collaborations: Both groups are talking about showcasing local and regional brands alongside global names, which could open doors for Middle Eastern founders to scale beyond their home markets
