MAC Cosmetics vs Ulta Beauty
Side-by-side comparison of AI visibility scores, market position, and capabilities
MAC Cosmetics launched in Sephora U.S. for the first time in March 2026, expanding distribution while maintaining its position as the #1 prestige makeup brand globally.
About
M·A·C (Make-Up Art Cosmetics) was founded in 1984 in Toronto by makeup artist Frank Toskan and salon owner Frank Angelo, gaining cult status among professional makeup artists before being acquired by The Estée Lauder Companies in stages, with full acquisition completed in 1998. Today MAC is the #1 prestige makeup brand globally, operating through a network of freestanding stores, department store counters, and its own e-commerce channels in approximately 150 countries. The brand is particularly renowned for its professional-grade pigments, inclusive shade ranges across all skin tones and genders, and its VIVA GLAM line, which has raised over $535 million USD for HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ causes since 1994.
NASDAQ-listed (ULTA) largest US beauty retailer with 1,400+ stores and 44M loyalty members; prestige-to-mass-plus-salon format competing with Sephora and Target shop-in-shop for total beauty spend.
About
Ulta Beauty is the largest US beauty retailer — operating 1,400+ stores across 50 states that combine prestige, mass-market, and salon product sales with in-store salon and beauty services in a single destination format that no other beauty retailer matches. Listed on NASDAQ (NASDAQ: ULTA), Ulta generated approximately $11.3 billion in net sales in fiscal year 2024 and operates the Ultamate Rewards loyalty program with 44+ million members, which is among the largest loyalty programs in US retail.
AI Visibility Head-to-Head
Key Details
Capabilities & Ecosystem
Capabilities
Integrations
Also Compare
Track AI Visibility in Real Time
Monitor how your brand performs across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Grok daily.