Rank moves before revenue does. Here are the skincare brands taking shelf position fastest at both retailers right now.
- Five quarters of best-seller data, Q1’25 to Q3’26
- 6,929 products ranked at Ulta and 3,038 at Sephora this quarter
- Two separate boards, because each retailer runs its own shelf
More from Jump Accelerator:
Summary: Q3 2026 at a glance
- 45 climbers: 35 at Ulta, 10 at Sephora.
- 0 at both retailers. No brand climbs Ulta and Sephora at the same time.
- Biggest climb: Timebeam at Ulta, +134 places since Q1’26.
- Biggest Q3 jump: Torriden at Sephora, #62 to #14.
- Biodance is now #2 at Sephora, up from #28 in Q1’25.
- Korea leads Sephora: 4 of the top 7 climbers are Korean houses.
The full climber roster, every subcategory board and the brand-by-brand paths are in the Skincare Q3 2026 Ulta + Sephora report.
How we rank a climber
- 3+ ranked quarters, and the last step is up. A one-quarter spike does not count.
- Places gained = net move in league rank across the window.
- League = the retailer’s overall skincare board, brands with 2+ ranked products: 553 brands at Ulta, 213 at Sephora.
Ulta: top 10 fastest-climbing skincare brands
The read:
- Seven of the ten rose every quarter.
- Ulta’s climbers span every price band, from Patchology at Masstige to RODAN + FIELDS at Luxury. This climb is not a price story.
- Inside the top 100: cocokind #27, Patchology #49, celimax #53, Thayers #78, ROUND LAB #87.
Sephora: top 10 fastest-climbing skincare brands
The read:
- Torriden and AESTURA rose every quarter. AESTURA’s path: 50, 41, 26, 21, 13.
- Depth wins at the top: Biodance carries 25 ranked products, Torriden 18 and AESTURA 15.
- All ten finish inside Sephora’s top 60.
Where they climbed
The subcategory boards behind the gains.
Ulta
- Serums & Treatments carried the biggest climbs: SickScience Labs +106 and Timebeam +97.
- Moisturisers: cocokind +77 (now #14), celimax +64 and Thayers +33.
- Suncare: AXIS-Y +52.
- Eye Treatments: Patchology, now #5.
Sephora
- Moisturisers led: Paula’s Choice +52, ALPYN +33, Dieux +24 and fresh +17.
- Anti-Aging: Paula’s Choice is now #4 and ALPYN #6.
- Masks: Biodance is #1.
- Treatments: Torriden +16, now #17.
What’s driving it
The hero product behind each lead climber, with the active named on the label:
- Timebeam: Skinbeam Milky Serum, NAD+ booster
- SickScience Labs: ShapeShift jaw and neck firming serum
- AXIS-Y: Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum
- celimax: Vita-A Retinal 0.1% Shot Booster
- RODAN + FIELDS: Pure C Serum, 10% vitamin C
- Torriden: DIVE IN 5D Hyaluronic Acid Serum
- AESTURA: ATOBARRIER365 Cream, ceramides and niacinamide
- Biodance: Bio Collagen Real Deep Mask
- ALPYN: 3-in-1 Barrier Repair Serum, azelaic acid
- Paula’s Choice: 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner
The pattern: one named active, one clear job, on a serum, a cream or a mask.
Durable or a spike?
- Durable: all 20 hold 3+ ranked quarters, so none is a one-quarter spike.
- Up every quarter:
- Ulta: Timebeam, SickScience Labs, AXIS-Y, Thayers, celimax, Skyn Iceland and Patchology.
- Sephora: Torriden and AESTURA.
- Most volatile paths: RODAN + FIELDS at Ulta (162, 19, 115, 147, 102) and ALPYN at Sephora (83, 51, 55, 112, 59).
Retailer split
- No brand is on both climbing lists.
- 18 of the 20 climbers don’t rank at the other retailer at all.
- fresh climbs at Sephora but is sliding at Ulta (#56).
- Kiehl’s Since 1851 climbs at Sephora and sits at #38 at Ulta, but its last Ulta step was not up.
For founders: a win at one retailer does not transfer. Build the playbook per shelf.
Breakouts vs. recovering
First-time breakouts: first ranked in Q4’25 or Q1’26, and at their best-ever rank now.
- Ulta: Timebeam, SickScience Labs, AXIS-Y, celimax and Skyn Iceland.
- Sephora: Torriden.
Best-ever rank after 2 years on the board:
- Ulta: Thayers, cocokind and Patchology.
- Sephora: AESTURA, Biodance, fresh, Then I Met You and Paula’s Choice.
Recovering: fell, then came back. This is a separate state, not on the climbing list.
- Ulta: Tallow Me Pretty +145, TruSkin +128, NassifMD Skincare +108.
- Sephora: Erborian, back to #23 from #67.
What this means for your brand
- Win the shelf one retailer at a time. Ulta and Sephora are not moving together.
- Lead with one named active. Every top climber’s hero product names its job.
- Launch to rank, not to complement. Sephora’s steadiest climbers have 15 to 25 products ranking at once. Each one earns its own place on the board, not just add-on sales.
- Track the path, not the snapshot. A single quarter can’t tell a breakout from a spike.
Get the full picture
The Skincare Q3 2026 Ulta + Sephora report covers:
- brand ranks at both retailers, with the 2-year trajectory
- formula, device and single-product leagues
- momentum 2x2s
- climbers, peakers and decliners
- shelf crowding by price tier
- brands common to both retailers
- every exit
711 brands · 9,913+ products · 20 category boards · 5 quarters.
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