The thought of paying $199 for a magnificence expo ticket after which strolling away with greater than $2,000 value of magnificence merchandise nearly seems like a rip-off. And but, it was actuality for greater than 3,000 attendees at Ulta Magnificence World, held in Orlando on April 15 and 16. Now in its second 12 months, the patron occasion doubled attendance and featured 220 distributors, together with labels like Cécred, Pattern Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Dyson, Charlotte Tilbury, Clinique, Fenty Beauty, Starface and Sol de Janeiro.
“You’ll be able to’t not be at Ulta Magnificence World,” Jeff Lee, co-founder and CEO of Dibs Magnificence, tells Fashionista. “That is the best magnificence occasion of 2026, and any model that’s any model is right here.”
It wasn’t solely established manufacturers that participated — rising magnificence gamers additionally made probably the most of Ulta Magnificence World. For them, this was a main alternative to unfold consciousness, introduce their merchandise to customers and compete in opposition to bigger names on an excellent taking part in discipline.
Beneath, founders and executives from up-and-coming magnificence manufacturers break down the ins and outs of taking part in Ulta Magnificence World — from maximizing visibility to managing pattern numbers to measuring post-event success.
Picture: Courtesy of Dibs Magnificence
Model Consciousness
Noyz, a 2-year-old genderless fragrance model, has gained respectable momentum since its launch through early influencer partnerships and activations at occasions like Coachella and (arising) Stagecoach, nevertheless it nonetheless has a methods to go to face out from mega manufacturers and even celebrity-owned labels. So the corporate used this chance to teach sales space guests on its product by spotlighting its latest scent, Rinse Cycle, and its lineup of perfume milk. Malena Higuera, Noyz’s chief industrial officer, personally gave every customer a one-on-one demonstration on layer the varied scents.
“Any likelihood that somebody comes by means of these doorways and is listening to about Noyz for the very first time offers us an opportunity to inform our distinctive story,” says Higuera. “There’s nothing higher than shaking somebody’s hand, sharing the expertise with them and giving your ideas and methods dwell.”
Bonnie Szucs, chief industrial officer of Bubble Skincare, agrees that the advantage of being at Ulta Magnificence World is introducing the model to first-time prospects, so it is key to make a optimistic impression. “We’re an impartial, female-founded, female-owned model, so you do not at all times have the finances or the investments that among the massive manufacturers do,” Szucs says. Every one that stopped by the Bubble sales space walked away with a “high secret product” that goes dwell in June. “We need to construct up that hype for the product early,” Szucs says of the technique. “However it additionally offers everybody right here an unique preview of one thing that hasn’t even launched but.”
Well mannered Society’s sales space at Ulta Magnificence World 2026. Photographs: Courtesy of Well mannered Society
In the meantime, makeup model Well mannered Society optimized model visibility by bringing a large breadth of merchandise. The three-year-old label is greatest recognized for the Big Mouth XL Lip Plumper. Whereas it is grateful to have a hero product so early within the enterprise, “we’re not only a plumper model,” laughs Emily Yourman, advertising director of Well mannered Society. “We’re nonetheless an rising model, so consciousness is our primary precedence proper now. We need to be sure that we’re providing you with vary of samples and merchandise in an effort to discover one thing throughout the line that you just’re obsessive about.”
Final 12 months, Well mannered Society went viral for its pink-and-cream striped canvas “Massive Ass Tote,” which the model introduced again this 12 months; guests waited in line so long as 20 minutes to get contained in the sales space and seize one alongside their shade choose of the Pout Glossy Lip Balm. “Being right here offers us a chance to have these in-person contact factors with the precise customers, get their pleasure and their power and listen to from them on what merchandise they’re loving and what extra they need from us as a model,” Yourman says.
The Alternative to Take Branding IRL
In fact, for manufacturers to attach with customers one-on-one, guests should really feel compelled to cease by the model’s sales space within the first place. That is no straightforward feat for any taking part label. Add in the truth that most up-and-comers are coping with restricted finances and sales space area, and it is secure to say many rising model groups thought lengthy and laborious about their sales space design.
Physique and hair-care model Saltair took a less-is-more method: The sales space featured a coral pink coloration theme, two video panels for visible enchantment and touches of floral decor, however in any other case, the main focus was on product training and buyer interplay. “We went for visible affect versus spatial and having quite a lot of various things happening,” explains Erin Sale, Saltair’s chief advertising officer. “And actually, it is nice as a result of then we get to have extra of a one-to-one connection and dialog with the patron.”
Octavia Morgan, founder of the eponymous luxury fragrance brand, additionally went with a pared-down design. She spent 10 months locking in her sales space idea, known as “Room 33”: a hotel-inspired setting centered round her new perfume, which fits dwell in August. Morgan says the design was the toughest half. “You need to ask your self, ‘What does this appear to be and what are you going to characteristic?’ So for me, I like for the shopper to lock in on a single product. We’ve got 4 of the fragrances that we promote in-store, however I actually needed to showcase the brand new perfume.”
In the meantime, Dibs Magnificence, Fwee and Half Magic every opted for one thing interactive: The previous delivered to life a magnificence “DMV.” Make-up artists blush shade-matched attendees, who then had their photographs taken and printed on their Dibs Magnificence ID card. “On the finish of the day, blush shouldn’t be intimidating for anybody, and we simply need to stroll everybody by means of the method and have them really feel like they’ve the colour, the format and the end that is proper for them,” Lee says.
Ok-beauty model Fwee introduced its Korean in-store expertise to the Western shopper, actually. It shipped in decor, furnishings and its keychain sales space from one in all its Korean shops to include in the booth. There, guests might get a customized model of Fwee’s signature Pudding Pot scooped and positioned in a keychain. “Our followers see our Instagram pages, see that we’ve got our shops in Asia and our followers in America are like, ‘I actually want I might have that have.’ So we needed to carry at the least just a little little bit of it right here,” says Connie Kim, strategic division director of Fwee.
Picture: Courtesy of Fwee
At Half Magic, the model’s glitter-heavy picture does quite a lot of visible heavy lifting. “The brand new prospects that come over, they’re coming over as a result of they’re seeing glitter. They’re already glitter-curious,” says founder Donni Davy. The sales space added a gem station, permitting individuals to attempt on Glitterpuck Pressed Glitter and have make-up artists apply the model’s face gems. “Trying round, you see all these insane cubicles which can be like building websites,” Davy provides. “Clearly, we’ve got nowhere close to that a lot cash to spend on that, however we’ve got a lot coronary heart.”
Social Media Engagement, Gross sales and Neighborhood Suggestions
After the expo, manufacturers have the chance to evaluate social attain and on-line sale conversions to measure success. “We have a look at the digital dialog at all times as a result of it is such an awesome barometer of whether or not or not you are within the dialog and whether or not or not individuals are on the market and speaking about you organically after the actual fact,” Lee says.
On-line metrics like tagging, mentions, account follows and feedback all issue into digital engagement. Bubble Skincare even seems at Reddit threads. “Final 12 months, it was wonderful,” Szucs says. “We noticed everybody on Reddit being like, ‘Oh my gosh, the Bubble sales space was wonderful. It was one in all our favorites.’ For us, it is about neighborhood connection.”
Higuera agrees that the precedence is gaining neighborhood favor. “I at all times prefer to name it ROO, return on goal; as a result of ROI, return on funding, assumes one direct line to a sale,” she explains. “To me, the targets of at the moment are: Are we connecting with the neighborhood?” She’ll have a look at how sales space visits will translate to social media follows, tags and product critiques. She hopes that within the coming weeks, it will convert into retailer visits and gross sales.
Morgan additionally seems at what number of samples she gave out and sales space site visitors as key metrics. These numbers will assist her decide how a lot product she must carry subsequent time. “As an rising model, they’re going to inform you to carry the whole lot. However I really feel like you need to be very strategic about what it’s that you just need to spotlight,” she notes.
In the end, it takes an immense period of time, power and cash to take part in Ulta Magnificence World; in return, manufacturers have a singular alternative to achieve vital publicity and foster buyer loyalty.
“Constructing neighborhood and belief is so essential for a model at this stage; and having our customers really feel actually valued and letting them know we’re so grateful for them and for his or her help,” Davy says. “That is why I really like Ulta Magnificence World a lot, it is as a result of I get to satisfy everybody who’s supporting the model. That retains me going for actual. I will be on a excessive from this for just a few days.”
Disclosure: Ulta Magnificence World paid for Fashionista’s journey and lodging to report this story.
Please notice: Sometimes, we use affiliate hyperlinks on our website. This under no circumstances impacts our editorial decision-making.
