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With a broader luxury assortment and an appearance by Bella Hadid, Ulta Beauty is making its Middle East debut.
On Nov. 7, the beauty retailer will open its first location as part of its franchise partnership with retail operator Alshaya Group, which also works with names like Harvey Nichols and Charlotte Tilbury in the region.
Located in Kuwait’s The Avenues mega mall, the 15,000-square-foot store will offer over 300 beauty brands, many of which will be new to brick-and-mortar stores Middle East. New-to-Kuwait brands include Morphe, Polite Society, Kiko Milano and Bella Hadid’s perfume line Ôrəbella. To ensure a buzzy launch, Bella Hadid will be present for the Nov. 7 ribbon cutting.
Following its Mexico expansion earlier this year, Kuwait marks Ulta Beauty’s second global location. While domestically it carries a mix of luxury, prestige and accessible brands, the Middle East franchises will be have a more upmarket assortment. Catering to a more luxury-focused market, the line-up will include Tom Ford Beauty, Sisley, Burberry and Augustinus Bader, as well as local beauty labels like Asteri Beauty.
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“We want to make sure we come into a market with something unique to offer,” said Jessica Phillips, Ulta Beauty’s vice president of emerging brands and strategic initiatives. “There’s definitely the mass players, there’s definitely the prestige players. There’s no one like us that does mass to prestige and luxury.”
Given the popularity of perfume in the Middle East, more space will be devoted to fragrance than in US stores with more elevated design touches, and in addition to Ulta Beauty’s signature beauty bars, service areas including private facial rooms and a nail bar will be included.
Ulta Beauty is planning to open around 12 stores in the region by 2026. According to an August survey of beauty executives in The State of Fashion: Beauty 70 percent expected “very high” growth in the Middle East, and the MENA region will remain the fastest-growing for beauty through 2028. Consumers in the region spend seven times more on beauty per household income than in the US, said Phillips. It plans to be in 80 doors across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries by 2029. Next openings will take place in 2026, with its UAE debut at the Mall of the Emirates in January 2026, Dubai Mall in March 2026 and Saudi Arabia at the Red Sea Mall in March 2026.
It will have stiff competition. Its competitor, Sephora, has also been expanding in the region through a partnership with luxury retailer Chalhoub Group stores across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region countries including Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where its Dubai location is one of its largest worldwide.
“We invest a lot right as we go into a new market, from a marketing investment, building brand awareness, and you really want to be able to get that return on that investment. Having that scale is important, but we want to do it in the smart way,” said Phillips.
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