Ulta Beauty, a titan in the beauty retail landscape, is expanding its fragrance offerings with a strategic partnership that taps into the burgeoning demand for affordable yet sophisticated scents. The beauty giant, known for its diverse and accessible mix of designer classics, indie darlings, and celebrity fragrances, is set to welcome Oakcha, a brand that has carved out a significant niche by offering "impressions" of high-end luxury perfumes. Starting August 2, eight of Oakcha’s popular scents will be available in over 100 Ulta stores across the United States, with an additional nine fragrances launching on Ulta.com. This initial rollout is just the beginning, as Oakcha plans to expand its presence to approximately 700 Ulta locations by October, signaling a significant commitment from both brands.
The move signifies a growing trend in the fragrance industry, where consumers are increasingly seeking high-quality olfactory experiences without the prohibitive price tags associated with traditional luxury houses. Oakcha has emerged as a key player in this space, offering meticulously crafted scents that evoke the essence of iconic, often multi-hundred-dollar fragrances. Among the fragrances poised to grace Ulta’s shelves is "Sweven," a popular $50.95 scent described as being "inspired by" Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540, a blockbuster luxury fragrance that typically retails for over $300 per bottle. This particular pairing highlights the strategic alignment between Oakcha’s value proposition and Ulta’s mission to democratize beauty.
Aziz Ghani, a partner at Oakcha, articulated the brand’s vision for this new retail channel, stating, "We are in Ulta because we want the customer to have a firsthand experience and experience the perfume before buying it." This emphasis on tactile discovery is crucial in the fragrance world, where scent is a deeply personal and subjective experience. Traditional retail environments allow consumers to test fragrances on their skin, a step often skipped in online purchasing, leading to potential disappointment. By offering this in-store experience, Oakcha aims to build trust and foster a deeper connection with a broader consumer base.
The curated selection for Ulta also includes "Strawberry Sensations," a collaboration with fragrance influencer Paul Fino, known to his 2.9 million TikTok followers as Paul Reacts. Fino’s involvement underscores the brand’s strategic use of social media influence to drive awareness and sales. Ghani acknowledged Fino’s instrumental role in facilitating the relationship with Ulta, noting his prior work with the retailer on events and paid partnerships. Future collaborations with Fino are planned, including in-store events designed to amplify Oakcha’s launch and engage consumers directly.
Oakcha’s journey to this significant retail partnership is rooted in its origins as a direct-to-consumer brand. "We’ve been online for six years, and there were many other ways for us to go to brick-and-mortar, like having our own small stores in major cities," Ghani explained. "But we thought that Ulta is a better partner because they have a big footprint nationwide." This strategic decision underscores the importance of scale and accessibility in reaching a mass market. Ulta’s extensive network of stores provides Oakcha with an unparalleled opportunity to gain visibility and attract customers who may not have previously encountered the brand online.
Launched in 2020, Oakcha emerged during a period of heightened interest in the fragrance market, often referred to as the post-COVID fragrance boom. The brand was part of a wave of "dupe" perfume companies that gained traction by offering more affordable alternatives to highly sought-after designer and luxury scents, such as Le Labo’s Santal 33 and Creed’s Aventus. While these inspired creations formed the bedrock of its early popularity, Oakcha has since diversified its portfolio to include original fragrances. The sweet gourmand scent "Cotton Candy" is cited as its best-selling original creation, demonstrating the brand’s ability to innovate beyond its initial concept.
Despite its success with inspired scents, Oakcha is actively working to evolve its brand identity. "While dupes built its popularity, Oakcha wants to be known as more than just a brand for dupes going forward," Ghani stated. He elaborated, "We did start as a dupe brand. But then we transformed into more like offering dupes plus our own collection." Ghani prefers the term "impressions" over "dupes" or "replicas" to describe its designer-inspired creations, emphasizing that these are not exact copies but rather interpretations with unique twists. "Even the impressions we make, it’s not exactly like the actual scent. It’s like an impression of that, but it has its tweaks," he clarified, highlighting the brand’s commitment to originality within its inspired offerings.
The strategic shift towards brick-and-mortar retail through Ulta is a significant move for Oakcha, which has largely relied on the digital realm for its growth. Social media, particularly TikTok and Instagram, has been instrumental in building brand awareness and driving sales. The brand’s launch on TikTok Shop in 2024 marked a pivotal moment, with fragrance reviews on these platforms playing a crucial role in its expansion. Data from Charm.io revealed that Oakcha’s TikTok Shop sales experienced a remarkable surge, growing by over 125% year-over-year to $6.2 million in the first half of 2025.
However, Ghani acknowledged recent challenges impacting its online growth trajectory. The increasing competition on social commerce platforms and rising operational costs, including fuel prices, have created a more complex market environment. "TikTok Shop is not growing for us at the moment," he admitted, attributing this to increased competition, rising costs, and reduced marketing budgets. "There’s more competition. Costs are going up. There’s less money in marketing. We’re in a different time." This candid assessment underscores the dynamic nature of e-commerce and the necessity for brands to diversify their sales channels.
The partnership with Ulta is expected to provide a substantial boost to Oakcha’s business. The company anticipates a 20% growth in its business within the first year of the Ulta launch. This aligns with broader industry trends observed by Ulta itself. The retailer’s first-quarter 2026 earnings report, released in June, highlighted fragrance as its strongest growth driver for the quarter, with an impressive growth rate in the "high teens." This segment was responsible for increasing its share of Ulta’s overall revenue from 11% in Q1 2025 to 12%, indicating a robust and expanding consumer appetite for perfumes.
Oakcha’s entry into Ulta’s physical stores mirrors a broader trend across major retailers embracing "dupe" fragrance brands that often began as online-only ventures. Competitors like Dossier and MCo Beauty launched at Target in 2025, while Alt Fragrances debuted at Sally Beauty in the same year. This widespread adoption signifies a mainstream acceptance of accessible fragrance alternatives and validates the business model that Oakcha has successfully cultivated.
An interesting facet of Oakcha’s Ulta offering is its careful curation to avoid direct competition with existing luxury brands stocked at the retailer. While Ulta carries original fragrances such as Yves Saint Laurent’s Libre and Valentino’s Donna Born in Roma, Oakcha’s in-store and online selections will focus on either Oakcha’s original creations, like "Cotton Clouds," or inspired scents of luxury lines not typically found at Ulta. Examples include "Mind’s Mirror," inspired by Louis Vuitton’s Imagination, and "Madame Rose," inspired by Parfums de Marly’s Delina. This strategic approach ensures that Oakcha complements, rather than competes with, Ulta’s existing premium fragrance inventory.
The fundamental driver behind this industry shift, and Oakcha’s success, is a fundamental change in consumer behavior. "People are getting into fragrances in a way where they’re buying multiples," Ghani observed. "It’s like a monthly [purchase] or a fragrance every two months." This trend signifies a move away from treating perfume as a special occasion item to integrating it as a regular part of personal grooming and self-expression. The accessibility offered by brands like Oakcha, now amplified by their presence at a major retailer like Ulta, is perfectly positioned to cater to this evolving consumer habit.
The implications of this partnership extend beyond mere sales figures. For Oakcha, it represents a significant validation of its brand and product quality, transitioning from an online disruptor to a recognized player within the traditional beauty retail ecosystem. For Ulta, it signifies a forward-thinking approach to curating its fragrance assortment, catering to a consumer segment that values both quality and affordability. This collaboration reinforces Ulta’s position as a comprehensive beauty destination, offering a spectrum of fragrance options that meet diverse consumer needs and budgets. The strategic placement of Oakcha’s inspired scents, carefully avoiding direct competition with its high-end counterparts, demonstrates a nuanced understanding of market dynamics and consumer psychology, aiming to attract new customers and enhance the overall shopping experience without alienating its existing clientele. The success of this venture could pave the way for further expansion of similar accessible fragrance brands within Ulta’s extensive retail network, shaping the future of fragrance acquisition for a generation of scent enthusiasts.
