Ulta in the Middle East: Can it win the UAE fragrance war?

I walked through a Dubai mall last month and watched three different sales associates spritz the same passerby within fifteen steps. The Middle East fragrance scene isn’t busy. It’s gladiatorial. Which is why the chatter around Ulta eyeing the region has my pulse up and my brows raised.

Here’s the reality on the ground. Mass and masstige fragrances already flood department stores, beauty retailers and standalone shops. You can grab a body mist and a luxury extrait without changing floors. That’s part of the thrill here, and part of the problem for any newcomer trying to stand out.

Then there’s the new heavyweight energy. Russian retailers Golden Apple and l’Etoile have muscled in, and they don’t tiptoe. They’re known for sharp pricing, deep assortments and the kind of promo cadence that keeps carts full. Add well-loved local brands at similar price points and you’ve got a marketplace that tests even the most confident players.

Industry voices aren’t sugarcoating it. Rawya Catto of CPL Aromas has called the competition in the region extremely intense, and she’s right. The UAE shopper is curious, savvy and impatient with sameness. Oud isn’t a novelty here, it’s the baseline. If you come with cookie-cutter vanillas and mall-safe florals, prepare to be ignored.

So where does Ulta fit? The chain’s strength is a democratic mix plus loyalty-driven retail. In the U.S., that combination feels fresh. In the UAE, the concept only works if the curation is fearless. Think less one-size-fits-all and more hyper-edited discovery that respects local taste. Spotlight bold ambers and attars alongside approachable crowd-pleasers. Give emerging regional labels meaningful real estate, not a token shelf. And if Ulta plans to win with services, it needs in-store fragrance expertise that goes beyond spritz cards and into skin chemistry, layering and seasonality in the Gulf.

Can Ulta crack it? Possibly. The brand equity is real, but the playbook has to adapt. In a market where browsing feels like a festival and attention is the currency, the winners are the ones who smell like themselves and no one else.