Ulta is one of the most popular cosmetic and beauty companies in the US with a whopping $7 billion per year turnover.
They stock a wide variety of cosmetics and provide a whole array of beauty services.
If you’ve purchased makeup from Ulta but it’s not quite what you were looking for, or perhaps it’s an unwanted gift or even defective, then you’ll want to be brought up to speed with how to make a return.
To help you there we’ve covered Ulta’s makeup returns policy in detail.
This article will cover what the returns window is, how to make a return, when to expect a refund, and much more.
Let’s take a look…
What is Ulta’s Makeup Returns Policy? In Short
In short, you can return makeup to Ulta within 60 days for a full refund or exchange. The refund will be issued to the payment method you used. Returns can be made either in-store or using the mail returns process which we’ve covered below.
You can return makeup to Ulta for all manner of reasons including:
- If it’s an unwanted gift
- If it was ordered by mistake
- If it’s defective or in disrepair
- If you’re not happy with the color, material, or performance of the product
- If you’ve seen it cheaper elsewhere
How to Make a Return of Makeup to Ulta?
You can return makeup to Ulta by either taking it back to one of Ulta’s beauty stores. Check out Ulta’s handy store locator to find your nearest store.
Alternatively, you can use the mail-in returns process by shipping your makeup to:
ulta.com Returns Center, 1135 Arbor Drive, Romeoville, IL 60446
(NB. please check on https://www.ulta.com/ before returning your make up to that address in case the same has changed from the time this article was written)
However, please note that Ulta does not cover return shipping costs so you will need to cover those yourself.
We recommend including a copy of your invoice if you make your return by mail. The invoice will have been emailed to you upon purchase.
When Ulta have received your package they will email you to confirm receipt.
However, you should note that you cannot return Ulta makeup to Ulta purchased from other authorized retailers and this includes makeup purchased at Ulta Beauty at Target.
If you’ve purchased Ulta makeup from anywhere other than an Ulta store or Ulta.com then return it to the store you purchased it from.
Can I Return Makeup to Ulta With No Receipt?
You can still return makeup to Ulta without a receipt if you’re a member as Ulta can trace your order using your member ID or your phone number.
However, if you’ve not got a receipt and you’re not a member you’ll receive a refund in store credits to spend in-store. You’ll also need to present a valid ID.
If it was a gift and you have a gift receipt you’ll receive your refund as in-store credit or you can simply exchange the product for something else.
Related Article:
Amazon Cologne Return Policy
How Long Will it Take to Get Refund When Returning Makeup to Ulta?
If you return your makeup in-store, then the refund should be issued there and then but allow a few days for the money to appear back in your account depending on your bank or credit/debit card issuer.
If you’ve returned your makeup using the mail-in returns option then expect to wait 7-10 days from when you receive the email confirming your return has been received.
What to Do if You’re Outside the 60 Days Window?
If the 60-day window has already expired then we’d first recommend speaking to someone at Ulta on their chat service or alternatively by phoning or emailing them. You can do this via Ulta’s support page.
If the 60-day window has only just expired Ulta may be able to offer some flexibility by extending the same.
Another option is to simply sell the product. There’s a huge market for pre-loved makeup. We love glambot.com where you can sell your used or unwanted makeup for fairly good rates.
How Does Ulta’s Return Policy Hold Up?
If you’re making a big order or you’re particularly partial to making lots of returns then it might be worth checking out how the competition holds up in comparison.
We’ve pulled up the data and analyzed a few of Ulta’s competitors:
| Competitor | Returns Window |
| Costco | 100% satisfaction guarantee (return any time) |
| Walmart | 90 days |
| Amazon | 30 days |
| Sephora | 60 days for refund (thereafter store credit) |
| Nordstrom | 100% satisfaction guarantee (return any time) |
| Walgreens | 30 days |
In summary, Ulta has a fairly middle-of-the-road returns policy. While it’s nowhere near as generous as Nordstrom or Costco it’s still more favorable than Walgreens and similar to Sephora.
Ulta also doesn’t provide free returns delivery so it loses score points on that front.
Related Article:
Do You Tip at Ulta?
Final Thoughts
Ulta provides a fairly underwhelming returns policy of 60 days which while not being the worst on the market, it’s certainly not the best either.
However, for most people that won’t matter, especially for makeup given how brand-loyal people can be towards such products.
If you’re thinking of making a return, then we’d recommend you do this in-store as 1. you’ll save on return delivery costs 2. your refund will be processed much faster.
