Ulta Beauty has built a growing fragrance following thanks to its largely affordable mix of designer classics and indie and celebrity brands. But soon enough, a version of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540, the blockbuster luxury scent that retails for upwards of $300 a bottle, will hit Ulta stores. Sort of. On August 2, affordable fragrance brand Oakcha will launch eight of its scents at more than 100 Ulta stores across the U.S. and nine of its scents on Ulta.com. The brand plans to grow to 700 Ulta stores in October.
“We are in Ulta because we want the customer to have a firsthand experience and experience the perfume before buying it,” said Aziz Ghani, partner at Oakcha.
The Ulta curation will include the likes of Sweven, the $50.95 scent “inspired by” the famed Baccarat Rouge 540, and the juicy Strawberry Sensations, made in collaboration with fragrance influencer Paul Fino, better known to his 2.9 million TikTok followers as Paul Reacts.
Ghani said Fino, who has worked with Ulta on events and paid partnerships, was crucial to helping Oakcha build a relationship with the retailer. The brand plans to work with Fino on events to promote its Ulta launch later in the year.
“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,” said Ghani. “But we thought that Ulta is a better partner because they have a big footprint nationwide.”
