Ulta Vs. Amazon Black Friday 2025: Fact-Checking Which Retailer Truly Wins on Beauty
By Sophia Al-Mansoor
The savings race didn't freeze when Saturday morning arrived. Reporting from outlets like Page Six verified that post-Black Friday clearance inventory remained active across major retailers well into the weekend, bridging the gap toward Cyber Monday makeup deals.
Good Morning America highlighted how brands like First Aid Beauty and Laneige extended targeted discounts across digital channels. Ulta leveraged this transition by releasing fresh "cyber doorbusters," cycling out sold-out skincare items to push 40% to 50% discounts on prestige eye palettes, setting sprays, and curated holiday gift sets.
Amazon struggled to maintain equivalent coherence. By Sunday, its beauty category was overwhelmed by dynamic pricing spikes. Once primary vendor inventories dried up, algorithms automatically reassigned "Buy Box" ownership to third-party storefronts. In several viral instances on TikTok and beauty subreddits, popular lip tints were shown jumping 15% above standard MSRP, catching inattentive late-shoppers off guard.
A strict beauty price match guarantee is nonexistent at both retailers during peak holiday sales. Ulta explicitly suspends competitive price-matching against competitors from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. Amazon maintains a permanent corporate policy against matching competitor sales altogether. The shopper who hesitated on a verified sale price routinely paid more forty-eight hours later.
Sophia analyzes international trade, startup ecosystems, retail transformation, and supply chain logistics for modern digital publications.
