Ulta, Bath & Body Works, CeraVe, E.l.f. Cosmetics, and SheaMoisture among beauty favorites for female teens, survey finds

Ulta, Bath & Body Works, E.l.f. Cosmetics, SheaMoisture, and CeraVe are the most popular beauty retailers and brands for female teens in the US, as revealed in Piper Sandler’s semiannual Gen Z survey. 

The investment bank’s “Taking Stock with Teens” report tracks brand preferences, behavior, and habits – including spending on cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and hair care – and where teens most like to shop.

Of all the beauty categories, the teens spent the most on skincare: $103 a year. Cosmetics followed at $96, but those who report wearing makeup every day spent $155 a year on cosmetics. That rises to $187 for upper-income female teens; 50% of them say they wear makeup every day. 

Here are the most popular beauty stores and brands ranked by female teens in the US.

Favorite beauty store: Ulta

Ulta ranked as the most popular “beauty destination” for 42% of all female teens surveyed. 

Other popular beauty retailers for female teens in the fall survey are: Sephora, Target, Walmart, Amazon, Shein, CVS, Walgreens, E.l.f., and Sally.

The survey found that 39% of female teens have beauty loyalty-program memberships, with Ulta’s ULTAmate Rewards accounting for 62 percent of the total. Beauty loyalty-program memberships at Ulta dropped slightly this season compared with the spring 2022 survey.

Favorite cosmetics brand: E.l.f. Cosmetics

The top 10 cosmetics brands for all female teens, including wealthier and average-income, are: E.l.f., Maybelline, L’Oreal, Tarte, Fenty Beauty, Sephora, Rare Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, Ulta, and Morphe.

E.l.f. continued to rank as the most popular makeup brand for all female teens, keeping its rank from Piper Sandler’s spring 2022 survey, and overtaking Maybelline from the fall 2021 survey.

Favorite skincare brand: CeraVe

CeraVe, which is owned by L’Oreal, gained more popularity this year compared to 2021 and ranked as the most popular skincare brand for 42% of female teens, far ahead of the second-favorite brand, Cetaphil, at 9%. 

Rounding out the top 10 are: The Ordinary, Neutrogena, Drunk Elephant, La Roche-Posay, Curology, Clinique, Dove, and Aveeno. 

Favorite fragrance brand: Bath & Body Works

A new category in Piper Sandler’s fall 2022 survey was the top 10 favorite fragrance brands for female teens. Bath & Body Works ranked first among wealthier and average-income female teens. Out of the 6,670 female teens surveyed, 29% of upper-income female teens and 40% of average-income female teens chose Bath & Body Works as their favorite source for fragrances. 

Following Bath & Body Works were: Victoria’s Secret, Sol de Janeiro, Ariana Grande, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Dior, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Burberry.

Upper-income female teens are spending slightly less for perfumes at $62 every year compared with $67 a year spent on perfumes by average-income female teens.

Favorite hair care brand: SheaMoisture

There was only a minor difference in annual hair care spending between female teens with average incomes and higher incomes. While female teens with wealthier incomes spent $93 last fall on hair care products, female teens with average income spent $91 a year.

SheaMoisture booted Olaplex out as the top pick for all female teens, including those with higher incomes. However, Olaplex was the most popular hair care brand for 14% of upper-income female teens, and the second most popular for female teens with average incomes. 

Also on the list of the most popular hair care brands for female teens are: Pantene, Aussie, Dove, L’Oreal, Garnier, Cantu Beauty, Moroccan Oil, and Redken.