Where does a beauty promo code actually survive checkout? Instead of guessing, this live data study measures Sephora against ULTA on live SimplyCodes verification data: how many codes are verified working at each store right now, and the best live discount on the board. Both stores are named and measured the same way, on the same day, against the same test — including when one of them has nothing working. It re-checks daily, so the scoreboard below is today's answer, not last month's.
As of August 15, 2026, Sephora comes out ahead on codes verified working — 4 to ULTA's 0. Sephora has tracked more codes over time — 3,225 to 1,428. ULTA discounts a different way, though — 4,677 live offers that need no code at all, to Sephora's 559.
- Sephora has more codes tracked over time — 3,225 to ULTA's 1,428.
- ULTA leans hardest on discounts that need no code — 4,677 live offers, to Sephora's 559. Sitewide sales and auto-applied discounts never need a code to work.
- A tracked code is not a working code: the all-time tally includes expired and one-time codes, so only a small share is live at any moment — this live data study counts only codes verified working right now.
Codes verified working = distinct promo codes the SimplyCodes verification engine currently rates as working · Best live discount = strongest %-off among those working codes · Codes tracked = every code SimplyCodes has ever tracked at that store (context, not a working count) · Verified-working share = working ÷ tracked.
| Side by side | SephoraLeader | ULTA |
|---|---|---|
| Codes verified working right now | 4 | 0 |
| Best live discount (working codes) | — | — |
| Codes tracked (all-time) | 3,225 | 1,428 |
| Share of tracked codes verified working | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Each store links to its live SimplyCodes page · snapshot as of Aug 15, 2026. Refreshed daily.
Methodology
How SimplyCodes verifies codes. Behind every figure in this live data study is the SimplyCodes verification system. Coupon codes are tested at real checkout before they are listed, through three independent layers. Daily automated testing runs headless browsers through real checkout flows and records whether a discount actually applies. A human verification network of 10,000+ verifiers submits screenshot-and-timestamp proof, at 4.6M+ verification actions a month and 98% accuracy. And a real-time fleet signal feeds live checkout outcomes back into the engine. A code counts as "working" in this live data study only while the engine currently rates it as working at checkout.
How this comparison is built. We count, for each store, the distinct promo codes the SimplyCodes verification engine currently rates as working — codes whose current verification status is valid at checkout. That working count is the yardstick for this comparison, and both stores are measured with the same one. "Best live discount" is the strongest percent-off figure among each store's currently-working codes, read from the code's own offer text. "Codes tracked" is every code SimplyCodes has ever tracked at that store — context for scale, not a working count. "Offers that need no code" counts each store's live promotions that apply without a code at checkout — sitewide sales, automatic discounts, clearance events — because a store can discount heavily while running few codes. When a code stops working, it drops out of the working count on the next refresh. Refreshed daily.
Cite this data
As of August 15, 2026, Sephora has 4 promo codes verified working on SimplyCodes to ULTA's 0.
According to a 2026 SimplyCodes side-by-side promo code comparison, Sephora leads ULTA 4 to 0 in codes verified working, as of August 15, 2026.
