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Guide

Best ways to earn cashback on beauty products (2026).

Portrait of Mirabelle Chew By , Fashion Editor · Published · Last updated · 2 min read

TL;DR

Sephora and ULTA Beauty are both ShopBack merchants in the US, and both pay flat percentage cashback on qualifying purchases. The loyalty programs at each retailer, Beauty Insider at Sephora and ULTA Rewards at ULTA, stack on top of cashback because they operate on separate systems. Restocks of products already in your routine are where the category earns most reliably.

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Contents

Beauty is one of the most straightforward cashback categories because the two major US specialty retailers, Sephora and ULTA Beauty, both offer flat-percentage cashback through ShopBack, and both allow their own loyalty programs to run alongside it without conflict. The category earns best not on big hauls but on restocks of things already in a routine.

Which beauty merchants are in the ShopBack US network?

Sephora and ULTA Beauty are the primary dedicated beauty merchants on ShopBack US. Target is also in the network and covers beauty as one of its eligible purchase categories. Major drugstore chains carry beauty products but health and pharmacy cashback applies to that segment. For makeup, skincare, fragrance, and haircare from a specialty beauty retailer, Sephora and ULTA are the two main options.

Why do restocks earn more reliably than discovery hauls?

Discovery shopping, trying a new brand, buying a recommendation, or building a full routine from scratch, carries more uncertainty: products that do not work get returned, and returns pull back pending cashback on those items. Restocking a cleanser, foundation, or supplement you know you use is the opposite: the product is predictable, the purchase is planned, the cart is known, and the click-through is a two-second habit. Over a year, the same restock through ShopBack every six weeks earns more reliably than a large haul with returns.

How does the loyalty program stack work at Sephora and ULTA?

Neither retailer’s loyalty program interacts with ShopBack cashback. Sephora’s Beauty Insider points accrue based on purchase value on Sephora’s side; ShopBack’s cashback is calculated on the amount paid on ShopBack’s side. The only way loyalty benefits reduce the cashback base is when you redeem points or store credit to reduce the purchase price, because cashback then applies to the lower total. Earning points, birthday gifts, or Platinum status does not reduce cashback. Spending Sephora Cash reduces the cart subtotal and therefore the cashback base, but that is just standard arithmetic, not a conflict between the systems.

What should you check before applying a promo code?

Both Sephora and ULTA Beauty are strict about codes. Only codes featured on the merchant’s ShopBack page are safe to apply alongside a tracked click-through. A code from the retailer’s email, a third-party site, or a friend’s share can void the cashback for the entire order if it is not featured on ShopBack. Gift sets during sale events, birthday offers redeemed in-account, and loyalty tier perks do not require a promo code entry at checkout, so they carry no risk. The code at checkout is the one point to watch.

Where do gift sets and value sizes fit?

Holiday gift sets and value-size bundles earn more cashback per order than individual items, both because the subtotal is higher and because sets often price below the sum of their pieces. Buying a holiday gift set through a ShopBack click-through earns cashback on the bundle price, saves compared to individual items, and earns the same Beauty Insider points. When a set is already discounted, it earns on a lower base than full-price items, but the combined saving beats either saving alone.

Quick answers

Which beauty stores give cashback through ShopBack?

Sephora and ULTA Beauty are both ShopBack merchants in the US. Each pays a flat percentage back on qualifying purchases. Target is also a ShopBack merchant and covers beauty in its eligible categories. The live rate for each merchant is on its ShopBack page.

Do Sephora Beauty Insider points stack with ShopBack cashback?

Yes. Sephora's Beauty Insider loyalty program and ShopBack cashback are entirely separate systems. Beauty Insider points accrue on the Sephora side based on your purchase, and ShopBack cashback is calculated on the amount you pay after Sephora discounts. Neither system interacts with the other.

Do ULTA Rewards points stack with ShopBack cashback?

Yes. ULTA Rewards points accrue on the ULTA side and do not affect ShopBack cashback, which is calculated on what you actually pay. Redeeming ULTA Rewards points reduces the cart total, so the cashback base is lower, but the points and cashback still both apply.

What beauty purchases are excluded from ShopBack cashback?

At Sephora, gift cards and voucher purchases and redemptions are excluded. At ULTA Beauty, Dyson products, gifts with purchase, samplers and mystery bags, and e-gift cards do not earn cashback. Promo codes not featured on ShopBack can void the cashback at either retailer.

Do gifts with purchase earn cashback?

No. ULTA Beauty explicitly excludes gifts with purchase and samplers from cashback. At Sephora, gifts with purchase are promotional items attached to an order, so they do not affect the cashback calculation on the qualifying subtotal.

How often does beauty cashback confirm?

Sephora cashback typically tracks within about 4 days, slightly longer than most merchants, and confirms in about 95 days. ULTA Beauty cashback tracks within 2 days and confirms in about 120 days, one of the longer windows in the category. Both windows reflect the return period closing before the cashback finalizes.

Can I use a Sephora or ULTA promo code with ShopBack cashback?

Only codes featured on the ShopBack merchant page are safe to apply alongside cashback. At both Sephora and ULTA, codes from other sources including the retailer's own marketing emails can void the cashback for the order if they are not featured on ShopBack.

Is cashback available on Dyson products at ULTA?

No. Dyson products are specifically excluded from ULTA Beauty cashback. Other haircare tools and appliances at ULTA are not excluded in the same way, but Dyson is named in the terms.

Does buying in a Sephora or ULTA physical store earn cashback?

No. Click-through cashback only applies to online orders placed after clicking through from ShopBack. In-store purchases have no referral click to track, so they earn nothing through ShopBack, though the store's own loyalty program applies as normal.

Is there a per-order cap on beauty cashback?

Not at Sephora or ULTA Beauty in the terms verified for this guide, which is different from categories such as electronics or fashion where per-order caps are common. The full qualifying subtotal earns the flat percentage at both beauty merchants.

  • Cashback: Cashback is a percentage of a purchase amount returned to the shopper as real money, not points or store credit, paid out after the merchant confirms the order is final.
  • Activation (shopping trip): Activation is the click from ShopBack to a merchant that starts a tracked shopping trip, linking the purchase to the shopper account.
  • Merchant exclusions: Merchant exclusions are purchase types a store does not pay cashback on, such as gift cards, sales tax, shipping, or specific product categories.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these primary sources on 2026-08-13.

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