Tate McRae Sells TATE 01 Direct for Two Weeks Before Ulta’s 1,500 Stores
The pop star partnered with fragrance incubator Scent Beauty to launch TATE 01 via her own site, then expand to 1,500 Ulta stores by late October.
Pop star Tate McRae launched TATE 01, her debut fragrance, on October 1, 2026, through a partnership with fragrance developer Scent Beauty. The fragrance is available direct-to-consumer at tatebytm.com in sizes ranging from 10 milliliters to 100 milliliters, priced from $30 to $82, with an expansion to Ulta Beauty’s website on October 16 and in-store rollout to more than 1,500 U.S. locations on October 25.
The move exemplifies how celebrity beauty brands now sequence launches: establishing demand through direct sales first, then negotiating retail placement from a position of proven consumer interest. Fragrance has become a strategic growth category for Ulta, which cited prestige beauty and fragrance as key drivers of stronger-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results and a raised full-year sales outlook. Prestige fragrance in the U.S. market rose 6 percent in the first half of 2026, driven by price increases of 5 percent and double-digit growth in eau de parfum formulations as consumers traded up to higher-concentration products.
Why direct-to-consumer validates fragrance demand
Launching directly to consumers before pursuing retail partnerships offers multiple advantages for celebrity founders entering a crowded market. The D2C phase generates customer acquisition data, email lists and early purchase patterns that retailers use to forecast demand. It also lets brands control narrative, pricing and brand positioning without retail markup requirements or point-of-sale constraints.
For Tate McRae, the tatebytm.com launch captured 15 days of sales velocity before Ulta’s online debut on October 16. This window demonstrates consumer willingness to pay full retail pricing and reveals which bottle sizes and price points drive conversions. The pricing mirrors strategies used by other celebrity fragrance brands: Sabrina Carpenter launched her debut Sweet Tooth fragrance at $30, then introduced newer releases like Cherry Baby at $9.99 for 10 milliliters and $54.99 for 50 milliliters, establishing a price ladder across consumer segments.
Retailers like Ulta increasingly require this validation. Before committing shelf space at 1,500 locations, buyers want evidence of sustained demand and brand loyalty, not projections. A D2C launch provides that proof and reduces retailer risk when expanding prestige fragrance assortments. Ulta’s exclusive brand portfolio now represents nearly half of total sales, and celebrity-led launches have helped strengthen engagement with younger consumers, particularly Gen Z.
Fragrance category growth at Ulta and in prestige retail
Ulta Beauty’s CEO cited prestige beauty and fragrance as key drivers of stronger-than-expected second-quarter fiscal 2026 results, which included net sales of $3.04 billion, up 8.9 percent year over year, and comparable sales growth of 3.8 percent. Ulta raised its full-year 2026 net sales guidance to 6.7 to 7.2 percent growth. U.S. prestige fragrance sales rose 6 percent in the first half of 2026, driven by a 5 percent increase in average prices, while unit sales remained flat. Double-digit growth in eau de parfum and perfume formulations drove the category as consumers traded up to higher-concentration fragrances.
Scent Beauty’s portfolio and business model
Scent Beauty develops fragrances for celebrities and emerging beauty founders, handling product development and supply chain. The company works with multiple artists simultaneously—among them Sabrina Carpenter, Dolly Parton, and Stetson. Stephen Mormoris, CEO of Scent Beauty, said in the October 1 announcement: “Partnering with her to launch TATE 01 is the first step in building a long-term fragrance brand designed to leave a lasting cultural mark.”
TATE 01 was developed with Givaudan master perfumers Adriana Medina and Antoine Maisondieu. The fragrance opens with bergamot and clary sage, moving into white florals with a base of amber, tonka bean and sandalwood. The brand describes it as a “second-skin” scent designed to enhance rather than overpower. This formulation strategy reflects broader prestige fragrance trends: the category saw double-digit growth in eau de parfum and perfume as consumers increasingly invested in higher-concentration formulas that last longer.
Dolly Parton’s fragrance with Scent Beauty, launched in July 2021 and called “Dolly – Scent from Above,” combined mandarin, peony blossoms, jasmine, vanilla, sandalwood, musk and patchouli. That launch expanded through HSN, ScentBeauty.com and mass-market retailers, demonstrating Scent Beauty’s capacity to coordinate multiple retail channels simultaneously.
Ulta’s acceptance of D2C brands that already carry proof of consumer demand reflects a calculated risk reduction strategy.
Ulta’s fragrance strategy and exclusive brand growth
Ulta Beauty has made fragrance a strategic growth category, citing prestige beauty and fragrance as key drivers of stronger-than-expected second-quarter fiscal 2026 results, which included net sales of $3.04 billion, up 8.9 percent year over year. The company raised its full-year 2026 net sales guidance to 6.7 to 7.2 percent growth. CEO Kecia Steelman noted that “fragrance in particular” continues attracting shoppers despite economic pressures, reflecting broader consumer behavior: according to Larissa Jensen, global beauty industry adviser at Circana, shoppers are “selectively investing in products that deliver the strongest emotional and functional value.”
Ice Spice’s “In Ha Mood” fragrance launched via Ulta’s TikTok Shop in July 2026, creating a new distribution sequence where social commerce validates demand before in-store placement. This approach inverts traditional retail calendars, where social platforms historically promoted products already available in stores.
Ulta’s acceptance of D2C brands like TATE 01 reflects a calculated risk reduction. By accepting fragrances that already carry proof of consumer demand through initial D2C sales, Ulta shifts acquisition risk to the celebrity founder and Scent Beauty while capturing 1,500-store distribution for products already established with target buyers. The strategy aligns with Ulta’s larger omnichannel expansion, which includes TikTok Shop presence and balanced traffic growth alongside higher average transaction values. As of October 4, 2026, TATE 01 remains available exclusively through tatebytm.com, with Ulta distribution set to begin online on October 16.
Related coverage: What Sephora, Ulta and Target buyers require before a brand gets shelf space.
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
