ULTA vs IONQ Comparison

Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the US with about 1,500 freestanding stores. The firm offers cosmetics (39% of 2024 sales), fragrances (13%), skin care (23%), and hair care products (19%). It also has salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow, that account for about 4% of its revenue and drive traffic. Outside of the US, Ulta acquired premium beauty retailer Space NK and its 83 stores in the UK and Ireland in 2025, is opening franchised stores in Mexico, and has formed a joint venture to expand into the Middle East. In addition, Ulta collects royalties through its Target partnership (set to end in 2026) and credit card revenue. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

IonQ Inc sells access to several quantum computers of various qubit capacities and is in the process of researching and developing technologies for quantum computers with increasing computational capabilities. The company currently makes access to its quantum computers available via cloud platforms and also to select customers via its own cloud service. This cloud-based approach enables the broad availability of quantum-computing-as-a-service (QCaaS). The company derives its revenue from its quantum-computing-as-a-service arrangements, consulting services related to co-developing algorithms on company's quantum computing systems and contracts associated with the design, development, and construction of specialized quantum computing systems together with related services.