With the integration of AI to help beauty shoppers locate their best match for a foundation coupled with erudite store associates, customer service has evolved far beyond the basic “How can I help you?”

To give kudos to the 300 companies that go above and beyond in the realm of customer service, Forbes created a “Best Customer Service” list for 2026 with customer-insights company HundredX. The list was populated via a wide-ranging online consumer survey conducted from August 2024 to July 2025 with input from 158,000 consumers who opined about the customer service they received during both their purchase and use of products.

The Forbes Best Customer Service list relies on 3.8 million customer ratings each year to capture how real users rate thousands of brands and products, according to Forbes. More than 3,500 brands were reviewed. The Forbes Best Customer Service ranking spotlights organizations that have set the gold standard for responsiveness, empathy and excellence in service delivery.

Here, Happi rounds up the beauty and personal care brands that made the list.

Mary Kay, No. 2

Global direct sales leader in beauty and skincare, Mary Kay, jumped more than 90 spots from No. 93 in 2025 to No. 2 on the list this year, trailing only the UPS Store.

Allyson Sellers, vice president of sales, North America, at Mary Kay, told Happi the recognition reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to putting the customer at the center of everything it does. This includes personalized service delivered by its independent beauty consultants to the support provided by its customer service teams and corporate employees.

“Ultimately, this achievement belongs to the passionate women entrepreneurs running their Mary Kay businesses and building meaningful relationships with customers across 40 markets worldwide,” said Sellers.

The recognition also follows what officials call a standout year for the company. It earned 25 global corporate awards in 2025 recognizing leadership across business excellence, social impact, sustainability and innovation.

Since its founding in 1963, Mary Kay Ash built her company on the principle of being of service to others—a philosophy that continues to serve as a guiding force of how it supports its customers and community in the present day. Mary Kay’s customer service model has been rooted in personalized relationships. Its independent beauty consultants deliver tailored beauty guidance and product recommendations, creating a highly individualized experience that it says helps set the brand apart from competitors.

“As the beauty landscape evolves, we’ve expanded that personalized service through digital innovation,” said Sellers.

The company offers Skin Analyzer, Mirror Me virtual try-on and an AI-powered Foundation Finder that allow customer to receive instant, customized recommendations while still benefiting from the expertise of a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, according to Sellers.

“Ultimately, our goal is to combine trusted relationships, scientific innovation, and high-performance products to deliver a best-in-class customer experience,” Sellers concluded.

Ulta Beauty, No. 44

Ulta Beauty, a hub for beauty and personal care products since 1990, is evolving with the longevity trend that is overlapping in the beauty space. The retail giant kicked off 2026 with more emphasis on wellness as it aims to become a feminine health destination. Its burgeoning wellness shop has evolved into an immersive, education-led platform now called Wellness by Ulta Beauty boutiques.

Four stores opened the doors to its wellness strategy via a dedicated, experiential in-store concept, back in January. The new wellness boutiques introduce a 300-600 square-foot dedicated footprint within select stores and feature interactive education and dedicated wellness advisors.

The first wellness boutiques opened in Columbus, OH; Short Pump, VA; and Peabody, MA, with an additional location planned for Naperville, IL in April.

“Wellness by Ulta Beauty is evolving from a category into an experience,” said Laura Beres, vice president, wellness, Ulta Beauty. “Our first-ever wellness boutiques will deliver discovery, education and trusted guidance together in a way that helps guests easily find what works best for them.”
This past month, Ulta Beauty launched on TikTok Shop – reportedly among the first beauty and wellness retailers to debut on the platform.

Officials said the move reflects a shift in how consumers are discovering products in content feeds and expecting to buy in real-time. The company is reportedly powered by over 46 million loyalty members and a discovery-led ecosystem spanning stores, beauty advisors, sampling, events and digital – while building on its growing partnership with TikTok, including recent cultural moments.

Ulta Beauty’s TikTok Shop launched with more than 15 brands including NOYZ, Made By Mitchell, Dibs, DRMTLGY, Polite Society, Maelys, Squishmallows Fragrances, and Iconic by Paris Hilton, among others.

Sephora, No. 48

Sephora also moved higher up on Forbes’ Best Customer Service list, and for good reason. In 2024, the retailer led influencer marketing platform Traakckr’s list of top-performing beauty brands in 2024. The retailer had a brand vitality score (VIT) of 1.86 million above L’Oréal Paris at 931,000 and Rare Beauty at 866,000. VIT is a unique metric developed by Traackr’s Data Science team that measures and combines scores based on Visibility, Impact, and Trust. The metric allows brands to track, measure, and improve their ROI on influencer campaigns.

Recently, the retailer picked up K-beauty haircare brand Dr. Groot. The Sephora assortment features the brand’s hero products, including the best-selling Scalp Revitalizing Solution Hair Thickening Shampoo and Scalp Revitalizing Solution Miracle In-Shower Treatment. Designed to be in unison, the duo is clinically tested to help reduce hair loss due to breakage, per the brand.

Rodan + Fields, No. 92

Rodan + Fields ranked No. 18 on Happi’s Top 50 Company list in 2025, with sales of $1.4 billion. In 2024, Rodan + Fields changed its business model to a direct-to-consumer approach to cast a wider net in its audience engagement. Company officials say the new model makes it easier for customers to find the right products at the right price for their skin- and haircare needs. In 2025, the skincare brand, founded by dermatologists Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, released its first multi-media brand campaign aimed to capture the skincare journey. “Love What You See” celebrated personal evolution shaped by experiences lived, lessons learned and the skin that reflects it all – from the first pimple to discoloration to dryness and wrinkles caused by fluctuating hormones associated with pregnancy and menopause. With the campaign, R+F reintroduced itself to the broader beauty landscape with a new omni-channel, affiliate-fueled business model and an expanded retail presence at Ulta Beauty.

MAC Cosmetics, No. 109

MAC Cosmetics started 2026 off with the announcement of Chappell Roan, winner of Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys, as its global brand ambassador. Owned by Happi Top 50 Company, the Estée Lauder Companies, MAC marked another milestone this year: entry into Sephora US this month after four decades in business. The brand made its initial debut into more than 100 Sephora stores and on sephora.com and will continue expanding nationwide throughout the year. Most recently, the brand expanded its Lipglass franchise with the launch of Cushion Oil.

The Estée Lauder Companies, No. 152

The Estée Lauder Companies is another company that started 2026 off on the right foot. Net sales for the Happi Top 50 Company increased 6% in Q2 2026, with an increase of 4% for organic net sales. The company said it attributes its “excellent” results to its Beauty Reimagined strategy. Introduced last year, the business plan did what it set out to do: “invigorate” business during what officials call its biggest operational, leadership and cultural transformation in company history.

On Beauty Reimagined’s one-year anniversary, ELC raised its fiscal 2026 outlook confident in the strength of its turnaround, even as its second half reflects previously expected headwinds and greater consumer-facing investments. CEO Stéphane de La Faverie said the company expects to restore organic sales growth and expand its operating margin for the first time in four years.

Earlier this year, Estée Lauder introduced the new Futurist HydraPlump Lip Balm. Billed a science-powered tinted lip balm by brand officials, it acts like skincare for lips, delivering “leveled-up” moisture. This includes a 34% increase in immediate moisture boost with at least eight hours of hydration, along with pH-adaptive color and plumping shine. What’s more, its tinted pH lip balm self-adapts when activated by the wearer’s personal pH for a custom tinted glow. The balm is available in the following hues designed to enhance natural lip color: Petal Boost and Raspberry Revival in cool tint; Rosewood Rescue, Blush Renewal and Clove Cushion in neutral tint; Bloom Cocoon and Cherry Glow in warm tint; and Sheer Oasis in universal blue.

Clinique, No. 171

Estée Lauder’s Clinique is another brand focused on education as part of its customer service strategy. This past February, the dermatologist-founded brand forged a unique partnership with leading contacts brand Acuvue, to advance eye education in beauty and vision, by highlighting consumers’ use of contacts and eye makeup confidently. The collaboration highlights the brand’s expertise in creating high-performance eye makeup products that follow Clinique’s Eye Safety Promise. This includes testing for safety on contact lens wearers, and Acuvue expertise in contact lens comfort from Acuvue+.

To bring the initiative to life, Clinique and Acuvue rolled out a multi-channel consumer education campaign featuring expert-driven content, engaging digital activations and consumer experiences.

In other news, this past month, Clinique embarked on its first “creator” campaign with Olympian husband-and-wife team Tara Davis- and Hunter Woodhall. The pair promoted brand’s signature Moisture Surge franchise. The “Unstoppable Together” campaign features Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator and Moisture Surge Active Glow Serum, which are designed to work together to deliver lasting moisture and radiant, healthy-looking skin, said the Happi Top 50 Company.

Bath & Body Works, No. 262

Bath & Body Works has found a customer service strategy that works. Last summer, the Happi Top 50 Company sold products in more than 600 college campus stores nationwide. The entry was the first time Bath & Body Works distributed products at this scale outside its own stores. College students were able to conveniently shop on campus from a curated assortment of Bath & Body Works’ top selling fragrances among Gen Z such as Champagne Toast, Mahogony Teakwood, Platinum and Warm Vanilla Sugar in a variety of product forms including body and lip care, hand soap, wallflower heaters and bulbs, candles and sanitizers.

For Mother’s Day 2026, BBW partnered with Vera Bradley on a limited-edition collaboration that unites fragrance, design and gifting across body care, home fragrance and accessories, officials said. The assortment includes three unique fragrances: the new and exclusive Peach Blossom & Nectar, developed by Bath & Body Works in close partnership with the Vera Bradley team, which officials called “uplifting for spring;” Pink Berry Burst, a “playful, fruity blend” and Blue Washed Sky, a “fresh, cozy” scent.

Fenty Beauty, No. 275

If anyone knows how to reach customers through trends, it’s Rihanna-owned Fenty Beauty. The brand loves to capitalize on the latest trends to bring brand fans closer to getting in on the cultural aspects they appreciate most.

Last summer, Rihanna, who starred in the Paramount animated movie “Smurfs,” released The Smurfette Collection, a seven-piece, limited-edition nostalgic lineup that featured vibrant hues, whimsical packaging and accessories for lips, hair, body and face. In 2023, ahead of her Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, the Grammy-winning songstress released a Showstopp’r Kit complete with Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Fenty Glow; Invisimatte Blotting Powder; Hydra Vizor Mini Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30; Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream sample; and Deluxe Fenty Eau De Parfum sample. She also introduced fans to the Icon Velvet Liquid Lipstick in shade “The MVP,” which she wore during the performance.

After becoming a viral best-seller last summer, Fenty Skin recently announced the return of “Guava Getaway” in its popular Butta Drop format and a new Fenty Treatz Lip Oil. The Fenty Skin Guava Goodiez Hydrating Lip + Body Duo is a TSA-friendly lip and body set featuring a fruity gourmand scent that blends pink guava, coconut water and gardenia.