Sephora opened the week by pushing its Accelerate program alongside a new Makeup by Mario partnership, a combination that put the retailer right back at the heart of U.S. makeup conversation. The timing gave Sephora an outsized presence in beauty news over the past day.
Ulta Beauty answered almost immediately, unveiling its 2026 MUSE Accelerator cohort on September 14 and pulling emerging founders and makeup brands into the spotlight alongside its own retail push. e.l.f. Beauty kept its momentum going too, riding the buzz from its latest limited-edition Bubble collaboration and continued activity across both cosmetics and skincare lines. Clinique found itself swept into Ulta's ongoing 21 Days of Beauty sale coverage, a deal-season moment that keeps the brand relevant during a heavy discounting stretch. Drunk Elephant, meanwhile, is holding steady in skincare recommendation threads and broader beauty-community chatter rather than through a single headline event.
Across the board, the story is one of accelerator programs, brand collaborations and sale-season visibility working together to keep these five names dominating the U.S. beauty conversation right now.
| # | Name | Score | 24h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U | Ulta Beauty | 95.1 | +0% |
| 2 | E | e.l.f. Beauty | 93.4 | +0% |
| 3 | C | Clinique | 86.8 | +0% |
| 4 | D | Drunk Elephant | 74.8 | +0% |