While the concept of best beauty stocks might not arouse any particularly strong emotion, the basis for the current bullish thesis might. Yes, I’m talking about the dreaded return to the office. Peruse public forums and various social media channels and you’ll be inundated with self-proclaimed stories about increased productivity. Certainly, remote workers are not sleeping on the job and working two (or more) full-time jobs simultaneously.

Unfortunately, despite no remote workers taking advantage of their employers, companies are skeptical. It might have something to do with a July 2015 Forbes article describing employees wasting time as an “epidemic.” Or an April 2019 post by the American Management Association that revealed the average worker wastes more than two hours a day on the clock. Whatever the case, beauty stocks for the back-to-office trend should blossom.

Look, I know that all my fellow Americans are 100% trustworthy and will never buy mouse jigglers to pretend that they’re working. It’s absurd because remote workers are so productive that they don’t have time to pretend to work. Sadly, these mouse jigglers are stupid, irrelevant products that never made any money.

Still, the boss wants you in the office, boding well for these top beauty stocks to buy.

Ulta Beauty (ULTA)

Based in Bolingbrook, Illinois, Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) is the largest U.S. beauty retailer, according to its corporate profile. The company represents the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrances, skincare products, hair care products, and salon services. So far this year, the print hasn’t looked great, with ULTA slipping nearly 4%. Still, it could rank among the best beauty stocks for the back-to-office trend.

According to a Dec. 2020 op-ed by The Washington Post, the Covid-19 year became America’s pajama moment. Rather than going through the traditional ritual of preparing for a full day at the office, folks can just do their work in their sweatsuit. While that might have been the norm during the Covid days, the return to the office should make ULTA one of the top beauty stocks to buy.

Financially, Ulta arguably benefits the most from its sold operational stats, particularly its revenue and EBITDA growth trends. Also, it’s consistently profitable, featuring a trailing-year net margin of 12%, beating out nearly 90% of the competition. Finally, analysts peg ULTA as a moderate buy. Their average price target lands at $541.29, implying over 19% upside potential.

Estee Lauder (EL)

By performance stats, Estee Lauder (NYSE:EL) might not seem a compelling argument for the best beauty stocks. Sure, the company represents one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products. However, the market doesn’t seem to care at the moment. Since the Jan. opener, EL staggered to a loss of more than 24%.

Nevertheless, if you want to invest in beauty stocks based on the return-to-office pivot, EL could be very intriguing. Almost surely, an increasing number of companies will be raising the alarm about alleged productivity gains. Early this year, a story out of Canada revealed that an accountant lied about how many hours she worked while remote.

Lack of accountability tempts people to cheat? I am shocked, I tell you, shocked.

Now, EL may be a little bit pricey based on commonly gauged metrics. However, it’s a consistently profitable enterprise. Combined with the likely pivot back to the office, EL should be one of the best beauty industry stocks. Lastly, analysts love it, pegging EL as a moderate buy with an average price target of $238.12. That’s 24% higher than the time-of-writing price.

Beauty Health (SKIN)

Fundamentally the riskiest idea on this list of best beauty stocks for the back-to-office trend due to lesser brand recognition, Beauty Health (NASDAQ:SKIN) nevertheless deserves consideration among contrarian investors. Specializing in the manufacturing and selling of serum-based hydra dermabrasion systems and aesthetic products, Beauty Health could take a significant leadership role in a burgeoning market segment.

As well, everybody else that’s ignoring SKIN – and that’s a lot of folks considering how shares lost almost 16% of value since the Jan. opener – doesn’t appreciate the return-to-office pivot. In Feb. of this year, a New York legal firm sued one of its attorneys. It’s a familiar story by now, with the firm accusing the employee of using remote work to “quiet quit” while she devoted herself to a new venture.

It’s almost as if employers don’t quite trust self-proclaimed productivity assertions because of personal biases. That’s so weird because everybody is trustworthy. I don’t even know why we have highway patrol officers because everybody obeys the speed limit. Anyways, Beauty Health is all about growth and not so much about profitability (for now). However, analysts do peg SKIN as a moderate buy. Also, their average price target stands at $18.83, implying over 142% upside potential.

On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.