All codesMiscellaneous RetailLow Risk

5977Cosmetic Stores

Cosmetics and beauty product retailers. Growing ecommerce segment with subscription box models.

Networks:VisaMastercardAmexDiscover

Merchants Using MCC 5977

Well-known businesses assigned this code

SephoraUlta BeautyMAC CosmeticsBath & Body Works

Risk Assessment

Standard processing rates. Most payment processors accept this MCC with minimal additional requirements.

Common Use Cases

  • Beauty products
  • Skincare
  • Cosmetics retail
  • Beauty subscriptions

Category Details

Category
Miscellaneous Retail
MCC Range
5900–5999
Description
Drug stores, florists, gift shops, and general merchandise.

Why MCC Codes Matter for Your Business

Your MCC code directly affects how card networks and processors treat your transactions.

Approval Rate Impact

Processors have different acceptance rates per MCC. A misclassified code can silently tank your approval rate by 5-15%, costing revenue on every declined transaction.

Interchange Fees

The interchange fee you pay on every transaction is directly tied to your MCC code. Some categories pay 0.5% less per transaction — at scale, that compounds into significant savings or hidden costs.

Chargeback Thresholds

Visa and Mastercard set different chargeback monitoring thresholds per MCC category. High-risk MCCs face stricter limits — exceeding them triggers fines, reserve requirements, or account termination.

Wrong MCC = Serious Risk

An incorrect MCC assignment means you could be paying inflated fees, hitting the wrong chargeback program, or worse — facing account termination for "MCC mismatch" during a processor audit.

Tagada Optimizes Routing by MCC Code

Tagada's payment orchestration engine analyzes your MCC code to route each transaction to the processor with the highest approval rate and lowest fees for that specific merchant category. For MCC 5977, this means your cosmetic stores transactions are automatically sent through the optimal path in your processor stack.

Related Payment Terms

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MCC 5977?

MCC 5977 is for cosmetic stores including Sephora, Ulta, and specialty beauty retailers.

Is MCC 5977 high risk?

No, cosmetics retail is low risk, though online beauty subscriptions may face higher chargeback rates.

Do beauty subscription boxes use MCC 5977?

Some do, though subscription beauty boxes may also fall under 5968 (continuity/subscription) depending on billing model.

Tagada Platform

Optimize MCC 5977 payments with Tagada

Tagada's intelligent routing engine optimizes MCC 5977 transactions for the best approval rate, lowest fees, and fastest settlement across your processor stack.