Earnings results often indicate what direction a company will take in the months ahead. With Q4 behind us, let’s have a look at e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) and its peers.
While personal care products products may seem more discretionary than food, consumers tend to maintain or even boost their spending on the category during tough times. This phenomenon is known as "the lipstick effect" by economists, which states that consumers still want some semblance of affordable luxuries like beauty and wellness when the economy is sputtering. Consumer tastes are constantly changing, and personal care companies are currently responding to the public’s increased desire for ethically produced goods by featuring natural ingredients in their products.
The 11 personal care stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.9% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 2.4% above.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 8.2% since the latest earnings results.
Best Q4: e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF)
Short for "eyes, lips, face", e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) is a developer of high-quality beauty products at accessible price points.
e.l.f. Beauty reported revenues of $489.5 million, up 37.8% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 6.4%. Overall, it was a stunning quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS and EBITDA estimates.
e.l.f. Beauty scored the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth of the whole group. Investor expectations, however, were likely higher than Wall Street’s published projections, leaving some wishing for even better results (analysts’ consensus estimates are those published by big banks and advisory firms, not the investors who make buy and sell decisions). The stock is down 26.8% since reporting and currently trades at $61.95.
Nature's Sunshine (NASDAQ: NATR)
Started on a kitchen table in Utah, Nature’s Sunshine (NASDAQ: NATR) manufactures and sells nutritional and personal care products.
Nature's Sunshine reported revenues of $123.8 million, up 4.7% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS and EBITDA estimates.
The market seems content with the results as the stock is up 4.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $26.27.
Is now the time to buy Nature's Sunshine? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: Medifast (NYSE: MED)
Known for its Optavia program that combines portion-controlled meal replacements with coaching, Medifast (NYSE: MED) has a broad product portfolio of bars, snacks, drinks, and desserts for those looking to lose weight or consume healthier foods.
Medifast reported revenues of $75.1 million, down 36.9% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 5.2%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted full-year revenue and EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations.
Medifast delivered the highest full-year guidance raise but had the slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 5% since the results and currently trades at $10.26.
Read our full analysis of Medifast’s results here.
Herbalife (NYSE: HLF)
With the first products sold out of the trunk of the founder’s car, Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) today offers a portfolio of shakes, supplements, personal care products, and weight management programs to help customers reach their nutritional and fitness goals.
Herbalife reported revenues of $1.28 billion, up 6.3% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 3.6%. Taking a step back, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is down 8.5% since reporting and currently trades at $15.14.
Read our full, actionable report on Herbalife here, it’s free.
Estée Lauder (NYSE: EL)
Named after its founder, who was an entrepreneurial woman from New York with a passion for skincare, Estée Lauder (NYSE: EL) is a one-stop beauty shop with products in skincare, fragrance, makeup, sun protection, and men’s grooming.
Estée Lauder reported revenues of $4.23 billion, up 5.6% year on year. This number was in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a strong quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a decent beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
The stock is down 40% since reporting and currently trades at $71.73.
Read our full, actionable report on Estée Lauder here, it’s free.
Market Update
Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?
These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.
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