As the Q1 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the personal care industry, including e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) and its peers.

While personal care 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 9 personal care stocks we track reported a strong Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.5% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 3.5% below.

While some personal care stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 1.9% since the latest earnings results.

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 $449.3 million, up 35.1% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 5.8%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

“Fiscal 26 marked our 7th consecutive year of net sales and market share growth—a track record that reflects the strength of our team, strategy and portfolio of brands,” said Tarang Amin, e.l.f.

e.l.f. Beauty scored the fastest revenue growth of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is up 28.5% since reporting and currently trades at $65.18.

Is now the time to buy e.l.f. Beauty? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q1: USANA (NYSE: USNA)

Going to market with a direct selling model rather than through traditional retailers, USANA Health Sciences (NYSE: USNA) manufactures and sells nutritional, personal care, and skincare products.

USANA reported revenues of $250.2 million, flat year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.8%. The business had an exceptional quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 2% since reporting. It currently trades at $18.88.

Is now the time to buy USANA? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q1: 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 $1.32 billion, up 7.8% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 1.4%. Still, it was a mixed quarter as it posted EBITDA guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations.

As expected, the stock is down 27.6% since the results and currently trades at $11.90.

Read our full analysis of Herbalife’s results here.

Inter Parfums (NASDAQ: IPAR)

With licenses to produce colognes and perfumes under brands such as Kate Spade, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Abercrombie & Fitch, Inter Parfums (NASDAQ: IPAR) manufactures and distributes fragrances worldwide.

Inter Parfums reported revenues of $344.9 million, up 1.8% year on year. This number was in line with analysts’ expectations. More broadly, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

Inter Parfums had the weakest performance against analyst estimates and weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The stock is up 8.1% since reporting and currently trades at $99.09.

Read our full, actionable report on Inter Parfums here, it’s free.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE: EPC)

Boasting brands such as Banana Boat, Schick, and Skintimate, Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE: EPC) sells personal care products in the skin and sun care, shave, and feminine care categories.

Edgewell Personal Care reported revenues of $519.5 million, flat year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. It was a very strong quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ organic revenue estimates.

The stock is up 1.2% since reporting and currently trades at $23.11.

Read our full, actionable report on Edgewell Personal Care 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.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 6 Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.