Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) and the best and worst performers in the personal care industry.

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 10 personal care stocks we track reported a strong Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.6% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 6.8% below.

While some personal care stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 1.8% 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 $353.7 million, up 9% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a mixed quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

“Our strong Q1 results, including 210 basis points of market share gains, are a continuation of the consistent, category-leading growth we’ve delivered over the past 26 quarters,” said Tarang Amin, e.l.f.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 7.9% since reporting and currently trades at $101.66.

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

Best Q2: 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 $235.8 million, up 10.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.7%. The business had an exceptional quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

USANA achieved the fastest revenue growth among its peers. Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 8.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $28.85.

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

Weakest Q2: 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 $627.2 million, down 3.2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4.2%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ organic revenue estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Edgewell Personal Care delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 11.9% since the results and currently trades at $22.03.

Read our full analysis of Edgewell Personal Care’s results here.

BeautyHealth (NASDAQ: SKIN)

Operating in the emerging beauty health category, the appropriately named BeautyHealth (NASDAQ: SKIN) is a skincare company best known for its Hydrafacial product that cleanses and hydrates skin.

BeautyHealth reported revenues of $78.19 million, down 13.7% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 4.6%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is up 27.5% since reporting and currently trades at $2.04.

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

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 $114.8 million, up 3.8% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 2.2%. It was a very strong quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is up 11.5% since reporting and currently trades at $15.50.

Read our full, actionable report on Nature's Sunshine here, it’s free.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.

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

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