ELF Beauty vs LOréal: why the prices moved differently

Weekly · monthly · quarterly news summaries, side by side in time

ELF Beauty Inc (ELF)

Q3 202622 Jun – 23 Jul 2026

▲3

e.l.f. Beauty cuts prices, adds hair care, and expands Rhode to revive growth

Price cuts spark strong consumer response e.l.f. cut prices on select items, like a skin tint from $18 to $14, driving an 85% jump in unit sales. This reverses earlier price hikes that had hurt demand. If shoppers keep responding, sales and profits could rise, lifting the stock.
Shows a direct, new action to fix weak demand and its early success.
First hair care line launches with strong pilot results e.l.f. Hair, a six-product line, expands the company into a new category. A pilot run saw 96% positive sentiment and 65% of buyers new to the brand. This opens a new market and could add sales growth, supporting a higher stock price.
New product category is a fresh growth driver not previously reported.
Rhode and Naturium drive skin care growth Rhode net sales grew over 80% to about $390 million, and Naturium roughly doubled to nearly $250 million. Skin care is now 23% of sales, up from 9% three years ago. These brands are fueling growth and could lift the stock as they expand.
Highlights the new growth engines that are offsetting core brand weakness.
Valuation low but turnaround uncertain The stock trades at 19 times earnings, far below its usual 52 times, after a 48% drop over the past year. A $58.5 million tariff refund and June's 32% rally helped, but profit fell 59% last quarter and guidance depends on a second-half rebound. Cheap valuation may attract buyers, but risks remain.
Captures the key counterweight: low price versus weak earnings and uncertain recovery.

July 202622 Jun – 23 Jul 2026

▲3

e.l.f. Beauty cuts prices, adds hair care, and expands Rhode to revive growth

Price cuts spark strong consumer response e.l.f. cut prices on select items, like a skin tint from $18 to $14, driving an 85% jump in unit sales. This reverses earlier price hikes that had hurt demand. If shoppers keep responding, sales and profits could rise, lifting the stock.
Shows a direct, new action to fix weak demand and its early success.
First hair care line launches with strong pilot results e.l.f. Hair, a six-product line, expands the company into a new category. A pilot run saw 96% positive sentiment and 65% of buyers new to the brand. This opens a new market and could add sales growth, supporting a higher stock price.
New product category is a fresh growth driver not previously reported.
Rhode and Naturium drive skin care growth Rhode net sales grew over 80% to about $390 million, and Naturium roughly doubled to nearly $250 million. Skin care is now 23% of sales, up from 9% three years ago. These brands are fueling growth and could lift the stock as they expand.
Highlights the new growth engines that are offsetting core brand weakness.
Valuation low but turnaround uncertain The stock trades at 19 times earnings, far below its usual 52 times, after a 48% drop over the past year. A $58.5 million tariff refund and June's 32% rally helped, but profit fell 59% last quarter and guidance depends on a second-half rebound. Cheap valuation may attract buyers, but risks remain.
Captures the key counterweight: low price versus weak earnings and uncertain recovery.

Latest22 Jun – 23 Jul 2026

▲3

e.l.f. Beauty cuts prices, adds hair care, and expands Rhode to revive growth

Price cuts spark strong consumer response e.l.f. cut prices on select items, like a skin tint from $18 to $14, driving an 85% jump in unit sales. This reverses earlier price hikes that had hurt demand. If shoppers keep responding, sales and profits could rise, lifting the stock.
Shows a direct, new action to fix weak demand and its early success.
First hair care line launches with strong pilot results e.l.f. Hair, a six-product line, expands the company into a new category. A pilot run saw 96% positive sentiment and 65% of buyers new to the brand. This opens a new market and could add sales growth, supporting a higher stock price.
New product category is a fresh growth driver not previously reported.
Rhode and Naturium drive skin care growth Rhode net sales grew over 80% to about $390 million, and Naturium roughly doubled to nearly $250 million. Skin care is now 23% of sales, up from 9% three years ago. These brands are fueling growth and could lift the stock as they expand.
Highlights the new growth engines that are offsetting core brand weakness.
Valuation low but turnaround uncertain The stock trades at 19 times earnings, far below its usual 52 times, after a 48% drop over the past year. A $58.5 million tariff refund and June's 32% rally helped, but profit fell 59% last quarter and guidance depends on a second-half rebound. Cheap valuation may attract buyers, but risks remain.
Captures the key counterweight: low price versus weak earnings and uncertain recovery.

LOréal S.A. (OR.PA)

Q3 202618 Jun – 30 Jul 2026

▲4

L'Oréal beats forecasts, buys growth, and adds Gucci beauty

H1 results beat expectations with record margin L'Oréal's first-half sales rose 6.5% like-for-like to €23.77bn, with a record 21.3% operating margin. All four divisions grew, led by Professional Products and Dermatological Beauty. Strong profit and broad-based growth support a higher share price.
This is the core earnings event that directly drives investor confidence and valuation.
Q2 sales beat forecasts on haircare and mascara demand Second-quarter like-for-like sales rose 6.3%, beating the 5.7% consensus, with Europe up 6.7% and North America up 5.9%. Luxury missed forecasts but China showed double-digit growth. The beat signals resilient consumer demand despite travel retail weakness.
It confirms the growth trend and shows demand is holding up in key regions.
Gucci beauty license starts early, expanding prestige portfolio Coty will exit its Gucci beauty license a year early, letting L'Oréal begin a 50-year exclusive license from July 2027. L'Oréal covers about 70% of Coty's early redemption costs. This adds a major luxury brand to its prestige lineup.
It is a new, long-term revenue stream that strengthens L'Oréal's luxury division.
Acquires Innovist in India and eyes Armani stake L'Oréal agreed to buy a majority stake in Indian digital-first personal care house Innovist, adding brands like Bare Anatomy. It is also named as a possible buyer of a stake in Giorgio Armani Group. Both moves expand reach in fast-growing markets and prestige.
These deals show management actively deploying capital for future growth.

July 202618 Jun – 30 Jul 2026

▲4

L'Oréal beats forecasts, buys growth, and adds Gucci beauty

H1 results beat expectations with record margin L'Oréal's first-half sales rose 6.5% like-for-like to €23.77bn, with a record 21.3% operating margin. All four divisions grew, led by Professional Products and Dermatological Beauty. Strong profit and broad-based growth support a higher share price.
This is the core earnings event that directly drives investor confidence and valuation.
Q2 sales beat forecasts on haircare and mascara demand Second-quarter like-for-like sales rose 6.3%, beating the 5.7% consensus, with Europe up 6.7% and North America up 5.9%. Luxury missed forecasts but China showed double-digit growth. The beat signals resilient consumer demand despite travel retail weakness.
It confirms the growth trend and shows demand is holding up in key regions.
Gucci beauty license starts early, expanding prestige portfolio Coty will exit its Gucci beauty license a year early, letting L'Oréal begin a 50-year exclusive license from July 2027. L'Oréal covers about 70% of Coty's early redemption costs. This adds a major luxury brand to its prestige lineup.
It is a new, long-term revenue stream that strengthens L'Oréal's luxury division.
Acquires Innovist in India and eyes Armani stake L'Oréal agreed to buy a majority stake in Indian digital-first personal care house Innovist, adding brands like Bare Anatomy. It is also named as a possible buyer of a stake in Giorgio Armani Group. Both moves expand reach in fast-growing markets and prestige.
These deals show management actively deploying capital for future growth.

Latest18 Jun – 30 Jul 2026

▲4

L'Oréal beats forecasts, buys growth, and adds Gucci beauty

H1 results beat expectations with record margin L'Oréal's first-half sales rose 6.5% like-for-like to €23.77bn, with a record 21.3% operating margin. All four divisions grew, led by Professional Products and Dermatological Beauty. Strong profit and broad-based growth support a higher share price.
This is the core earnings event that directly drives investor confidence and valuation.
Q2 sales beat forecasts on haircare and mascara demand Second-quarter like-for-like sales rose 6.3%, beating the 5.7% consensus, with Europe up 6.7% and North America up 5.9%. Luxury missed forecasts but China showed double-digit growth. The beat signals resilient consumer demand despite travel retail weakness.
It confirms the growth trend and shows demand is holding up in key regions.
Gucci beauty license starts early, expanding prestige portfolio Coty will exit its Gucci beauty license a year early, letting L'Oréal begin a 50-year exclusive license from July 2027. L'Oréal covers about 70% of Coty's early redemption costs. This adds a major luxury brand to its prestige lineup.
It is a new, long-term revenue stream that strengthens L'Oréal's luxury division.
Acquires Innovist in India and eyes Armani stake L'Oréal agreed to buy a majority stake in Indian digital-first personal care house Innovist, adding brands like Bare Anatomy. It is also named as a possible buyer of a stake in Giorgio Armani Group. Both moves expand reach in fast-growing markets and prestige.
These deals show management actively deploying capital for future growth.