As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q3. Today, we are looking at personal care stocks, starting with Estée Lauder (NYSE: EL).

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 12 personal care stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q3. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 1.2% above.

While some personal care stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 1% since the latest earnings results.

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 $3.48 billion, up 3.5% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

“We had a strong start to fiscal 2026 as we execute on our Beauty Reimagined strategy—returning to organic sales growth, gaining prestige beauty share in a few key strategic areas of focus, and improving profitability. Encouragingly, we are building momentum across the organization from the significant operational changes we have executed to-date to be faster and more agile,” said Stéphane de La Faverie, President and CEO.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 7.6% since reporting and currently trades at $89.95.

Is now the time to buy Estée Lauder? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Best Q3: 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 $128.3 million, up 12% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 6.7%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Nature's Sunshine pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 54.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $21.11.

Is now the time to buy Nature's Sunshine? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Weakest Q3: 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 $537.2 million, up 3.8% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 0.6%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 6.7% since the results and currently trades at $17.64.

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 $70.66 million, down 10.3% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 2.5%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

BeautyHealth scored the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 2.8% since reporting and currently trades at $1.33.

Read our full, actionable report on BeautyHealth here, it’s free for active Edge members.

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 $1.27 billion, up 2.7% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

The stock is up 46.2% since reporting and currently trades at $12.05.

Read our full, actionable report on Herbalife here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has been on a steady path downward, easing back toward that 2% sweet spot. Fortunately (miraculously to some), all this tightening didn’t send the economy tumbling into a recession, so here we are, cautiously celebrating a soft landing. The cherry on top? Recent rate cuts (half a point in September 2024, a quarter in November) have propped up markets, especially after Trump’s November win lit a fire under major indices and sent them to all-time highs. However, there’s still plenty to ponder — tariffs, corporate tax cuts, and what 2025 might hold for the economy.

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