e.l.f. Beauty

e.l.f. Beauty — LONG

Mario Molinari · Apollo Investment Club

Ticker: ELF  |  Exchange: NYSE  |  Sector: Consumer Discretionary / Beauty & Personal Care

e.l.f Beauty Business Overview
e.l.f. Beauty Products Display
e.l.f. eyes lips face
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  • High-growth, digitally native cosmetics brand
  • Focus is on affordable, but high-quality beauty products
  • Retail presence in 14 countries, with additional global distribution via eShopWorld
  • Operates with an asset-light, outsourced manufacturing model
  • Key Categories are Face (foundation, concealer), Eyes (mascara, eyeliner), and Lips (lipstick, gloss)

Source: 1e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., 2026

SWOT
STRENGTHS
  • Brand Power and Innovation: Portfolio includes e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN, Naturium, Well People, Keys Soulcare, and Rhode by Hailey Bieber.
  • Financial Performance and Growth: Net sales increased significantly over the past three years. One of only 6 companies to grow for 28 consecutive quarters.
WEAKNESSES
  • Dependence on Third-Party Relationships: Relies heavily on third-party suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors. Limited retailer concentration creates vulnerability.
  • International Business Uncertainties: Significant operations in China expose the company to geopolitical tensions, trade policies, and economic fluctuations.
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Strategic Acquisitions and Expansion: The rhode acquisition expands the brand portfolio into premium skincare. Successful Naturium integration positions e.l.f. to leverage cross-brand synergies and drive further growth.
THREATS
  • Intense Industry Competition: The beauty industry is highly competitive, with large multinational companies and emerging independent brands vying for market share.

Source: GuruFocus, 2025

Moat Analysis
  • Brand
    • #1 most purchased cosmetics brand for Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and Millennials
  • Cost Advantage
    • They operate with a low-cost model (outsourced manufacturing).
AUR Comparison

Source: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., 2026

e.l.f Beauty – Valuation
~37.1x
TTM P/E
~19.1x
EV/EBITDA
~17.73x
Forward P/E
Valuation
  • e.l.f. Beauty currently trades at ~37.1x TTM P/E, significantly below historical peak multiples (~100x+), and at ~19.1x EV/EBITDA, significantly below historical peak multiples (~60x+), suggesting multiple compression despite sustained earnings growth.
  • Forward P/E is at ~17.73, showing undervaluation compared to company's history, despite continued growth

Source: Yahoo Finance

e.l.f. Beauty Demand Drivers:
Affordable but High-Quality Positioning
  • Strong demand for low-priced cosmetics even in weaker macro environments
  • If consumers trade down from prestige brands, e.l.f takes their market share
Producte.l.f. PricePrestige PriceDifference (Savings)
Power Grip Primer$11$38$27
Lip Oil / Gloss$9$40$31
Halo Glow Skin Tint$18$48$30
Vitamin C + E Serum$17$185$168

Source: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., 2026

e.l.f. Beauty Demand Drivers:
Social Media and Viral Marketing
  • Early adopter of emerging platforms (TikTok, Twitch, BeReal, TikTok Shop) → meets consumers where they are
  • Blends commerce + entertainment (example: live shopping on Twitch) to drive engagement and sales
  • Relies heavily on bold, viral influencer campaigns with creators, celebrities, and unexpected partnerships
  • Builds long-term brand loyalty through transparency, engagement, and interaction

Source: CommerceNext

e.l.f. Beauty Demand Drivers:
Popularity Gains in US Cosmetics and Brands
  • #1 most purchased cosmetics brand for GenAlpha, Gen Z, and Millennials
Leading cosmetics brands among teenagers in the United States in 2025

Source: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., 2026; Statista

e.l.f. Beauty Supporting Narrative:
Potential Investor Bias in Beauty
  • My theory that beauty / "female-focused" companies are often overlooked by the market
    • Wealth Management / Financial Advising → 70-77% men
    • Hedge Funds → 90-99% men
    • Investment Banking → 60-70% men
    • Individual Investors → 60-70% men
  • This demographic skew may contribute to underappreciation of demand trends in female-focused categories, leading to potential mispricing.

Source: OpenAI. (2026)

How e.l.f Beauty Makes Money
  • Generate revenue through direct sale of cosmetics and skincare products
    • High volume, low price → mass-market scalability
  • Retail Distribution (Target, Walmart, Ulta, etc.) and Direct-to-consumer (DTC) / e-commerce (elfcosmetics.com, TikTok Shop, etc.)
Share of net sales of e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. worldwide from 2016 to 2024, by distribution channel

Source: Statista

e.l.f Beauty Total Addressable Market
  • Revenue of the cosmetics industry worldwide was ~$108.97B in 2024 and is expected to be ~$139.29B by 2030
  • Revenue of the skin care industry worldwide was ~$190.27B in 2024 and is expected to be ~$235.96B by 2030
Revenue of the cosmetics industry worldwide from 2018 to 2030 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Revenue of the skin care industry worldwide from 2018 to 2030 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Source: e.l.f. Beauty CAGNY 2026 Presentation; Statista

e.l.f Beauty Market Model (Revenue)
  • e.l.f. has ~4x market share expansion since 2018
  • e.l.f. growing way faster than serviceable addressable market
REVENUE in billion USD (US$)20182019202020212022202320242025
estimates start →
2026
20272028202920302031
Total Beauty and Cosmetics Category Revenue550.43559.32530.76559.69581.87626.89651.49674.94698.38721.85745.32768.81792.29815.78
Beauty Tech Revenue6.927.239.518.467.888.228.568.969.359.7510.1510.5510.9511.34
Skin Care Revenue160.02163.77158.44164.35168.61182.80190.25197.13204.00210.90217.79224.69231.59238.49
Personal Care Revenue242.83245.15243.91255.56258.88274.23283.85293.41302.98312.55322.12331.70341.28350.86
Cosmetics Revenue87.5889.8872.3780.7493.05103.73108.96113.50118.04122.58127.12131.66136.20140.73
Fragrances Revenue53.0853.2846.5450.5853.4457.9159.8861.9464.0166.0768.1470.2172.2874.35
e.l.f. Serviceable Addressable Market (Skin Care + Cosmetics) Revenue247.60253.65230.81245.09261.66286.53299.21310.63322.04333.48344.91356.35367.79379.22
e.l.f. Serviceable Addressable Market (Skin Care + Cosmetics) Revenue y.o.y. growth--2.44%-9.00%6.19%6.76%9.50%4.43%3.82%3.67%3.55%3.43%3.32%3.21%3.11%
e.l.f Revenue0.27--0.280.320.390.581.021.311.641.972.272.542.823.10
e.l.f. Revenue y.o.y. growth------12.37%23.27%47.70%76.86%28.32%25%20%15%12%11%10%
e.l.f. % of Total Skin Care / Cosmetics Revenue0.11%--0.12%0.13%0.15%0.20%0.34%0.42%0.51%0.59%0.66%0.72%0.77%0.81%
e.l.f. % of Total Skin Care / Cosmetics Revenue growth y.o.y------5.82%15.46%34.88%69.36%23.60%20.56%15.69%11.86%9.09%6.94%5.19%
statista + e.l.f. beauty
Click here to view full model

Source: e.l.f. Beauty CAGNY 2026 Presentation; Statista

Revenue Engine
Per Dollar of Sales
Income Statement (TTM)
Line ItemAmount% of Revenue
Revenue (TTM)$1,519.8M100.00%
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)($451.9M)
Gross Profit$1,067.9M70.27%
Operating Expenses (OpEx)($899.7M)
Operating Income$168.3M11.07%
Net Income$103.9M6.84%
Click here to view full model
Key Margin Context
  • Revenue (TTM): $1.52B
  • Gross Margin: 70.27% – Strong pricing power & efficient sourcing/manufacturing
  • Operating Margin: 11.07% – Mature beauty companies are ~15-25%, but this is due to growth reinvestment, so it is not structural weakness
  • Net Margin: 6.84% – early/mid-stage profitability profile, room to grow
For every $1.00 of revenue:
  • $0.70 remains after cost of goods
  • $0.11 remains after operating expenses
  • $0.07 becomes net profit

Source: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (2025). Form 10-K

e.l.f Beauty Margin Structure vs. Peers
  • e.l.f. operates with a solid gross margin (~70%)
  • However, operating margin is still developing (~11%)
  • This reflects:
    • Heavy marketing + growth reinvestment
    • DTC + digital spend
  • e.l.f. prioritizes growth over near-term profitability
CompanyGross MarginOperating MarginNet Margin
e.l.f. Beauty70%11%7%
Estée Lauder75%5%-1.21%
L'Oréal74%19%13%
Coty64%3%-9%
Median72%8%2.9%

Source: Finviz

e.l.f Beauty Business Quality
  • e.l.f. is the #1 unit share brand and the #2 dollar share brand in beauty
  • Besides e.l.f. brands, there are 14 cosmetics brands that have >$200M in retail sales, e.l.f. has 4 brands that have surpassed this amount
    • e.l.f.
    • Rhode
    • Naturium
    • e.l.f. skin
  • e.l.f. is the #1 cosmetics brand by unit share, #11 skin brand by market share, and their brand Naturium is the #11 masstige brand
  • e.l.f. has the #1 brand at Sephora (Rhode), the #1 body was at Ulta (Naturium), and e.l.f. Primer is the #1 sku in cosmetics in general

Source: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., 2026

Expansion Strategy
  • As of May 26th 2025, e.l.f. Cosmetics and e.l.f. SKIN products will be available in 776 Kruidvat and 183 Trekpleister stores in The Netherlands and 271 Kruidvat stores in Belgium.
  • As of September 2024 the following additions were made
    • Germany: As previously announced, e.l.f. is expanding in Germany in 1,600 ROSSMANN locations nationwide.
    • U.K.: in 2024 e.l.f. Cosmetics was the No. 4 mass makeup brand as compared to No. 8 in 2023
    • Mexico: e.l.f. debuted in dozens of Sephora Mexico locations in fall 2024, marking its re-entry in the country and its first time with Sephora Mexico.
    • Australia: e.l.f. expanded its existing distributor relationship in Australia by launching in Coles and expanded its presence in Priceline.
    • Italy: e.l.f. Cosmetics entered Douglas in fall 2023 as the No. 1 makeup brand across mass and prestige in all existing doors and has stayed there. They also doubled current store space by expanding into hundreds of additional Douglas locations this fall and will launch on Amazon this fall.
    • Netherlands: e.l.f. Cosmetics has maintained dominance in Etos since launch in April 2024.
    • Canada: e.l.f. Cosmetics rose from No. 4 mass makeup brand, up from No. 6 in 2023.

Source: e.l.f. Beauty inc., 2025; e.l.f. Beauty Inc. 2024

Price/Mix
  • Growth has been primarily driven by volume rather than price increases
  • e.l.f.'s has a value-first positioning
AUR Comparison

Source: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., 2026

EBITDA Margin
15.52%
EBITDA Margin (As of 2025-12-31)
  • Margins peaked near ~19–20% in 2023, followed by normalization
  • Recent compression reflects increased investment in marketing and growth initiatives
E.l.f Beauty EBITDA Margin Historical Data

Source: MacroTrends

Returns on Capital
10.26%
Return on Invested Capital % (As of December 2025)
  • e.l.f. has shown strong improvement in ROIC, rising from ~3% in 2021 to a peak of ~22% in 2024
  • Recent normalization to ~10% reflects increased reinvestment to support growth
    • High ROIC has been driven by:
    • Asset-light business model (outsourced manufacturing)
    • High gross margins (~70%)
    • Efficient working capital management
  • Continued growth and scale should support future ROIC expansion
e.l.f. Beauty ROIC % Historical Data (per GuruFocus)

Source: GuruFocus

2026 Guidance
  • e.l.f. raised its 2026 outlook, with net sales expected at $1.60–$1.61B (+22–23% YoY)
  • Adjusted EBITDA guidance increased to $323–$326M, implying continued strong profitability
  • EPS guidance raised to $3.05–$3.10, reflecting earnings growth despite reinvestment
Updated Fiscal 2026 Outlook
MetricFY2025 ActualPrevious Outlook (Low)Previous Outlook (High)Current Outlook (Low)Current Outlook (High)YoY Growth
Net Sales$1,303.8M$1,540M$1,560M$1,600M$1,610M+22–23%
Adjusted Gross Margin~71%~70%~71%~71%~72%Stable
Adjusted EBITDA$242M$302M$306M$323M$326M~20% margin
Adjusted EBITDA Margin~18.6%~19.6%~19.6%~20.2%~20.2%Expanding
Adjusted EPS$3.41$2.90$2.95$3.05$3.10Raised
Capital Expenditures~$18.5M~$20M~$25M~$20M~$25MStable

Source: e.l.f. Beauty Inc., 2025

Free Cash Flow
  • e.l.f. has experienced a significant inflection in free cash flow since 2022
  • FCF has scaled rapidly to $100M+ levels in recent years
  • Business demonstrates strong cash conversion from earnings
  • Recent performance highlights operating leverage as the company scales

Source: MacroTrends

Capex / D&A
  • e.l.f. operates a capital-light business model, with capex remaining minimal
  • Capex is significantly below depreciation, indicating limited reinvestment needs
Statement of Cash Flows
Line ItemFY2025FY2024FY2023
Depreciation & Amortization (D&A)$44.1M$30.2M$17.6M
Capital Expenditures (CapEx)($18.5M)($8.7M)($1.7M)
CapEx as % of D&A42%29%10%
CapEx as % of Revenue1.4%0.8%0.2%

Source: e.l.f Beauty Inc., 2025

Historical Valuation – P/E
  • Multiple peaked above 200x in early stages, driven by low earnings base
  • P/E has normalized into a ~30–100x range as earnings scaled
  • Recent compression to ~30–40x levels
E.l.f Beauty PE Ratio Historical Data

Source: MacroTrends

Historical Valuation – EV/EBITDA
  • e.l.f.'s EV/EBITDA multiple has shown significant volatility, driven by shifts in growth expectations
  • Multiple expanded to ~60x in 2024, reflecting peak growth and strong investor sentiment
  • Recent compression to ~18x levels represents a substantial normalization
e.l.f. Beauty EV-to-EBITDA

Source: GuruFocus

Peer Valuation
17.4x
Forward P/E
18.9x
EV/EBITDA TTM
$63.93
Stock Price
  • e.l.f. trading at 17.4x forward P/E, in line with prestige beauty median of 15.0x
  • e.l.f. EV/EBITDA of 18.9x reflects premium valuation relative to broader beauty peer median of 10.5x
  • Valuation supported by superior growth profile and market position vs. historical peers
Prestige Beauty
CompanyPriceMCAPNet DebtEnt ValueP/EFwd P/EEV/EBITDA TTM
ESTÉE LAUDER$73.29$26,510$4,396$30,906--24.4x15.0x
COTY$2.09$1,840$3,702$5,542--5.7x6.2x
MEDIAN--15.0x10.6x
Beauty & Personal Care
CompanyPriceMCAPNet DebtEnt ValueP/EFwd P/EEV/EBITDA TTM
ULTA BEAUTY$532.79$23,300$1,688$24,98820.8x16.9x13.5x
ODDITY TECH$13.82$783$182$9657.7x9.2x7.6x
HONEST COMPANY$2.87$323--$323--19.1x--
MEDIAN14.2x16.9x10.5x
e.l.f. Beauty
CompanyPriceMCAPNet DebtEnt ValueP/EFwd P/EEV/EBITDA TTM
e.l.f. Beauty$63.93$3,780$108$3,88836.1317.4x18.9x
Click here to view full model

Source: GuruFocus; FinanceCharts; Yahoo Finance. As of April 14, 2026.

DCF Model
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (ELF) — DCF Valuation
All dollars in thousands ($000s) unless otherwise noted
PRESENT VALUE OF FREE CASH FLOWS
Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5
Fiscal YearFY2026EFY2027EFY2028EFY2029EFY2030E
Unlevered Free Cash Flow$186,782$252,766$333,994$412,218$486,806
Discount Period12345
Discount Factor0.89500.80110.71700.64170.5744
Present Value of UFCF$167,177$202,489$239,476$264,540$279,616
TERMINAL VALUE
Terminal Year UFCF (Year 5)$486,806
Terminal Growth Rate3.5%
WACC11.7%
Terminal Value (Gordon Growth)$6,124,146
PV of Terminal Value$3,517,640
ENTERPRISE VALUE SUMMARY
Sum of PV of UFCFs$1,153,298
PV of Terminal Value$3,517,640
Enterprise Value$4,670,938
EQUITY BRIDGE
Enterprise Value$4,670,938
Less: Total Debt$313,018
Plus: Cash & Equivalents$148,692
Equity Value$4,506,612
Diluted Shares Outstanding (M)59.05
Implied Share Price$76.32
Current Share Price$68.80
Upside / (Downside)10.9%
COMPOSITION OF VALUE
Value%
PV of Projected FCFs$1,153,29824.7%
PV of Terminal Value$3,517,64075.3%
Total Enterprise Value$4,670,938100.0%
Key Assumptions & Observations
  • DCF values e.l.f. Beauty at an implied share price of $76.32, representing 10.9% upside from the current price of $68.80.
  • The valuation is driven by continued strong revenue growth, operating leverage from scale, and consistent free cash flow generation.
  • We assume a WACC of 11.7% and a terminal growth rate of 3.5%, which are conservative and in line with long-term industry expectations.
  • Approximately 75.3% of enterprise value is derived from terminal value, reflecting the company's extended growth runway but also highlighting sensitivity to long-term assumptions.
  • The model demonstrates significant FCF growth from $187M in FY2026E to $487M by FY2030E, supporting the valuation thesis.
WACC11.7%
Terminal Growth Rate3.5%
% of EV from Terminal Value75.3%
Current Price$68.80
Upside to Implied Price+10.9%
Click here for full model

Source: Author's DCF model; e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. Form 10-K (2025); Yahoo Finance. As of April 14, 2026.

Bear / Base / Bull Cases
  • Scenario analysis values e.l.f. Beauty between $50.35 (bear) and $137.37 (bull), with a base case of $76.32, implying approximately 11% upside from the current price of $68.80.
$50.35
Bear (−26.8%)
$76.32
Base (+11%)
$137.37
Bull (+99.7%)
Click here for full model

Source: Author's analysis; Yahoo Finance; GuruFocus. As of April 14, 2026.

Reward / Risk
  • At the current price of $64.49, e.l.f. Beauty offers a compelling risk/reward profile, with ~18% base case upside and >100% upside in a bull scenario.
  • Downside appears relatively limited (~22%) in the bear case, supported by strong brand equity, profitability, and continued demand for affordable beauty products.
Bear Case
$50.35
(−26.8%)
Base Case
$76.32
+18.3%
Bull Case
$137.37
+99.7%

Source: Author's analysis. Current price: $64.49. As of April 14, 2026.

e.l.f Beauty Long Thesis
  • Fast-growing company with strong momentum
    • Beauty category CAGR past 10 years → +4%
    • e.l.f. Beauty CAGR past 10 years → +23%
  • Value pricing creates resilience in all environments
    • e.l.f. Cosmetics → ~$7.50
    • Top Mass Brands → ~$9.50
    • Prestige Brands → ~$30
  • Dominant brand with younger generations
    • #1 Cosmetics brand for Gen Alpha, Gen Z, Millennials
  • Market share gains vs competitors
    • Top 10 cosmetics brands 5-year market share change → -30BPS
    • e.l.f. 5-year market share change → +800BPS
  • Strong brand popularity and cultural relevance
    • e.l.f. popularity in US increased from 31% at the end of 2020 to 42% at the beginning of 2025
  • Market assumes growth will decelerate too significantly
    • Growth has been exceptionally high, leading investors to expect natural mean reversion
    • Perception that beauty is a mature, low-growth category
    • Belief that competition will erode share gains over time → Reality e.l.f. continues to gain share (+800bps over 5 years)

Source: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., 2026; Statista

Sources