Growth rates and scope
| Category | Year-on-year growth |
|---|---|
| Fragrance | 20% |
| Skin care | 4% |
| Makeup | 1% |
| Hair care | 0% (flat) |
Company-reported historical non-GAAP rates, excluding currency effects; not unit sales, reported-dollar growth or profit margins. Both versions use a zero-to-20% scale. No growth rates calculated from rounded dollar totals. Source: November 2 earnings release. Factual data redrawn by SpecStocks; no source artwork reproduced.
Estée Lauder's fastest-growing beauty business is perfume. Results released November 2 show fragrance sales rose 20% before currency effects in the September quarter, far ahead of skin care and makeup. [1]
For the beauty group's shareholders (NYSE: EL), that offers a concrete reason to believe in its recovery: new products are finding buyers. The improvement still has to spread and turn into cash.
A new bottle joins established favorites
Glimmer shows the kind of launch behind the push. Announced in July for an August debut, the Estée Lauder fragrance combines an amber-floral scent with a sweet twist. Its advertised price starts at $130 for 50 milliliters. Actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld fronts the campaign. [2]
That pairs a new product with a recognizable face and a premium price. The business opportunity is to give customers another reason to visit the beauty counter, alongside the products they already know.
The latest results also credit established Le Labo scents such as Another 13 and Santal 33. TOM FORD's newer fragrances helped existing products sell too, the company says. [1]
More places to discover the brands
Products need a route to shoppers. In March, the group brought M·A·C into selected U.S. Sephora stores, Sephora at Kohl's and online. Its May report also recorded four net new fragrance stores worldwide in the March quarter, led by Le Labo and TOM FORD. [3]
Those earlier moves explain the effort behind today's numbers. A beauty group can seek growth by reaching customers in different stores, as well as by persuading existing customers to buy something new.
“Today, beauty is discovered and experienced across a constantly evolving mix of platforms.”
Aude Gandon, chief digital and marketing officer, April 1, 2026 [4]
The spending has to be funded. In April, Estée Lauder described a restructuring program designed to reduce costs and free money for advertising, selling and other customer-facing activity. It expected most of the plan's full annual benefits during fiscal 2027. That was a company target. [4]
The market connection Stronger products and wider distribution can support sales. Keeping the profit depends on what the company spends to create and sustain those purchases.
The recovery still uses cash
Growth remains uneven: organic sales rose 4% in skin care and 1% in makeup. Quarterly operating cash outflow narrowed to $166 million, but did not disappear. Management now forecasts 4%–5.5% organic sales growth for the year ending June 2027. [1]
A stronger perfume business gives the recovery substance. The remaining tension is whether that product momentum lasts while the company pays for new launches, distribution and its own reorganization.