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Side-by-side financial comparison of Estée Lauder Companies (The) (EL) and Kenvue (KVUE), based on the latest 10-Q / 10-K filings. Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Estée Lauder Companies (The) is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($4.2B vs $3.8B, roughly 1.1× Kenvue). Kenvue runs the higher net margin — 3.8% vs 8.7%, a 4.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Estée Lauder Companies (The) posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (5.6% vs 3.2%). Estée Lauder Companies (The) produced more free cash flow last quarter ($1.0B vs $744.0M). Over the past eight quarters, Estée Lauder Companies (The)'s revenue compounded faster (3.6% CAGR vs -1.5%).
Estée Lauder was an American businesswoman. She co-founded her eponymous cosmetics company with her husband, Joseph Lauter. Lauder was the only woman on Time magazine's 1998 list of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century.
Kenvue Inc. is an American consumer health company. Formerly the Consumer Healthcare division of Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue owns well-known brands such as Aveeno, Band-Aid, Benadryl, Combantrin, Zyrtec, Johnson's, Listerine, Lactaid, Mylanta, Neutrogena, Trosyd, Calpol, Tylenol, and Visine. Kenvue is incorporated in Delaware and was originally headquartered in the Skillman section of Montgomery Township, New Jersey, before relocating to Summit, New Jersey.
EL vs KVUE — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q2 2026 vs Q4 2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $4.2B | $3.8B |
| Net Profit | $162.0M | $330.0M |
| Gross Margin | 76.5% | 56.5% |
| Operating Margin | 9.5% | 14.2% |
| Net Margin | 3.8% | 8.7% |
| Revenue YoY | 5.6% | 3.2% |
| Net Profit YoY | 127.5% | 12.6% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.44 | $0.16 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align — see 8-quarter trend below.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history — bar widths are scaled to the larger of the two companies so you can eyeball the size gap and growth trajectory without doing math. Quarters aligned by calendar period (report date) so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $4.2B | $3.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.5B | $3.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.4B | $3.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.5B | $3.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.0B | $3.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.4B | $3.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.9B | $4.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.9B | $3.9B |
| Q4 25 | $162.0M | $330.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $47.0M | $398.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-546.0M | $420.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $159.0M | $322.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-590.0M | $293.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-156.0M | $383.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-286.0M | $58.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $335.0M | $296.0M |
| Q4 25 | 76.5% | 56.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 73.4% | 59.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 72.0% | 58.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 75.0% | 58.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 76.1% | 56.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 72.4% | 58.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 71.8% | 59.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 71.9% | 57.6% |
| Q4 25 | 9.5% | 14.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.9% | 16.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | -11.4% | 18.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.6% | 14.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | -14.5% | 13.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | -3.6% | 16.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | -6.0% | 3.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 13.5% | 14.1% |
| Q4 25 | 3.8% | 8.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.4% | 10.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | -16.0% | 10.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.5% | 8.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | -14.7% | 8.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | -4.6% | 9.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | -7.4% | 1.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.5% | 7.6% |
| Q4 25 | $0.44 | $0.16 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.13 | $0.21 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.52 | $0.22 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.44 | $0.17 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-1.64 | $0.16 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-0.43 | $0.20 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.79 | $0.03 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.91 | $0.15 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest filing — the kind of financial-strength check premium terminals charge for.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | — | $1.1B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $7.3B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $4.0B | $10.8B |
| Total Assets | $19.6B | $27.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.82× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | — | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $1.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $1.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $1.2B |
| Q4 25 | $7.3B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.3B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.3B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $7.3B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $7.3B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.3B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.3B | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.3B | — |
| Q4 25 | $4.0B | $10.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.9B | $10.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.9B | $10.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3B | $10.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.2B | $9.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.1B | $10.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.3B | $10.2B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.7B | $10.6B |
| Q4 25 | $19.6B | $27.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $19.3B | $27.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $19.9B | $27.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $19.9B | $26.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $19.8B | $25.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $21.3B | $26.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $21.7B | $26.4B | ||
| Q1 24 | $22.7B | $27.3B |
| Q4 25 | 1.82× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.88× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.89× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.68× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.75× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.44× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.37× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.26× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Net income can be massaged; cash flow is harder to fake.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $1.1B | $854.0M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $1.0B | $744.0M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 24.0% | 19.7% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue; lower = less reinvestment burden | 2.6% | 2.9% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit; >1× = earnings back up with cash | 6.94× | 2.59× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.1B | $1.7B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | $1.1B | $854.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-340.0M | $294.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $601.0M | $621.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $284.0M | $428.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $793.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-670.0M | $249.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $889.0M | $440.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $534.0M | $287.0M |
| Q4 25 | $1.0B | $744.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-436.0M | $196.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $394.0M | $533.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $162.0M | $249.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $925.0M | $661.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-811.0M | $190.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $672.0M | $350.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $359.0M | $134.0M |
| Q4 25 | 24.0% | 19.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | -12.5% | 5.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.6% | 13.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | 6.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.1% | 18.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | -24.1% | 4.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 17.4% | 8.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 9.1% | 3.4% |
| Q4 25 | 2.6% | 2.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.8% | 2.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 6.1% | 2.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.4% | 4.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.3% | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.2% | 1.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.6% | 2.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 4.4% | 3.9% |
| Q4 25 | 6.94× | 2.59× | ||
| Q3 25 | -7.23× | 0.74× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 1.48× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.79× | 1.33× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 2.71× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.65× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 7.59× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.59× | 0.97× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Sankey diagram of revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company. Charts shown full-width and stacked so both segment hierarchies are readable side-by-side on desktop and mobile.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
EL
| Skin Care | $2.1B | 49% |
| Makeup | $1.2B | 28% |
| Fragrance | $812.0M | 19% |
| Hair Care | $168.0M | 4% |
| Other | $31.0M | 1% |
KVUE
| Self Care | $1.6B | 42% |
| Essential Health | $1.1B | 30% |
| Skin Health And Beauty | $1.0B | 28% |
