Estée Lauder vs Revlon: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Estée Lauder reported $15B of revenue in FY2026 and $182M of net income. Revlon reported $2B of revenue in FY2022 and a net loss of $673.9M.
Latest financial snapshot
Estée Lauder
- Latest revenue
- $15B (FY2026)
- Net income
- $182M
- Net margin
- 1.2%
- Revenue growth
- +2.7% a year, FY2017–FY2026
Revlon
- Latest revenue
- $2B (FY2022)
- Net income
- -$673.9M
- Net margin
- -34.0%
- Revenue growth
- +3.2% a year, FY2013–FY2022
Financial summary
Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder's sales peaked at $17.737 billion in fiscal 2022, then fell for three years as China and Asia travel retail weakened, reaching $14.326 billion in fiscal 2025 with a $1.133 billion net loss driven by $1.286 billion of goodwill and intangible impairments and talc litigation charges. Fiscal 2026 marked the turn: net sales rose 5% to $15.049 billion, gross margin expanded 150 basis points to 75.5%, reported operating income was $780 million (5.2% margin) and adjusted operating margin reached 11.2%, up from 8.0%. Fourth-quarter net sales rose 6% to $3.627 billion, the fourth consecutive quarter of organic growth.
Revlon
Revlon's financial story is one of leverage. Ronald Perelman's 1985 buyout left the company carrying heavy debt for decades, and the 2016 Elizabeth Arden deal (about $870M enterprise value) added more. Net sales peaked at $2.69B in 2017, then fell to $1.90B in 2020 as the pandemic and supply-chain shortages hit. Revlon filed for Chapter 11 on June 16, 2022, after a FY2022 net loss of $673.9M on $1.98B of sales. It emerged on May 2, 2023, with about $2.7B less debt and no longer reports results publicly.
Revenue and profit by year
Estée Lauder
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $15B | $182M | 1.2% | +5.0% | Source |
| FY2025 | $14.3B | -$1.1B | -7.9% | -8.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | $15.6B | $390M | 2.5% | -1.9% | Source |
| FY2023 | $15.9B | $1B | 6.3% | -10.3% | Source |
| FY2022 | $17.7B | $2.4B | 13.5% | +9.4% | Source |
| FY2021 | $16.2B | $2.9B | 17.7% | +13.4% | Source |
| FY2020 | $14.3B | $684M | 4.8% | -3.8% | Source |
| FY2019 | $14.9B | $1.8B | 12.0% | +8.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $13.7B | $1.1B | 8.1% | +15.7% | Source |
| FY2017 | $11.8B | $1.2B | 10.6% | — | Source |
Revlon
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | $2B | -$673.9M | -34.0% | -4.7% | Source |
| FY2021 | $2.1B | -$206.9M | -10.0% | +9.2% | Source |
| FY2020 | $1.9B | -$619M | -32.5% | -21.3% | Source |
| FY2019 | $2.4B | -$157.7M | -6.5% | -5.7% | Source |
| FY2018 | $2.6B | -$294.2M | -11.5% | -4.8% | Source |
| FY2017 | $2.7B | -$183.2M | -6.8% | +15.4% | Source |
| FY2016 | $2.3B | -$21.9M | -0.9% | +21.9% | Source |
| FY2015 | $1.9B | $56.1M | 2.9% | -1.4% | Source |
| FY2014 | $1.9B | $40.9M | 2.1% | +29.9% | Source |
| FY2013 | $1.5B | -$5.8M | -0.4% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Estée Lauder
- Skin Care
Largest category
La Mer, Estée Lauder, Clinique, The Ordinary and Dr.Jart+. Skin care net sales rose 4% in fiscal 2026, led by La Mer, The Ordinary and Estée Lauder.
- Makeup
Second-largest category
MAC, Clinique, Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Too Faced and Tom Ford makeup sold through specialty retail, department stores and online.
- Fragrance
Third-largest category
Jo Malone London, Tom Ford, Le Labo, Kilian Paris and Frédéric Malle, sold at luxury price points.
- Hair Care
Smallest category
Mainly Aveda and Bumble and bumble, sold through salons, specialty retail and online.
Revlon
- retail beauty sales
- professional products
- prestige skin care and fragrance
- licensing
- international distribution
Business model and strategy
Estée Lauder
How it makes money
Estée Lauder makes money by developing, manufacturing and marketing prestige skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products, then selling them at premium prices through department stores, specialty retailers such as Sephora and Ulta Beauty, travel retail (duty-free), salons, its own freestanding stores and brand websites, and third-party platforms.
Growth strategy
Under Beauty Reimagined, Estée Lauder is concentrating investment on hero products and faster innovation, expanding into channels where prestige shoppers now buy (including Amazon's U.S. Premium Beauty store and wider specialty retail), diversifying away from Asia travel retail, and running the business through a leaner "One ELC" operating model.
Competitive advantage
Estée Lauder's advantage is a portfolio of long-lived prestige brands, several of which (Advanced Night Repair, Crème de la Mer, Clinique 3-Step, MAC Studio Fix) have decades of repeat purchase behind them. It also has global manufacturing, research and distribution scale that standalone prestige brands lack, and a large force of point-of-sale beauty advisors in department stores and travel retail.
Revlon
How it makes money
Revlon makes money by manufacturing beauty products and selling them wholesale to retailers and distributors, plus direct online sales.
Growth strategy
Under Michelle Peluso, Revlon's growth plan has three parts reported in early 2026: sharper brand identities (Revlon as bold 'efficient glamour', Almay as clean no-makeup makeup) based on a 4,000-person consumer study in the U.S., Mexico and Australia; a broader fragrance pipeline led by former Estee Lauder executive Amber Garrison; and a regionalized supply chain, including a China R&D facility for Elizabeth Arden.
Competitive advantage
Revlon's advantages are brand recognition built over more than 90 years, established shelf space at mass retailers in the U.S., Mexico and Australia (its three largest markets), a professional salon business through CND and American Crew, and a fragrance licensing platform that can add new celebrity and fashion scents without building brands from scratch.
Questions about Estée Lauder vs Revlon
Which company has higher revenue — The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. or Revlon, Inc.?
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. reported $15.0B (FY2026), while Revlon, Inc. reported $2.0B (FY2022). By last reported revenue, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is the larger business, with Revlon, Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
Which is more financially efficient — The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. or Revlon, Inc.?
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. generates $264k / employee in revenue per employee, while Revlon, Inc. generates $354k / employee. Revlon, Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and Revlon, Inc. make money?
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and Revlon, Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.: Estée Lauder makes money by developing, manufacturing and marketing prestige skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products, then selling them at premium prices through department stores, specialty retailers such as Sephora and Ulta Beauty, travel retail (duty-free), salons, its own freestanding stores and brand websites, and third-party platforms. Revlon, Inc.: Revlon makes money by manufacturing beauty products and selling them wholesale to retailers and distributors, plus direct online sales.
Is The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. bigger than Revlon, Inc.?
By last reported revenue, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. ($15.0B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to Revlon, Inc. ($2.0B (FY2022)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Estée Lauder vs Revlon overview