Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has allegedly received final bids for the rumoured sale of its brands Too Faced, Smashbox and Dr. Jart+, according to a new report.
Rumours that the US beauty giant was potentially mulling the sale of all three brands in a package deal first began in January 2026.
The trio of brands have sat within ELC’s portfolio for years, but both Too Faced and Dr. Jart+ were identified as underperforming for the company last year in its annual results.
Final bids are now rumoured to be in for the sale of Too Faced, Smashbox and Dr. Jart+, and allegedly the process could be completed in a matter of weeks, according to a report by WWD, which has cited unnamed sources close to the deal.
According to the publication’s sources, there is allegedly at least one interested party looking at all three brands and a handful interested in the colour brands, while a few others were also looking at acquiring Dr. Jart+ alone.
Cosmetics Business reached out to ELC, with the company declining to comment on the rumours.
Smashbox was acquired by ELC in 2010 and Too Faced in 2016, while the company took a minority stake in Dr. Jart+ in 2015, and then garnered the remaining shares in 2019.
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This latest news on the sale rumour comes hot on the heels of ELC also being in talks with Puig on a groundbreaking potential merger.
The transaction would see the American conglomerate merge its business with the Spanish beauty giant, which would deliver a combined value of around US$40bn.
It is rumoured that ELC has hired investment banking firm J.P. Morgan to structure a financing package to fund its potential merger, seeking around €5bn funding.
ELC is also in year two of its ongoing ‘Profit Recovery and Growth Plan’ (PGRP), which CEO Stéphane de La Faverie introduced in January 2025 to boost flagging sales.
This plan has included cost-cutting measures, such as consolidating its service providers, expanding outsourced services and standardising its “related end-to-end business processes”.
Not to mention slashing jobs, with the company expecting to reduce its workforce by between 9,000 and 10,000 now.
ELC’s beauty portfolio also comprises brands Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, MAC Cosmetics, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda and Jo Malone London.
As well as Bumble & Bumble, Darphin Paris, Tom Ford, Aerin Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, Kilian Paris, Deciem and Balmain Beauty.
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