• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
FinanceFinance

e.l.f. Beauty pushes back on short-seller allegations, shares recover

Sheryl Estrada
By
Sheryl Estrada
Sheryl Estrada
Senior Writer and author of CFO Daily
Down Arrow Button Icon
Sheryl Estrada
By
Sheryl Estrada
Sheryl Estrada
Senior Writer and author of CFO Daily
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 21, 2024, 11:40 AM ET
Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The cosmetics and skin care company e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., is denying allegations made by short-seller Carson Block, founder of Muddy Waters Research, that the company has been inflating its revenue.

Recommended Video

“Muddy Waters’ latest report is an attempt by a noted short seller to negatively impact e.l.f. Beauty’s share price for its own benefit and at the expense of all other e.l.f. Beauty shareholders, and Muddy Waters’ allegations are without merit,” the company said in a statement released on Thursday and emailed to Fortune.

Muddy Waters has made “numerous inaccurate statements” about the company by relying upon “incomplete data and flawed assumptions, omitting critical context, and presenting speculation as fact,” e.l.f. Beauty stated. The company said it has rigorous controls and procedures around revenue recognition and is “fully confident” in its financial statements.

The response came after Block released a report on Wednesday that alleged e.l.f. Beauty had overstated its revenue, leading investors to sell off shares in the company. The company’s stock fell nearly 20% in the wake of the report but has since more than recovered and, as of midday Thursday, was trading around $126.

The short-seller’s report stated that over the past three quarters, e.l.f. Beauty has “materially overstated revenue” by about $135 million to approximately $190 million. Also, Block claims that in Q2 FY 24, e.l.f. reported that its inventory was growing, and announced that a recent change to its sourcing practices was responsible for the “sudden appearance” of an additional $36.9 million of inventory. He writes that e.l.f. said part of the inventory change came from taking ownership of its product on the China side, instead of its previous practice of taking possession only upon delivery to its Ontario, Calif., warehouse.

Block and his team at Muddy Waters had a conversation with three of e.l.f.’s largest global suppliers and a former China-side manager. As a result, the firm said that e.l.f. Beauty’s claim it changed sourcing practices is categorically false.

But e.l.f. Beauty refutes that argument. “In early 2024, for competitive reasons and as permitted by applicable regulations, we filed a request for confidentiality with U.S. Customs and Border Protection with respect to our customs import data,” the company said. The import data available to the public after Feb. 6, 2024, does not include a substantial majority of e.l.f. Beauty’s actual U.S. imports, according to the company.

The company also states that its inventory control procedures include regular physical and cycle counts across its global distribution network.

The 20-year-old company, led by CEO and chairman Tarang Amin, has won over a generation of young women. On Nov. 6, e.l.f. Beauty reported its second-quarter fiscal 2025 financial results marking 23 consecutive quarters of both net sales growth and market share gains, according to the company. In fiscal 2024 it brought in more than $1 billion in total revenue, around 77% higher than the previous year, according to the company.

After the publication of this story, Muddy Waters founder Carson Block told Fortune in an emailed statement that in addition to the import data, it confirmed with three of e.l.f.’s four major suppliers that the company’s purchases have declined this calendar year. One of the suppliers stated that e.l.f.’s purchases were down due to the company working down its inventory balance, Block said.

About the Author
Sheryl Estrada
By Sheryl EstradaSenior Writer and author of CFO Daily
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Sheryl Estrada is a senior writer at Fortune, where she covers the corporate finance industry, Wall Street, and corporate leadership. She also authors CFO Daily.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Top CD rates from major banks June 30, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on June 30, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJune 30, 2026
3 hours ago
Current price of Bitcoin for June 30, 2026
Personal FinanceCryptocurrency
Current price of Bitcoin for June 30, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 30, 2026
3 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for June 30, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for June 30, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 30, 2026
3 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 30, 2026
Personal FinanceOil
Current price of oil as of June 30 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 30, 2026
3 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Personal Financesilver
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 30, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 30, 2026
3 hours ago
Current price of gold as of June 30, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of June 30, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 30, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
5 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
3 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
18 hours ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 29, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.