Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (OLPX) vs The Honest Company, Inc. (HNST) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | HNST | -1.9% revenue growth vs OLPX's -7.8% |
| Value | OLPX | Lower P/E (19.1x vs 32.0x) |
| Quality / Margins | OLPX | -1.2% net margin vs HNST's -4.2% |
| Stability / Safety | OLPX | Beta 1.40 vs HNST's 1.44 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | OLPX | +11.0% vs HNST's -48.1% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | OLPX | -0.3% ROA vs HNST's -7.0%, ROIC 5.1% vs -13.5% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Olaplex is a premium hair care company that sells patented bond-building products designed to repair and strengthen damaged hair. It generates revenue through three main channels: professional sales to salons (~30%), specialty retail partnerships (~45%), and direct-to-consumer e-commerce (~25%). The company's key competitive advantage is its patented bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate technology — a unique bond-building molecule that competitors cannot legally replicate.
The Honest Company is a consumer goods company that sells baby, personal care, and household products marketed as clean and sustainable. It generates revenue primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales — about 60% of total — and wholesale distribution to major retailers like Target and Amazon. Its key advantage is brand trust built on transparency about ingredients and a founder-driven reputation for safer, eco-friendly alternatives in the baby and beauty categories.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
OLPX leads in 4 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Valuation Metrics). HNST leads in 1 (Total Returns). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
OLPX and HNST operate at a comparable scale, with $419M and $371M in trailing revenue. Profitability is closely matched — net margins range from -1.2% (OLPX) to -4.2% (HNST). On growth, OLPX holds the edge at -3.8% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | OLPXOlaplex Holdings,… | HNSTThe Honest Compan… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $419M | $371M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $68M | -$11M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$5M | -$16M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $65M | $14M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +66.4% | +33.3% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +3.5% | -5.0% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -1.2% | -4.2% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +15.5% | +3.7% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -3.8% | -11.8% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -9.9% | — |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | OLPXOlaplex Holdings,… | HNSTThe Honest Compan… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1.1B | $316M |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $1.1B | $231M |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 54.95x | -20.00x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 19.05x | 32.00x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 9.46x | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 2.54x | 0.85x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 1.23x | 1.84x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 7.57x | 23.21x |
Profitability & Efficiency
OLPX delivers a -0.6% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $-1 in annual profit, vs $-9 for HNST. HNST carries lower financial leverage with a 0.03x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to OLPX's 0.74x.
| Metric | OLPXOlaplex Holdings,… | HNSTThe Honest Compan… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -0.6% | -9.2% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -0.3% | -7.0% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +5.1% | -13.5% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +4.0% | -10.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 5 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.74x | 0.03x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $64M | -$85M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $586M | $90M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $650M | $5M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 0.79x | 9.37x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in HNST five years ago would be worth $1,750 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $657 for OLPX. Over the past 12 months, OLPX leads with a +11.0% total return vs HNST's -48.1%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors HNST at 0.1% vs OLPX's -31.1% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | OLPXOlaplex Holdings,… | HNSTThe Honest Compan… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +19.3% | +7.3% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +11.0% | -48.1% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -67.3% | +0.4% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -93.4% | -82.5% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -93.4% | -82.5% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -31.1% | +0.1% |
Risk & Volatility
OLPX is the less volatile stock with a 1.40 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than HNST's 1.44 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. OLPX currently trades 87.5% from its 52-week high vs HNST's 49.8% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | OLPXOlaplex Holdings,… | HNSTThe Honest Compan… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.40x | 1.44x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $1.84 | $5.62 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $0.99 | $2.07 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +87.5% | +49.8% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 60.5 | 71.3 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 1.4M | 1.7M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates OLPX as "Hold" and HNST as "Hold". Consensus price targets imply 8.7% upside for OLPX (target: $2) vs 7.1% for HNST (target: $3).
| Metric | OLPXOlaplex Holdings,… | HNSTThe Honest Compan… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $1.75 | $3.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 14 | 9 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 2 | 1 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Sep 21 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olaplex Holdings, I… (OLPX) | 100 | 6.45 | -93.6% |
| The Honest Company,… (HNST) | 100 | 24.46 | -75.5% |
The Honest Company,… (HNST) returned -83% over 5 years vs Olaplex Holdings, I… (OLPX)'s -93%.
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2019 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olaplex Holdings, I… (OLPX) | $148M | $423M | +185.2% |
| The Honest Company,… (HNST) | $236M | $371M | +57.6% |
The Honest Company, Inc.'s revenue grew from $236M (2019) to $371M (2025) — a 7.9% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2019 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olaplex Holdings, I… (OLPX) | 41.1% | 4.6% | -88.8% |
| The Honest Company,… (HNST) | -13.2% | -4.2% | +68.0% |
The Honest Company, Inc.'s net margin went from -13% (2019) to -4% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 4 Years
| Stock | 2021 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olaplex Holdings, I… (OLPX) | 85.7 | 59 | -31.2% |
Olaplex Holdings, Inc. has traded in a 15x–86x P/E range over 4 years; current trailing P/E is ~55x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2019 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olaplex Holdings, I… (OLPX) | 0.09 | 0.03 | -68.8% |
| The Honest Company,… (HNST) | -0.34 | -0.14 | +58.8% |
The Honest Company, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.34 (2019) to $-0.14 (2025).
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Olaplex Holdings, Inc. generated $142M FCF in 2024 (-28% vs 2021). The Honest Company, Inc. generated $14M FCF in 2025 (+135% vs 2021).
OLPX vs HNST: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is OLPX or HNST a better buy right now?
Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (OLPX) offers the better valuation at 54.9x trailing P/E (19.1x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (OLPX) a "Hold" — based on 14 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — OLPX or HNST?
On forward P/E, Olaplex Holdings, Inc. is actually cheaper at 19.1x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — OLPX or HNST?
Over the past 5 years, The Honest Company, Inc. (HNST) delivered a total return of -82.5%, compared to -93.4% for Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (OLPX). A $10,000 investment in HNST five years ago would be worth approximately $2K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: HNST returned -82.5% versus OLPX's -93.4%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — OLPX or HNST?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (OLPX) is the lower-risk stock at 1.40β versus The Honest Company, Inc.'s 1.44β — meaning HNST is approximately 3% more volatile than OLPX relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, The Honest Company, Inc. (HNST) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 3% versus 74% for Olaplex Holdings, Inc. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
05Which has better profit margins — OLPX or HNST?
Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (OLPX) is the more profitable company, earning 4.6% net margin versus -4.2% for The Honest Company, Inc. — meaning it keeps 4.6% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: OLPX leads at 15.8% versus -5.0% for HNST. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — OLPX leads at 69.2%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is OLPX or HNST more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (OLPX) trades at 19.1x forward P/E versus 32.0x for The Honest Company, Inc. — 12.9x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for OLPX: 8.7% to $1.75.
07Which pays a better dividend — OLPX or HNST?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
08Is OLPX or HNST better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (OLPX) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding. Both have compounded well over 10 years (OLPX: -93.4%, HNST: -82.5%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between OLPX and HNST?
Both stocks operate in the Consumer Cyclical sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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