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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”). All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements furnished reflect all normal and recurring adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented. The results of operations of any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the full fiscal year. The interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying footnotes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

Certain prior year amounts in the notes to the consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

Management Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses reported in those financial statements. Descriptions of the Company’s significant accounting policies are discussed in the notes to consolidated financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. Management evaluates the related estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment, and makes adjustments when facts and circumstances dictate. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ significantly from those estimates and assumptions. Significant changes, if any, in those estimates and assumptions resulting from continuing changes in the economic environment will be reflected in the consolidated financial statements in future periods.

Currency Translation and Transactions

All assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries and affiliates are translated at period-end rates of exchange, while revenue and expenses are translated at monthly average rates of exchange for the period. Unrealized translation losses, net of tax, reported as translation adjustments through other comprehensive income (loss) (“OCI”) attributable to The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. were $192 million and $5 million, net of tax, during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $103 million and $66 million, net of tax, during the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. For the Company’s subsidiaries operating in highly inflationary economies, the U.S. dollar is the functional currency. Remeasurement adjustments in financial statements in a highly inflationary economy and other transactional gains and losses are reflected in earnings. These subsidiaries are not material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements or liquidity.

The Company enters into foreign currency forward contracts and may enter into option contracts to hedge foreign currency transactions for periods consistent with its identified exposures. The Company also uses cross-currency swap contracts to hedge the impact of foreign currency changes on certain intercompany foreign currency denominated debt. Additionally, the Company enters into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge a portion of its net investment in certain foreign operations, which are designated as net investment hedges. See Note 5 – Derivative Financial Instruments for further discussion. The Company categorizes these instruments as entered into for purposes other than trading.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company is a worldwide manufacturer, marketer and seller of skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s sales subject to credit risk are made primarily to retailers in its travel retail business, department stores, specialty multi-brand retailers and perfumeries. The Company grants credit to qualified customers. While the Company does not believe it is exposed significantly to any undue concentration of credit risk at this time, it continues to monitor its customers' abilities, individually and collectively, to make timely payments.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consists of the following:


(In millions)	March 31, 2024		June 30, 2023
Assets (Useful Life)
Land and improvements(1)	$	70	$	70
Buildings and improvements (10 to 40 years)	884		843
Machinery and equipment (3 to 10 years)	1,187		1,071
Computer hardware and software (4 to 10 years)	1,727		1,651
Furniture and fixtures (5 to 10 years)	136		136
Leasehold improvements	2,408		2,310
Construction in progress	677		827
	7,089		6,908
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(3,956)		(3,729)
	$	3,133	$	3,179

(1)Land improvements are depreciated over a 10 year useful life.

Depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment was $166 million and $147 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $491 million and $421 million during the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Depreciation and amortization related to the Company’s manufacturing process is included in Cost of sales, and all other depreciation and amortization is included in Selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of earnings.

Income Taxes

The effective rate for income taxes for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 are as follows:


	Three Months Ended March 31				Nine Months Ended March 31
	2024		2023		2024		2023
Effective rate for income taxes	31.1	%	44.6	%	33.9	%	27.9	%
Basis-point change from the prior-year period	(1,350)				600

For the three months ended March 31, 2024, the decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily attributable to a lower effective tax rate on the Company's foreign operations due to the timing of the estimated change in the Company's full year geographical mix of earnings in the current and prior-year periods, partially offset by the unfavorable impact associated with previously issued stock-based compensation.

For the nine months ended March 31, 2024, the increase in the effective tax rate was primarily attributable to a higher effective tax rate on the Company's foreign operations, due to the Company's geographical mix of earnings for fiscal 2024, and the unfavorable impact associated with previously issued stock-based compensation.

On August 16, 2022, the U.S. federal government enacted the Inflation Reduction Act, including a tax provision implementing a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax based on global adjusted financial statement income. The corporate alternative minimum tax became effective beginning with the Company's first quarter of fiscal 2024 and did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024.

As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the gross amount of unrecognized tax benefits, exclusive of interest and penalties, totaled $64 million and $63 million, respectively. The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits at March 31, 2024 that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate was $54 million. The total gross interest and penalties accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits during the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 in the accompanying consolidated statements of earnings was $1 million and $3 million, respectively. The total gross accrued interest and penalties in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets at each of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, was $18 million and $15 million, respectively. On the basis of the information available as of March 31, 2024, the Company does not expect significant changes to the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months.

During the fiscal 2024 second quarter, the Company formally concluded the compliance process with respect to its fiscal 2022 income tax return under the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Compliance Assurance Program (“CAP”), which had no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024.

Supplier Finance Programs

Under its supplier finance programs, the Company agrees to pay the banks the stated amount of confirmed invoices from its designated suppliers on the due dates of the invoices. The Company may terminate the agreements upon written notice (with notice periods ranging from 30 to 60 days) or immediately upon a breach. The supplier invoices that have been confirmed as valid under the programs require payment in full within 90 days of the invoice date.

Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Standards

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

FASB ASU No. 2022-04 – Liabilities—Supplier Finance Programs (Subtopic 405-50): Disclosure of Supplier Finance Program Obligations

In September 2022, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which is intended to enhance the transparency surrounding the use of supplier finance programs. The guidance requires companies that use supplier finance programs to make annual disclosures about the program’s key terms, the balance sheet presentation of related amounts, the confirmed amount outstanding at the end of the period and associated rollforward information. Only the amount outstanding at the end of the period must be disclosed in interim periods. The guidance does not affect the recognition, measurement or financial statement presentation of supplier finance program obligations.

Effective for the Company – The guidance became effective for the Company’s first quarter fiscal 2024 and has been applied on a retrospective basis, except for the requirement to disclose rollforward information annually which is effective prospectively for the Company beginning in fiscal 2025.

Impact on consolidated financial statements – The Company has supplier financing arrangements and applied the disclosure requirements as required by the amendments. Such information is included in Supplier Finance Programs above within Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

Reference Rate Reform (ASC Topic 848 “ASC 848”)

In March 2020, the FASB issued authoritative guidance to provide optional relief for companies preparing for the discontinuation of interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and applies to lease and other contracts, hedging instruments, held-to-maturity debt securities and debt arrangements that reference LIBOR or another rate that is expected to be discontinued as a result of reference rate reform.

In January 2021, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that makes amendments to the new rules on accounting for reference rate reform. The amendments clarify that for all derivative instruments affected by the changes to interest rates used for discounting, margining or contract price alignment, regardless of whether they reference LIBOR or another rate expected to be discontinued as a result of reference rate reform, an entity may apply certain practical expedients in ASC 848.

In December 2022, the FASB issued authoritative guidance to defer the sunset date of ASC 848 from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024.

Effective for the Company – This guidance can only be applied for a limited time through December 31, 2024.

Impact on consolidated financial statements – The Company completed its comprehensive evaluation of applying this guidance and adopted certain practical expedients for its interest rate swap agreements in the fiscal 2024 first quarter which did not have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements. The practical expedients that were adopted permit its hedging relationships to continue without de-designation upon changes due to reference rate reform. Foreign currency forward contracts do not reference LIBOR and no practical expedients were elected but are now discounted using the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). For existing lease, debt arrangements and other contracts, the Company did not adopt any ASC 848 practical expedients as it relates to these arrangements.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

FASB ASU No. 2023-07 – Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures

In November 2023, the FASB issued authoritative guidance to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements. Companies are required to disclose significant segment expenses by reportable segment if they are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (CODM). Companies are also required to disclose other segment items by reportable segment. The guidance clarifies that companies may disclose more than one measure of segment profit or loss used by the CODM, provided that at least one of the reported measures includes the segment profit or loss measure that is most consistent with U.S. GAAP measurement principles. All existing annual disclosures about segment profit or loss, as well as the new requirements, must now be provided on an interim basis. Additionally, on an annual basis, the CODM’s title and position is required, as well as an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) and other disclosures. The guidance does not change how companies identify their operating segments, aggregates those operating segments, or applies the quantitative thresholds to determine its reportable segments.

Effective for the Company – The guidance is effective for the Company’s fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 Form 10-K and then in interim periods beginning in the Company’s first quarter of fiscal 2026. Early adoption is permitted. The guidance should be applied retrospectively unless impracticable.

Impact on consolidated financial statements – The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on its financial statement disclosures.

FASB ASU No. 2023-09 – Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures

In December 2023, the FASB issued authoritative guidance to amend and enhance existing annual income tax disclosures primarily focusing on two reporting areas: (1) greater disaggregation of information in the effective tax rate reconciliations and (2) disclosure of income taxes paid by the companies, disaggregated by applicable jurisdiction.

Companies are required to use specific categories to prepare and disclose a tabular rate reconciliation (using both percentages and reporting currency amounts) of:

•the reported income tax expense (or benefit) from continuing operations and the product of the income (or loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and the applicable statutory federal income tax rate of the jurisdiction of domicile.

•reconciling items within certain categories that are equal to or greater than a specified quantitative threshold, including the nature, effect, and underlying causes of the reconciling items and the judgment used in categorizing the reconciling items.

The guidance also requires companies to disclose the amount of income taxes paid (net of refunds received) disaggregated by federal, state, and foreign jurisdictions including individual jurisdictions with amounts paid equal to or greater than a specified quantitative threshold. The guidance also requires companies to disclose income (or loss) from continuing operations before income tax expense (or benefit) disaggregated between domestic and foreign as well as income tax expense (or benefit) from continuing operations disaggregated by federal, state, and foreign jurisdictions.

Effective for the Company – The guidance is effective for the Company’s fiscal year ending June 30, 2026 Form 10-K. Early adoption is permitted. The guidance should be applied on a prospective basis with the option to apply the standard retrospectively.

Impact on consolidated financial statements – The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on its financial statement disclosures.

SEC Final Rule Release No. 33-11275 – The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors

In March 2024, the SEC adopted rules intended to enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures in registration statements and annual reports. The rules require significant effects of severe weather events and other natural conditions, amounts related to carbon offsets and renewable energy credits or certificates, as well as material impacts on financial estimates and assumptions that are due to severe weather events and other natural conditions or disclosed climate-related targets or transition plans to be disclosed in the annual financial statements in certain circumstances.

Effective for the Company – On April 4, 2024, the SEC issued an order staying the final rule on climate-related disclosures pending certain legal challenges. Under the rule as currently issued, the disclosure requirements related to the annual financial statements are expected to be effective for the Company's fiscal year ending June 30, 2026 Form 10-K. The Company is not required to provide comparative information in the year of adoption.

Impact on consolidated financial statements – The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on its annual financial statement disclosures.

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for income taxes, which may include its accounting policies for recognizing and measuring deferred tax assets and liabilities and related valuation allowances, recognizing investment tax credits, operating loss carryforwards, tax credit carryforwards, and other carryforwards, methodologies for determining its effective income tax rate and the characterization of interest and penalties in the financial statements.

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