As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 20, 2021.

Registration No. 333-259116

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Amendment No. 1

to

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Olaplex Holdings, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware		2844		87-1242679
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

Address Not Applicable ¹

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

JuE Wong

President and Chief Executive Officer

Olaplex Holdings, Inc.

1187 Coast Village Rd, Suite 1-520

Santa Barbara, CA 93108

(310) 691-0776

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

With copies to:

 

Craig Marcus, Esq. Ropes & Gray LLP Prudential Tower 800 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02199 (617) 951-7000		Ian D. Schuman, Esq. Erika L. Weinberg, Esq. Senet S. Bischoff, Esq. Latham & Watkins LLP 1271 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY, 10020 (212) 906 - 1200

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement is declared effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box:  ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer		☐		Accelerated filer		☐
Non-accelerated filer		☒		Smaller reporting company		☐
				Emerging growth company		☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered		Amount to be Registered(1)		Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share(2)		Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1)(2)		Amount of Registration Fee(3)
Common stock, par value $0.001 per share		77,050,000		$16.00		$1,232,800,000		$134,499

(1)	Includes 10,050,000 shares of common stock that may be sold if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of common stock.

(2)	Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(3)	A portion of this amount totaling $10,910 was previously paid in connection with the previous filing of this Registration Statement on August 27, 2021. The remaining portion of $123,589 has been paid herewith.

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

1	Olaplex Holdings, Inc. is a fully remote company. Accordingly, it does not maintain a principal executive office.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to completion. Dated September 20, 2021.

67,000,000 Shares

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

This is an initial public offering of shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, Inc. All of the                  shares of our common stock are being offered by the selling stockholders identified in this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares being sold by the selling stockholders.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. It is currently estimated that the initial public offering price per share will be between $14.00 and $16.00. We have applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “OLPX”.

After the completion of this offering, investment funds affiliated with Advent International Corporation will beneficially own approximately 79.6% of the combined voting power of our common stock (or 78.2% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of common stock). As a result, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards for Nasdaq-listed companies and will be exempt from certain corporate governance requirements of such rules. See “Management—Controlled Company Status” and “Principal and Selling Stockholders.”

We are an “emerging growth company,” as that term is used in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements.

 

 

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 25 to read about factors you should consider before buying our common stock.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

		Per Share				Total
Initial public offering price		$				$
Underwriting discount and commissions(1)		$				$
Proceeds, before expenses, to the selling stockholders		$				$

 

(1)	See “Underwriting” beginning on page 163 for additional information regarding underwriter compensation.

To the extent the underwriters sell more than 67,000,000 shares of our common stock, the underwriters have an option to purchase up to an additional 10,050,000 shares from the selling stockholders at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount.

 

 

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares against payment in New York, New York on                 , 2021.

 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC		J.P. Morgan		Morgan Stanley		Barclays

BofA Securities		Evercore ISI		Jefferies		Raymond James

Cowen

Piper Sandler

Truist Securities

Telsey Advisory Group

Drexel Hamilton

Loop Capital Markets

 

Prospectus dated                     , 2021

OLAPLEX INSPIRED BY SALONS. PROVEN BY SCIENCE.REPAIR STRENGTHEN PROTECT

OLAPLEX THE COMPLETE HAIR REPAIR SYSTEM REPAIR STRENGTHEN PROTECT

OLAPLEX 76% of stylists believe OLAPLEX offers higher quality products than other brands #1 brand in professional haircare 90% growth from FY19 to FY21 71 NPS #1 amongst similar brands #1 brand at Sephora 80%+ gross margins #1 follower count across haircare brands on Instagram Top2 brand on Amazon across our categories 65%+ Adj. EBITDA margin REPAIR STRENGTHEN PROTECT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			i
BASIS OF PRESENTATION			i
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA			i
TRADEMARKS, TRADENAMES AND SERVICE MARKS			i
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES			ii
THE REORGANIZATION			ii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			1
RISK FACTORS			25
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			66
USE OF PROCEEDS			68
DIVIDEND POLICY			69
CAPITALIZATION			70
DILUTION			72
THE REORGANIZATION			74
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA			77
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS			80
BUSINESS			107
MANAGEMENT			129
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION			136
PRINCIPAL AND SELLING STOCKHOLDERS			145
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS			149
DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN INDEBTEDNESS			155
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK			158
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE			163
CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME AND ESTATE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS			165
UNDERWRITING			169
LEGAL MATTERS			179
EXPERTS			179
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			179
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS			F-1

Through and including                 , 2021 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

We, the selling stockholders and the underwriters (and any of our or their affiliates) have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We, the selling stockholders and the underwriters (and any of our or their affiliates) take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date. We, the selling stockholders and the underwriters (and any of our or their affiliates) have not done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who obtain this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, this offering and the distribution of this prospectus outside of the United States.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Certain monetary amounts, percentages and other figures included in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown as totals in certain tables and charts may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the figures that precede them, and figures expressed as percentages in the text may not total 100% or, as applicable, when aggregated may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the percentages that precede them.

MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

This prospectus includes market and industry data and forecasts that we have derived from independent consultants, publicly available information, various industry publications, other published industry sources and our internal data and estimates. While independent consultant reports, industry publications and other published industry sources generally indicate that the information contained therein was obtained from sources believed to be reliable we have not independently verified such information.

Our internal data and estimates are based upon information obtained from trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate and our management’s understanding of industry conditions. Although we believe that such information is reliable, we have not had this information verified by any independent sources. Similarly, our internal research is based upon our understanding of industry conditions, and such information has not been verified by any independent sources. To the extent that any estimates underlying such market-derived information and other factors are incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the independent parties’ estimates and in our estimates.

TRADEMARKS, TRADENAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

We own or have rights to trademarks or trade names that we use in conjunction with the operation of our business and that appear in this prospectus. This prospectus also contains trademarks, service marks, trade names

 

i

and copyrights of other companies which, to our knowledge, are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ^® or ^™ symbols, but the absence of such symbols does not indicate the registration status of the trademarks and is not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to such trademarks and trade names.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This prospectus contains “non-GAAP financial measures,” including adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross profit margin, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share (unit). These are financial measures that are not calculated or presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). For more information about how we use these non-GAAP financial measures in our business, the limitations of these measures, and a reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, please see the sections titled “Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

THE REORGANIZATION

Penelope Group Holdings, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“Penelope Group Holdings”), is a holding company and the direct parent of Penelope Holdings Corp., which is the indirect parent of Olaplex, Inc., our primary operating subsidiary. The consolidated financial statements of Penelope Holdings Corp., as the predecessor of the issuer of the shares offered by this prospectus, are the financial statements included in this prospectus. Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (“Olaplex Holdings”) is a newly formed Delaware corporation formed by Advent International GPE IX, LP (“Fund IX”), an investment fund affiliated with Advent International Corporation. Fund IX and other investment funds affiliated with Advent International Corporation (the “Advent Funds”) together with other investors (the “Existing Owners”) hold 100% of the economic equity interests in Penelope Group Holdings. Fund IX also holds 100% of the equity interests in Penelope Group Holdings GP II, LLC (“Penelope Group GP II”), which will be designated as, and replace Penelope Group GP, LLC (“Penelope Group GP”) in the capacity of, general partner of Penelope Group Holdings and will hold a non-economic general partner interest in the partnership prior to the consummation of this offering. Following such designation and prior to the consummation of this offering, we intend to complete a series of transactions pursuant to which (i) the Existing Owners will contribute 100% of their respective economic equity interests in Penelope Group Holdings, and Fund IX will further contribute 100% of the equity interests in Penelope Group GP II, to Olaplex Holdings in exchange for (1) shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings and (2) certain rights to payments under an income tax receivable agreement to be entered into at the time of the contribution, (ii) each outstanding option to purchase equity interests in Penelope Holdings Corp. will become an option to purchase shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, and (iii) each outstanding cash-settled unit of Penelope Holdings Corp. will become a cash-settled unit of Olaplex Holdings. We refer to this as the “Pre-IPO Reorganization.”

Prior to the Pre-IPO Reorganization, Olaplex Holdings is the sole owner of Olaplex Intermediate, Inc., which is the sole owner of Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc., and has no other material assets. Following the Pre-IPO Reorganization, Olaplex Holdings will also be the direct or indirect parent of Penelope Group Holdings and Penelope Group GP II. Following the consummation of this offering, we intend to complete a series of additional transactions pursuant to which (i) Olaplex Holdings and Olaplex Intermediate, Inc. will contribute 100% of the equity interests of Penelope Group Holdings and 100% of the equity interests of Penelope Group GP II to Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc., and (ii) Penelope Group Holdings and Penelope Group GP II will each merge with and into Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc. with Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc. surviving each merger. We refer to these transactions, together with the Pre-IPO Reorganization, as the “Reorganization.”

 

ii

Immediately following the Reorganization, Olaplex Holdings will be a holding company with no material assets other than 100% of the equity interests in Olaplex Intermediate, Inc., which will be a holding company with no material assets other than 100% of the equity interests in Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc., which will be the direct parent of Penelope Holdings Corp. and indirect parent of Olaplex, Inc., and Olaplex Holdings will consolidate Penelope Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries in its historical consolidated financial statements. See “The Reorganization.”

 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock involves risks. You should carefully consider the following information about these risks, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before investing in shares of our common stock. The risks described below are those that we believe are the material risks that we face. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition could suffer materially, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. Some of the following risks and uncertainties are, and will be, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic (including any resurgences thereof) and any worsening of the global business and economic environment as a result. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or those we currently view to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, operating results or financial condition. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” elsewhere in this prospectus.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our inability to anticipate and respond to market trends and changes in consumer preferences could adversely affect our financial results.

Our continued success depends on our ability to anticipate, gauge and react in a timely and cost-effective manner to changes in consumer tastes for haircare and other beauty products, attitudes toward our industry and brand, as well as to where and how consumers shop. We must continually work to maintain and enhance the recognition of our brand, develop, manufacture and market new products, maintain and adapt to existing and emerging distribution channels, successfully manage our inventories and modernize and refine our approach as to how and where we market and sell our products. Consumer tastes and preferences cannot be predicted with certainty and can change rapidly. The issue is compounded by the increasing use of digital and social media by consumers and the speed by which information and opinions are shared. If we are unable to anticipate and respond to sudden challenges that we may face in the marketplace, trends in the market for our products and changing consumer demands and sentiment, our business, financial condition and results of operations will suffer. In addition, from time to time, sales growth or profitability may be concentrated in a relatively small number of our products or countries. If such a situation persists or a number of products or countries fail to perform as expected, there could be an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on a limited number of customers for a large portion of our net sales, and the loss of one or more of these customers could reduce our net sales and have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, three of our customers—Sephora, SalonCentric and Beauty Systems Group—each accounted for greater than 10% of our net sales. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, three of our customers—Sephora, Beauty Systems Group and Amazon.com, Inc.—each accounted for greater than 10% of our net sales. We expect Sephora, SalonCentric, Beauty Systems Group, Amazon.com, Inc. and a small number of other customers will continue to account for a large portion of our net sales for the foreseeable future. The loss of Sephora, SalonCentric, Beauty Systems Group, Amazon.com, Inc. and/or one or more of our other customers that account for a significant portion of our net sales, or any significant decrease in sales to these customers, including as a result of the restructuring or bankruptcy of one of our customers, consolidation among such customers, retail store closures in response to the growth in retail sales through e-commerce channels, decrease in consumer demand or other factors, would reduce our net sales and/or operating income and therefore would have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.

In addition, we may be affected by changes to the salon environment. Our professional beauty customers may limit their product supply if the demand for salon treatment declines. We cannot ensure that there will always be a demand for salons. Likewise, there may be consolidation of the salon market. If consolidation leads to purchasing power, we may have to reduce the cost of our products, which will have an impact on our earnings.

 

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Our brand is critical to our success, and the value of our brand may be adversely impacted by negative publicity. If we fail to maintain the value of our brand or our marketing efforts are not successful, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Our success depends on the value of our brand, which is integral to our business, as well as to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our business. Maintaining, promoting and positioning our brand will depend largely on the success of our marketing and merchandising efforts and our ability to provide consistent, high-quality merchandise. Our brand could be adversely affected if we fail to achieve these objectives or if our public image or reputation were to be tarnished by negative publicity through traditional or social media platforms. We cannot guarantee that our brand development strategies will accelerate the recognition of our brand or increase revenues.

In addition, the importance of our brand may increase to the extent we experience increased competition, which could require additional expenditures on our brand promotion activities. Maintaining and enhancing our brand image also may require us to make additional investments in areas such as merchandising, marketing and online operations. These investments may be substantial and may not ultimately be successful. Moreover, if we are unsuccessful in protecting our intellectual property rights in our brand, the value of our brand may be harmed. Any harm to our brand or reputation could adversely affect our ability to attract and engage customers and negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to attract new customers and consumers, retain existing customers and consumers, or fail to maintain or increase sales to those customers and consumers, our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and growth prospects will be harmed.

Our success depends in large part upon widespread adoption of our products by consumers. In order to attract new consumers and continue to expand our customer and consumer base, we must appeal to and attract hairstylists and consumers who identify with our products. If we fail to deliver a high-quality consumer experience or if our current or potential future customers are not convinced that our products are superior to alternatives, then our ability to retain existing customers, acquire new customers and grow our business may be harmed. We have made significant investments in enhancing our brand, attracting new customers and interacting with our hairstylist and consumer communities, and we expect to continue to make significant investments to promote our products. Such campaigns can be expensive and may not result in new customers or consumers or increased sales of our products. Further, as our brand becomes more widely known, we may not attract new consumers or increase our net sales at the same rates as we have in the past. If we are unable to acquire new customers who purchase products in numbers sufficient to grow our business, we may not be able to generate the scale necessary to drive beneficial network effects with our suppliers, our net revenues may decrease, and our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected.

In addition, our future success depends in part on our ability to increase sales to our existing customers over time, as a significant portion of our net sales are generated from sales to existing customers, particularly those existing customers who are highly engaged and make frequent and/or large purchases of the products we offer. We may be affected by changes in the policies and demands of our professional and specialty retail customers relating to inventory management, changes in pricing, marketing, advertising and/or promotional strategies by such customers, space reconfigurations by our customers or any significant decrease in our display space or online prominence or the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as retailers faced store closures or reduced traffic. If existing customers no longer find our products appealing, are not satisfied with our customer service, including shipping times, or if we are unable to timely update our products to meet current trends and customer demands, our existing customers may not make purchases, or if they do, they may make fewer or smaller purchases in the future.

If we are unable to continue to attract new customers or our existing customers decrease their spending on the products we offer or fail to make repeat purchases of our products, our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects will be harmed.

 

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Our business depends on our ability to maintain a strong community of engaged customers, consumers and ambassadors, including by social media. We may not be able to maintain and enhance our brand if we experience negative publicity related to our marketing efforts or use of social media, fail to maintain and grow our network of ambassadors or otherwise fail to meet our customers’ or consumers’ expectations.

We currently partner with eight brand ambassadors who promote and market our products, participate in product launches, engage with our professional hairstylist and consumer community and educate them about Olaplex products. Our ability to maintain relationships with our existing ambassadors and to identify new ambassadors is critical to expanding and maintaining our customer and consumer base. As our market becomes increasingly competitive or as we expand internationally, recruiting and maintaining new ambassadors may become increasingly difficult. If we are not able to develop and maintain strong relationships with our ambassador network, our ability to promote and maintain awareness of our brand may be adversely affected. Further, if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We and our ambassadors often use third-party social media platforms to raise awareness of our brand and engage with our hairstylist and consumer community. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms, including blogs, chat platforms, social media websites, and other forms of internet-based communications that allow individuals to interact with our products, which acts as a means to enhance brand awareness. As existing social media platforms evolve and new platforms develop, we and our ambassadors must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on emerging popular social media platforms. If we are unable to cost-effectively develop and continuously improve our consumer-facing technologies, such as social media platforms, our ability to acquire new customers and consumers may suffer and we may not be able to provide a convenient and consistent experience to our consumers regardless of the sales channel. This could negatively affect our ability to compete with other companies and result in diminished loyalty to our brand.

The use of social media by our brand ambassadors, our consumers and us has increased the risk that our image and reputation could be negatively impacted. In particular, the reputation of our brand ambassadors could impact how consumers view our products or brand. The rising popularity of social media and other consumer-oriented technologies has increased the speed and accessibility of information dissemination and given users the ability to organize collective actions such as boycotts and other brand-damaging behaviors more effectively. The dissemination of information via social media could harm our brand or our business, regardless of the information’s accuracy. This could include negative publicity related to our products or negative publicity related to actions taken (or not taken) by us or our executives, team members, employees, brand ambassadors, contractors, collaborators, vendors, consultants, advisors or other individuals or entities that may be perceived as being associated with us. Such negative publicity may relate to actions taken (or not taken) with respect to social, environmental, and community outreach issues and initiatives. The harm may be immediate, without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, an increase in the use of social media for product promotion and marketing may increase the burden on us to monitor compliance of such materials, and increase the risk that such materials could contain problematic product or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations. For example, in some cases, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has sought enforcement action where an endorsement has failed to clearly and conspicuously disclose a financial relationship or material connection between an influencer and an advertiser.

We also do not prescribe what our ambassadors post, and our ambassadors could engage in behavior or use their platforms in a manner that reflects poorly on our brand or is in violation of applicable regulations or platform terms of service, and all these actions may be attributed to us. In addition, customer complaints or negative publicity related to our website, mobile app, products, product delivery times, customer data handling, marketing efforts, security practices or customer support, especially on blogs and social media websites, could diminish customer loyalty and community engagement. Our inability or failure to recognize, respond to, and effectively manage the accelerated impact of social media could adversely impact our business.

 

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Further, laws and regulations, including associated enforcement priorities, rapidly evolve to govern social media platforms and other internet-based communications, and any failure by us, our ambassadors or other third parties acting at our direction or on our behalf to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other penalties. Other risks associated with the use of social media and internet based-communication include improper disclosure of proprietary information, negative comments about our brand or products, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud, hoaxes, or malicious dissemination of false information. Damage to the brand image and our reputation could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We rely on single source manufacturers and suppliers for the majority of our products and the loss of manufacturers or suppliers or shortages in the supply of raw materials or finished products could harm our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.

Our products generally rely on a single or a limited number of manufacturers and suppliers. We acquire raw materials, components and packaging from third-party suppliers and our finished products are manufactured by three third-party manufacturers. Cosway Company Inc. manufactures products that accounted for more than 70% of our net sales in 2020 and we continue to rely upon Cosway to manufacture a majority of our current product offerings. In addition, the principal raw material for our products is our patented ingredient, Bis-amino, which is manufactured by a contract manufacturing organization in the United States. In the past, we have been able to obtain an adequate supply of our finished products and essential raw materials and currently believe we have an adequate supply for virtually all components of our products, including Bis-amino. However, we may encounter supply issues with raw materials due to increases in global demand and limited supply capacity. If our finished product manufacturers or supplier of Bis-amino, or any of our other raw materials, is unable to perform and we are required to find alternative sources of supply, these new manufacturers or suppliers may have to be qualified under applicable industry, governmental and Company-mandated vendor standards, which can require additional investment and be time-consuming. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to establish alternative relationships on similar terms, without delay or at all.

In addition to Bis-amino, the other primary raw materials used in our products include essential oils and specialty chemicals, which we obtain from third-party suppliers. While we attempt to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in the price of these raw materials through contractual arrangements with our suppliers, we may not accurately forecast prices and therefore may at times pay more than prevailing market rates, which could leave us at a disadvantage compared to competitors who may be able to offer lower prices while retaining similar margins. If our contracting approach with our suppliers changes, substantial cost increases and the unavailability of raw materials or other commodities, as well as higher costs for energy, transportation and other necessary services could adversely affect our profit margins if we are unable to wholly or partially offset them, such as by achieving cost efficiencies in our supply chain, manufacturing and/or distribution activities.

We believe our third-party manufacturers and suppliers have adequate resources and facilities to overcome many unforeseen interruptions of supply. However, the inability of our third-parties to provide adequate supply of finished products and materials used in our products or the loss of any of these manufacturers or suppliers and any difficulties in finding or transitioning to alternative manufacturers or suppliers would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in the financial or business condition of our manufacturers or suppliers could subject us to losses or adversely affect our ability to bring products to market. Further, the failure of our manufacturers or suppliers to deliver goods and services in sufficient quantities, in compliance with applicable standards, and in a timely manner could adversely affect our customer service levels and overall business. If we experience supply shortages, price increases or regulatory impediments with respect to the raw materials, ingredients, components or packaging we use for our products, we may need to seek alternative supplies or suppliers and may experience difficulties in finding replacements that are comparable in quality and price. In addition, we may be required to reformulate or substitute ingredients in our products due to shortages of specific raw materials in order to meet demand. If we are unable to successfully respond to such issues, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

 

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If we are unable to accurately forecast customer demand, manage our inventory and plan for future expenses, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

We base our current and future inventory needs and expense levels on our operating forecasts and estimates of future demand. To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must be able to forecast inventory needs and expenses and place orders sufficiently in advance with our manufacturers and suppliers, based on our estimates of future demand for particular products. Failure to accurately forecast demand may result in inefficient inventory supply or increased costs. This risk may be exacerbated by the fact that we may not carry a significant amount of inventory and may not be able to satisfy short-term demand increases. Accordingly, if we fail to accurately forecast customer demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of products available for sale. Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs or the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices, which would cause our gross margins to suffer and could impair the strength and premium nature of our brand. Further, lower than forecasted demand could also result in excess manufacturing capacity or reduced manufacturing efficiencies, which could result in lower margins. Conversely, if we underestimate customer demand, including as a result of unanticipated growth, our manufacturers and suppliers may not be able to deliver products to meet our requirements, and we may be subject to higher costs in order to secure the necessary production capacity or we may incur increased shipping costs. An inability to meet customer demand and delays in the delivery of our products to our customers could result in reputational harm and damaged customer relationships and have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.

Moreover, while we devote significant attention to forecasting efforts, the volume, timing, value and type of the orders we receive are inherently uncertain. In addition, we cannot be sure the same growth rates, trends and other key performance metrics are meaningful predictors of future growth. Our business, as well as our ability to forecast demand, is also affected by general economic and business conditions in the United States and the degree of customer confidence in future economic conditions, and we anticipate that our ability to forecast demand due to these types of factors will be increasingly affected by conditions in international markets. A significant portion of our expenses is fixed, and as a result, we may be unable to adjust our spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected shortfall in net revenues. Any failure to accurately predict net revenues or gross margins could cause our operating results to be lower than expected, which could adversely affect our financial condition.

A general economic downturn, or sudden disruption in business conditions may affect consumer purchases of discretionary items and/or the financial strength of our customers, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The general level of consumer spending is affected by a number of factors, including general economic conditions, inflation, interest rates, energy costs and consumer confidence generally, all of which are beyond our control. Consumer purchases of discretionary items tend to decline during recessionary periods, when disposable income is lower, and may impact sales of our products. A decline in consumer purchases of discretionary items also tends to impact our customers. We may extend credit to a customer based on an evaluation of its financial condition, usually without requiring collateral. However, the financial difficulties of a customer could cause us to curtail or eliminate business with them. We may also assume more credit risk relating to the receivables from that customer. Our inability to collect receivables from our largest customers or from a group of customers would have an adverse effect on our business. If any of our customers were to liquidate, we would incur additional costs if we choose to purchase the customer’s inventory of our products to protect brand equity.

Sudden disruptions in local or global business conditions from events such as a pandemic or other health issues, geo-political or local conflicts, civil unrest, terrorist attacks, adverse weather conditions, climate changes or seismic events, can have a short-term and, sometimes, long-term impact on consumer spending, which in turn could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, a downturn in the economies of, or continuing recessions in, the countries where we sell our products or a sudden disruption of

 

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business conditions in those countries could adversely affect consumer confidence, the financial strength of our distributors and retailers and, in turn, our sales and profitability.

Volatility in the financial markets and a related economic downturn in key markets or markets generally throughout the world could have an adverse effect on our business. We may need or choose to seek additional financing to operate or expand our business and deterioration in global financial markets or an adverse change in our credit ratings could make future financing difficult or more expensive.

We operate in highly competitive categories.

We face competition from companies throughout the world, including multinational consumer product companies. Most of our competitors have greater resources than we do, some others are newer companies and some are competing in distribution channels or territories where we are less represented. Our competitors also may be able to respond to changing business and economic conditions more quickly than us due to larger research and development operations, manufacturing capabilities and sales force. Competition in the beauty industry is based on a variety of factors, including innovation, effectiveness of beneficial attributes, accessible pricing, service to the consumer, promotional activities, advertising, special events, new product introductions, e-commerce initiatives and other activities. It is difficult for us to predict the timing and scale of our competitors’ actions in these areas.

Our ability to compete also depends on the continued strength of our brand and products, our ability to attract and retain key talent and other personnel, the influence of our brand ambassadors, the efficiency of our third-party manufacturing facilities and distribution network, our relationships with our key customers and our ability to maintain and protect our intellectual property and those other rights used in our business. We believe we have a well-recognized and strong reputation in our core markets and that the quality and performance of our products, our emphasis on innovation, and engagement with our professional and consumer community position us to compete effectively. However, if our reputation is adversely affected, our ability to attract and retain customers and consumers would be impacted. In addition, certain of our distributors in the United States and key retailers are owned or otherwise affiliated with companies that market and sell competing brands and, as a result, they may have an interest in promoting theses competing brands over our products. Our inability to continue to compete effectively in key countries around the world could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A disruption in manufacturing or supply chain could adversely affect our business.

We are subject to the risks inherent in the manufacturing of our products and supply chain, including industrial accidents, environmental events, strikes and other labor disputes, capacity constraints, disruptions in ingredient, material or packaging supply, as well as global shortages, disruptions in supply chain or information technology, loss or impairment of key manufacturing sites or suppliers, product quality control, safety, increase in commodity prices and energy costs, licensing requirements and other regulatory issues, as well as natural disasters and other external factors over which we have no control. If such an event were to occur, it could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of our manufacturers experienced an interruption that delayed the manufacturing of one of our products for three weeks in January 2021, and we may experience further interruptions with this or other manufacturers as a result of the pandemic.

Our finished products are manufactured in the United States and Europe, with a substantial portion manufactured in California. Any interruptions in operations at these locations could result in our inability to satisfy product demand. Despite efforts by our third-party contract manufacturers to safeguard these facilities, and disaster recovery programs in place under some of our agreements with suppliers that allow for shifting of manufacturing capacity if necessary, a number of factors could damage or destroy the manufacturing equipment or our inventory component of supplies or finished goods, cause substantial delays in manufacturing, supply and

 

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distribution of our products, result in the loss of key information and cause us to incur additional expenses, including:

 

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operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production imposed by regulatory authorities;

 

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equipment malfunctions or failures;

 

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technology malfunctions;

 

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work stoppages;

 

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damage to or destruction of the facility due to natural disasters including wildfires, earthquakes or other events; or

 

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regional or local power shortages.

While we maintain business interruption insurance that we believe is appropriate for our operations, our insurance may not cover losses in any particular case, or insurance may not be available on commercially reasonable terms to cover certain of these catastrophic events or interruptions. In addition, regardless of the level of insurance coverage, damage to these facilities or any disruption that impedes our ability to manufacture our products in a timely manner could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our recent rapid growth may not be sustainable or indicative of future growth, and we expect our growth rate to ultimately slow over time.

We have experienced significant and rapid growth. Net sales increased from $148.2 million in 2019 to $282.3 million in 2020. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, we had net sales of $99.6 million and $270.2 million, respectively. Our historical rate of growth may not be sustainable or indicative of our future rate of growth, and in future periods, our net sales could grow more slowly than we expect or decline. We believe that continued growth in net sales, as well as our ability to improve or maintain margins and profitability, will depend upon, among other factors, our ability to address the challenges, risks and difficulties described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to successfully manage any such challenges or risks to our future growth. Any of these factors could cause our net sales growth to slow or decline and may adversely affect our margins and profitability. Even if our net sales continue to increase, we expect that our growth rate may slow for a number of other reasons, including if there is a slowdown in the growth of demand for our products, increased competition, a decrease in the growth or reduction in the size of our overall market or if we cannot capitalize on growth opportunities. Failure to continue to grow our net sales or improve or maintain margins would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should not rely on our historical rate of growth as an indication of our future performance.

The fluctuating cost of raw materials could increase our cost of goods sold and cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to suffer.

We have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, fluctuations in the cost of raw materials used in our products for reasons beyond our control. Our costs for raw materials are affected by, among other things, weather, customer demand, speculation on the commodities market, the relative valuations and fluctuations of the currencies of producer versus customer countries and other factors that are generally unpredictable and beyond our control. Increases in the cost of raw materials could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The illegal distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit versions of our products or the unauthorized diversion by third parties of our products could have an adverse effect on our net sales and a negative impact on our reputation and business.

Third parties may illegally distribute and sell counterfeit versions of our products. These counterfeit products may be inferior in terms of quality and other characteristics compared to our authentic products and/or the

 

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counterfeit products could pose safety risks that our authentic products would not otherwise present to consumers. Consumers could confuse counterfeit products with our authentic products, which could damage or diminish the image, reputation and/or value of our brand and cause consumers to refrain from purchasing our products in the future, which could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

In 2020, a majority of our net sales were generated through the sale of our products to professional salon distributors. Products sold to these customers are meant to be used exclusively by salons and individual salon professionals or are sold exclusively to the retail consumers of these salons. Despite our efforts to prevent diversion of such products from these customers, incidents have occurred and continue to occur whereby our products are sold to sales outlets other than the intended salons and salon professionals, such as to general merchandise retailers or unapproved outlets. In some instances, these diverted products may be old, damaged or otherwise adulterated. Such diversion may result in lower net sales of our products if consumers choose to purchase diverted products and/or choose to purchase products manufactured or sold by our competitors because of any perceived damage or diminishment to the image, reputation and/or value of our brand.

We have been unable to eliminate, and may in the future be unable to eliminate, all counterfeiting activities and unauthorized product diversion, both of which could have a negative impact on our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Shipping is a critical part of our business and any changes in, or disruptions to, our shipping distribution and warehouse management network could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We currently rely on third-party global providers to deliver our products to customers, including directly to consumers. If we are not able to negotiate acceptable pricing and other terms with these providers, or if these providers experience performance problems or other difficulties in processing our orders or delivering our products to customers, it could negatively impact our results of operations and our customers’ experience. For example, changes to the terms of our shipping arrangements or the imposition of surcharges or surge pricing may adversely impact our margins and profitability. In addition, our ability to receive inbound inventory efficiently and ship merchandise to customers may be negatively affected by factors beyond our and these providers’ control, including pandemic, weather, fire, flood, power loss, earthquakes, acts of war or terrorism or other events specifically impacting other shipping partners, such as labor disputes, financial difficulties, system failures and other disruptions to the operations of the shipping companies on which we rely. We have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, shipping delays for reasons outside of our control, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also subject to risks of damage or loss during delivery by our shipping vendors. If the products ordered by our customers are not delivered in a timely fashion, including to international customers, or are damaged or lost during the delivery process, our customers could become dissatisfied and cease buying products from us, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.

We have expanded our operations rapidly since our founding in 2014. At times, we may also experience significant growth in one or more of our markets or for one or more of our products. For example, we expanded our distributor customer network in the U.K. beginning in 2019, and our sales in the U.K. increased by over 200% from 2019 to 2020. As a result, we opened a fulfillment center in the U.K. to service this increased demand.

To manage our growth effectively, we must continue to implement our operational plans and strategies, improve and expand our infrastructure of people and information systems and expand, train and manage our employee base.

 

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Growth can also strain our ability to effectively manage our operations, as it requires us to expand our management team, sales and marketing, product development and distribution functions. Growth may require us to also upgrade our management information systems and other processes and technology, and to obtain space for our expanding workforce. It also requires us to obtain sufficient raw materials and manufacturing capacity and additional operational capabilities and facilities to warehouse and distribute our products. Insufficient management execution to support growth could result in, among other things, product delays or shortages, operating errors, inadequate customer service, inappropriate claims or promotions by our marketing team or brand ambassadors and governmental inquires and investigations, all of which could harm our revenue and ability to generate sustained growth and result in unanticipated expenses. In addition, we need to continue to attract and develop qualified management personnel to sustain growth. If we are not able to successfully retain existing personnel and identify, hire and integrate new personnel, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

If we do not continue to successfully develop and introduce new, innovative and updated products, we may not be able to maintain or increase our sales and profitability.

We are focused on selling to both professional hairstylists and consumers. As a result, our success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. All of our products are subject to changing consumer preferences that cannot be predicted with certainty. If we do not continue to introduce new products or innovations on existing products in a timely manner or our new products or innovations are not accepted by our consumers, or if our competitors introduce similar products in a more timely fashion, our brand or our market position could be harmed.

Further, our new products and innovations on existing and future products may not receive the same level of consumer acceptance as our products have in the past. Consumer preferences could change, especially as we expand our product offerings beyond haircare, and our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes. Our failure to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing consumer preferences could lead to, among other things, lower sales, excess inventory or inventory shortages, markdowns and write-offs and diminished brand loyalty. Even if we are successful in anticipating consumer needs and preferences, our ability to adequately address those needs and preferences will in part depend upon our continued ability to develop and introduce innovative, high quality products and maintain our distinctive brand identity as we expand the range of products we offer. A failure to effectively introduce new products or innovations on existing products that appeal to our consumers could result in a decrease in net revenues and excess inventory levels, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends, in part, on our key personnel.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to retain our key personnel, including our executive officers and senior management team. In particular, we are highly dependent on the experience, reputation and contributions of JuE Wong, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and Tiffany Walden, our Chief Operating Officer, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary. The unexpected loss of, or misconduct by, one or more of our key employees could adversely affect our business. Our success also depends, in part, on our continuing ability to identify, hire, train and retain other highly qualified personnel. To support our continued growth, we must effectively integrate, develop and motivate a large number of new employees. To attract top talent, we may need to increase our employee compensation levels to remain competitive in attracting and retaining talented employees. Competition for these employees can be intense. We may not be able to attract, assimilate or retain qualified personnel in the future, and our failure to do so could have an adverse effect on our business. This risk may be exacerbated by the stresses associated with the implementation of our strategic plan and other initiatives.

 

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Our business could be negatively impacted if we fail to execute our product launch process or ongoing product sales due to difficulty in forecasting or increased pressure on our supply chain, information systems and management.

New product offerings may generate significant activity and a high level of purchasing for the new product or current products, which can result in a higher-than-normal increase in revenue during the quarter and skew year-over-year comparisons. These offerings may also increase our product return rate. We may experience difficulty effectively managing growth associated with the launch of new products.

In addition, the size and schedule of these product offerings increase pressure on our supply chain and order processing systems. We may fail to appropriately scale our manufacturing capacity in response to unanticipated changes in demand for our existing products or to the demand for new products, which could harm our reputation and profitability.

If we are unable to accurately forecast sales levels in each market for product launches or ongoing product sales, obtain a sufficient supply of products to meet demand, including as a result of shortages in raw materials or packaging, we may incur higher expedited shipping costs and we may temporarily run out of stock of certain products, which could negatively impact our relationships with customers and consumers. Conversely, if demand does not meet our expectations for a product launch or ongoing product sales or if we change our planned launch strategies or initiatives, we could incur inventory write-downs.

The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect our financial results will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and difficult to predict.

The outbreak and global spread of COVID-19 has significantly disrupted our operating environment, including retail stores, hair salons, manufacturing, distribution and the ability of many of our customers to operate. While initially during the pandemic, salons operated under restrictions that caused many to close or operate at significantly reduced levels, since the third quarter of 2020 salons in most of the United States have operated close to pre-pandemic levels. However, salons in Europe and other key markets still remain closed or are operating with restrictions or at reduced capacity, which continues to impact our sales in these markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased economic uncertainty, raising concerns about an economic slowdown and the possibility of a global recession. History has not provided any comparable recent events that provide guidance concerning the impacts of a global pandemic like COVID-19. There is also considerable uncertainty regarding measures being taken by various authorities and others to try to contain the spread of COVID-19, as well as the timing and rates of vaccinations. The degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact our cash flow, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, many of which are outside of our control. As we continue to monitor developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the impacts on our customers, suppliers and consumers, we have taken and will continue to take further measures. Some of the actions we take could adversely impact our business, and there is no certainty that our actions will be sufficient to mitigate the risks and the impacts of COVID-19.

Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to achieve our long-term strategy.

Achieving our long-term strategy will require investment in new capabilities, categories, distribution channels, supply chain facilities, technologies and emerging markets. These investments may result in short-term costs without associated current sales and, therefore, may be dilutive to our earnings. In addition, we may dispose of or discontinue select products or streamline operations and incur costs or restructuring and other charges in doing so. Although we believe that our strategy will lead to long-term growth in sales and profitability, we may not realize the anticipated benefits. The failure to realize benefits, which may be due to our inability to execute plans, global or local economic conditions, competition, changes in the haircare industry and the other risks described herein, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Our business is affected by seasonality.

Our business has historically been influenced by seasonal trends common to traditional retail selling periods, and the results of our operations typically are slightly higher in the second half of the fiscal year due to increased levels of purchasing by consumers for special and holiday events and by retailers for the holiday selling seasons. Accordingly, adverse events that occur during these months could have a disproportionate effect on our operating results for the entire fiscal year. Moreover, higher sales during the third and fourth quarters may cause our working capital needs to be greater during the second and third quarters of the fiscal year. As a result of quarterly fluctuations caused by these and other factors, comparisons of our operating results across different fiscal quarters may not be accurate indicators of our future performance. Furthermore, our rapid growth in recent years may obscure the extent to which seasonality trends have affected our business and may continue to affect our business. Accordingly, yearly or quarterly comparisons of our operating results may not be useful and our results in any particular period will not necessarily be indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. Seasonality in our business can also be affected by introductions of new or enhanced products, including the costs associated with such introductions.

Although our employees in the United States are co-employed by a professional employer organization, we may be liable for the failure of the organization to comply with its obligations under applicable law.

We utilize the services of a professional employer organization (“PEO”), to manage our U.S. employees and their employee benefits. Under the terms of our arrangement, the PEO is the formal employer of all of our personnel in the United States and is responsible for administering all payroll, including tax withholding, and providing health insurance and other benefits for these individuals. We reimburse the PEO for these costs, and pay it an administrative fee for its services.

While our partnership with the PEO allows us to more efficiently and effectively operate our human resources administration without the need for additional personnel, it also exposes us to some risks. If the PEO fails to comply with applicable laws or its obligations under this arrangement, we could be liable for such violations, and the indemnification provisions of our agreement with the PEO, if applicable, may not be sufficient to insulate us from those liabilities. We also could, under certain circumstances, be held liable for a failure by the PEO to pay employer-side taxes arising from payments to our employees or a failure by the PEO to withhold and remit taxes arising from such payments. We also could, under certain circumstances, be held liable for a failure by the PEO to appropriately pay, or withhold and remit required taxes from payments to, our employees. In such a case, our potential liability could be significant and could have an adverse effect on our business. Furthermore, if the PEO creates work policies that are viewed unfavorably by employees or does not efficiency manage our employee benefits, our relationship with our employees could be damaged.

Risks Related to Our International Operations

We are subject to risks related to the global scope of our sales channels.

Our products are sold in more than 60 countries around the world, with approximately 47% of our 2020 net sales generated outside the United States. In addition, some of our products are manufactured in Europe, and through third parties we have key operational facilities located inside and outside the United States that warehouse or distribute goods for sale throughout the world. Our global operations are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including:

 

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fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and the relative costs of operating in different places, which can affect our results of operations, the relative prices at which we and competitors sell products in the same markets and the cost of certain inventory and non-inventory items required in our operations;

 

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the possibility that local civil unrest, political instability, or changes in diplomatic or trade relationships might disrupt our operations in one or more markets;

 

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foreign or U.S. laws, regulations and policies, including restrictions on trade, immigration and travel, operations, and investments; currency exchange controls; restrictions on imports and exports, including license requirements; tariffs; and taxes;

 

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the presence of high inflation in the economies of some of the international markets in which our products are sold;

 

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lack of well-established or reliable legal and administrative systems in certain countries in which our products are sold;

 

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adverse weather conditions and natural disasters; and

 

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social, economic and geopolitical conditions, such as a pandemic, terrorist attack, war or other military action.

These risks could have an adverse effect on our business, including our ability to capitalize on growth in new international markets and to maintain the current level of operations in our existing international markets.

We are subject to financial risks as a result of our international operations, including exposure to foreign currency fluctuations and the impact of foreign currency restrictions.

Foreign-currency fluctuations may affect our financial position and results of operations. Approximately 5% of our 2020 net sales occurred in a foreign currency and we purchase inventory from our European manufacturer in Euros. Our exposure to foreign currencies may increase as we expand our business in foreign markets. In preparing our financial statements, we translate revenue and expenses in our markets outside the United States from their local currencies into U.S. dollars using weighted-average exchange rates. If the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to local currencies, our reported revenue, gross profit and net income will likely be reduced.

Although we may engage in transactions intended to reduce our exposure to foreign-currency fluctuations, there can be no assurance that these transactions will be effective. Complex global political and economic dynamics can affect exchange rate fluctuations. For example, the implementation of tariffs, border taxes or other measures related to the level of trade between the United States and other markets could impact the value of the U.S. dollar. It is difficult to predict future fluctuations and the effect these fluctuations may have upon future reported results or our overall financial condition.

Risks Related to Legal and Regulatory Matters

Disputes and other legal or regulatory proceedings could adversely affect our financial results.

From time to time, we may become involved in litigation, other disputes or regulatory proceedings in connection with or incidental to our business, including litigation related to intellectual property, regulatory matters, contract, advertising and other consumer claims. In general, claims made by us or against us in litigation, disputes or other proceedings can be expensive and time consuming to bring or defend against and could result in settlements, injunctions or damages that could significantly affect our business. It is not possible to predict the final resolution of the litigation, disputes or proceedings to which we currently are or may in the future become party to. Regardless of the final resolution, such proceedings may have an adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition and business, including by utilizing our resources and potentially diverting the attention of our management from the operation of our business. See “Business—Legal Proceedings.”

Our products are subject to federal, state and international laws, regulations and policies that could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.

Our business is subject to numerous laws, regulations and policies around the world. Many of these laws and regulations have a high level of subjectivity, are subject to interpretation, and vary significantly from market to market. These laws and regulations can have several impacts on our business, including:

 

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delays in or prohibitions of selling a product or ingredient in one or more markets;

 

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limitations on our ability to import products into a market;

 

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delays and expenses associated with compliance, such as record keeping, documentation of the properties of certain products, labeling, and scientific substantiation;

 

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limitations on the labeling and marketing claims we can make regarding our products; and

 

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limitations on the substances that can be included in our product, resulting in product reformulations, or the recall and discontinuation of certain products that cannot be reformulated to comply with new regulations.

These events could interrupt the marketing and sale of our products, cause us to be subject to product liability claims, severely damage our brand reputation and image in the marketplace, increase the cost of our products, cause us to fail to meet customer expectations or cause us to be unable to deliver products in sufficient quantities or sufficient quality, which could result in lost sales.

Before we can market and sell our products in certain jurisdictions, the applicable local governmental authority may require evidence of the safety of our products, which may include testing of individual ingredients at relevant levels. In particular, because Bis-amino is our proprietary ingredient, it typically is not a pre-approved ingredient for use in products in specific jurisdictions and we have been required in the past, and may be required in the future, to perform testing and provide other data and information to governmental authorities prior to the sale of our products in the jurisdiction. For example, Australian authorities have required us to perform additional testing on Bis-amino to register Bis-amino under Australia’s Industrial Chemical Introduction Scheme (AICIS), to be able to sell certain of our products in Australia. We are performing the final testing required, and have received provisional approval to sell our products. Although we are confident in our ability to obtain final approval, the Australian authorities could withdraw the provisional approval, resulting in impacts on our sales of certain products in Australia. Furthermore, our international customers are primarily responsible for registering ingredients or otherwise obtaining any approvals necessary for them to sell our products in the applicable territory and any failure by them to do so could decrease sales of our products and harm our reputation. Delays in or prohibition of selling our products, or the need to reformulate the ingredients used in our products, could have an adverse effect on our existing business and future growth.

Additional laws, regulations and policies, and changes, new interpretation or enforcement thereof, that affect our business could adversely affect our financial results. These include accounting standards, laws and regulations relating to tax matters, trade, data privacy and data security, anti-corruption, advertising, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, customs matters, product registration, ingredients, chemicals, packaging, selective distribution, environmental or climate change matters. Changes may require us to reformulate or discontinue certain of our products or revise our product packaging or labeling, any of which could result in, among other things, increased costs to us, delays in our product launches, product returns or recalls and lower net sales, and therefore could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.

Government regulations relating to the marketing and advertising of our products may restrict, inhibit or delay our ability to sell our products and harm our business.

A variety of federal, state, and foreign government authorities regulate the advertising and promotion of our products, including the marketing claims we can make regarding their properties and benefits. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) regulates cosmetic products, including marketing claims. While the FDA does not require cosmetic products and labeling to undergo pre-market approval and the FDA does not have a list of approved or accepted claims, cosmetic labeling and claims must be truthful and not misleading. In addition, a cosmetic product may not be marketed with claims regarding the treatment or prevention of diseases or conditions or an effect on the structure or function of the body, which would cause such products to meet the definition of a drug and be subject to the requirements applicable to drug products. The

 

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FDA has issued warning letters to cosmetic companies alleging improper drug claims regarding their cosmetic products, including, for example, product claims regarding hair growth or preventing hair loss. There is a degree of subjectivity in determining whether a labeling or marketing claim is appropriate under these standards. While we believe our product claims are truthful, not misleading, and would not cause our products to be regulated as drugs, there is always a risk that the FDA may determine otherwise, send us a warning letter or untitled letter, require us to modify our product claims, or take other enforcement action.

Other regulatory authorities, such as the FTC and state consumer protection agencies, also govern our products and typically require adequate and reliable scientific substantiation to support any marketing claims. This standard for substantiation is subject to interpretation and can vary widely from market to market, and there is no assurance that the research and development efforts that we undertake to support our claims will be deemed adequate for any particular product or claim. The FTC also has specialized requirements for certain types of claims. For example, the FTC’s “Green Guides” regulate how “free-of,” “non-toxic” and similar claims must be framed and substantiated. It is possible that the FTC could interpret the Green Guides in a manner that does not allow some of our claims or that requires additional substantiation to make them. The FTC also has issued Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (“Endorsement Guides”), under which product testimonials must come from “bona fide” users of a product and otherwise reflect the honest opinions, beliefs, or experience of the endorser. Additionally, companies must disclose material connections between themselves and their endorsers and are subject to liability for false or unsubstantiated statements regarding its products made by endorsers including, for example, marketing atypical results of using a product. The FTC actively investigates online product reviews and may bring enforcement actions against a company for failure to comply with applicable requirements for testimonials. Our brand ambassadors may participate in our product launches, take part in media days promoting our products, create product tutorials, and post online reviews of our products, including and “before and after” photos. If we or our brand ambassadors fail to comply with the Endorsement Guides or make improper product claims, the FTC could bring an enforcement action against us and we could be fined and/or forced to alter our marketing materials.

Moreover, consumer protection laws and regulations governing our business continue to expand. In some states such as California, class-action lawsuits may be based on similar standards regarding false and misleading advertising and other increasingly novel theories of liability. In addition, plaintiffs’ lawyers have filed class action or false advertising lawsuits against cosmetic companies based on their marketing claims. Federal and state consumer protection agencies are expected to continue their active enforcement of applicable laws and regulations. Any inquiry into the regulatory status of our products and any related interruption in the marketing and sales of these products could damage out reputation and image in the marketplace.

If our products are not manufactured in compliance with applicable regulation, do not meet quality standards, or otherwise result in adverse health effects in consumers, it could result in reputational harm, remedial costs, or regulatory enforcement.

In the United States, the FDA has not promulgated regulations governing Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMPs”) for cosmetics. However, adherence to recommended GMPs can reduce the risk that FDA finds such products have been rendered adulterated or misbranded in violation of applicable law. FDA’s draft guidance on cosmetic GMPs, most recently updated in June 2013, provides recommendations related to process documentation, recordkeeping, building and facility design, equipment maintenance and personnel. FDA also recommends that manufacturers maintain product complaint and recall files and voluntarily report adverse events to the agency.

We rely on third parties to manufacture our products in compliance with quality standards, including the cosmetic GMP guidelines in the FDA’s draft guidance. Compliance with these standards can increase the cost of manufacturing our products as we work with our vendors to assure they are qualified and in compliance. If we or our contract manufacturers fail to comply with these standards, it could lead to customer complaints, adverse events, product withdrawal or recall, or increase the likelihood that our products are rendered adulterated or

 

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misbranded, any of which could result in negative publicity, remedial costs, or regulatory enforcement that could impact our ability to continue selling certain products. Problems associated with product recalls could be exacerbated due to the global nature of our business because a recall in one jurisdiction could lead to recalls in other jurisdictions.

Government reviews, inquiries, investigations and actions could harm our business.

As we operate in various locations around the world, our operations are subject to governmental scrutiny and may be adversely impacted by the results of such scrutiny. The regulatory environment with regard to our business is evolving, and government officials often exercise broad discretion in deciding how to interpret and apply applicable regulations. From time to time, we may receive formal and informal inquiries from various government regulatory authorities, as well as self-regulatory organizations, about our business and compliance with local laws, regulations or standards. Any determination that our operations or activities, or the activities of our employees, are not in compliance with existing laws, regulations or standards could negatively impact us in a number of ways, including the imposition of substantial fines, civil and criminal penalties, interruptions of business, loss of supplier, vendor or other third-party relationships, termination of necessary licenses and permits, modification of business practices and compliance programs, equitable remedies, including disgorgement, injunctive relief, and other sanctions or similar results, all of which could potentially harm our business. Even if these reviews, inquiries, investigations and actions do not result in any adverse determinations, they could create negative publicity which could harm our business and give rise to third-party litigation or action.

If our products are found to be defective or unsafe we may be subject to various product liability claims, which could harm our reputation and business.

Our success depends, in part, on the quality and safety of our products. If our products are found to be defective, unsafe, or otherwise fail to meet our consumers’ expectations or if our product claims are found to be unfair or deceptive, our relationships with customers or consumers could suffer, the appeal of one or more of our products could be diminished and we could lose sales, any of which could result in an adverse effect on our business. For example, we have historically received complaints regarding our products, including complaints alleging that our products have caused dryness, skin irritation, hair loss, or hair damage, or have failed to improve the look and texture of hair. We conduct testing of our products and, based on these tests, do not believe that our products are the direct cause of such adverse effects. However, regardless of their merit, these or future complaints could have a negative impact on the reputation of our products and our brand, cause us to recall or stop selling our products, or lead to increased scrutiny or enforcement action from regulatory authorities, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial results.

We have been and may be subject to product liability claims, including that our products fail to meet quality or manufacturing specifications, contain contaminants, include inadequate instructions as to their proper use, include inadequate warnings concerning side effects and interactions with other substances or for persons with health conditions or allergies, or cause adverse reactions or side effects. Product liability claims could increase our costs, and adversely affect our business and financial results. As we continue to offer an increasing number of new products through large product offerings our product liability risk may increase.

We maintain product liability insurance and continue to periodically evaluate whether we can and should obtain higher product liability insurance. Based upon our current approach to product liability risk management, if any of our products are found to cause any injury or damage or we become subject to product liability claims, we will be subject to the full amount of liability associated with any injuries or damages.

 

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Our collection, use, storage, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information could give rise to significant costs and liabilities, including as a result of governmental regulation, uncertain or inconsistent interpretation and enforcement of legal requirements or differing views of personal privacy rights, which may have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

We collect, use, store, transmit and otherwise process data that is sensitive to the Company and its employees, customers and suppliers. A variety of state, federal, and foreign laws, regulations and industry standards apply to the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer and other processing of certain types of data. As we seek to expand our business, we are, and may increasingly become subject to various laws, regulations and standards, as well as contractual obligations, relating to data privacy and security in the jurisdictions in which we operate. In many cases, these laws and regulations may apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between or among us, our affiliates and other parties with whom we conduct business. These laws, regulations and standards are continuously evolving and may be interpreted and applied differently over time and from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and it is possible that they will be interpreted and applied in ways that may have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

In the United States, many states are considering adopting, or have already adopted, privacy regulations, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”), which became operational in 2020. The CCPA increases privacy rights for California residents, including the right to access and delete their personal information, receive detailed information about how their personal information is used and shared, and imposes other obligations on companies that process their personal information. Among, other things, the CCPA provides California consumers the right to opt-out of certain sales of personal information. The CCPA also creates a private right of action for certain data breaches that result in the loss of personal information. This private right of action may increase the likelihood of, and risks associated with, data breach litigation. Additionally, in November 2020, California passed the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CPRA”), which expands the CCPA significantly, including by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain personal information and creating a new state agency to oversee implementation and enforcement efforts, potentially resulting in further uncertainty and requiring us to incur additional costs and expenses in an effort to comply. Many of the CPRA’s provisions will become effective on January 1, 2023. The costs of compliance with, and the other burdens imposed by, these and other laws or regulatory actions may increase our operational costs, and/or result in interruptions or delays in the availability of systems. Most recently, Virginia passed the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”), applicable to companies collecting personal information of more than 100,000 Virginia residents, which could further impact our compliance burden. The enactment of such laws could have potentially conflicting requirements that would make compliance challenging.

Our communications with our customers and email and social media marketing are subject to certain laws and regulations. As laws and regulations, including FTC enforcement, evolve to govern the use of these communications and marketing platforms, the failure by us, our employees or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations or subject us to fines or other penalties.

We are also subject to certain international privacy laws. In Canada, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) and various provincial laws require that companies give detailed privacy notices to consumers, obtain consent to use personal information, with limited exceptions, allow individuals to access and correct their personal information, and report certain data breaches.

In the European Economic Area (the “EEA”), we are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and in the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), we are subject to the U.K. General Data Protection Regulation (“U.K. GDPR”) and the U.K. Data Protection Act 2018 (the “U.K. DPA”), in each case in relation to our collection, control, processing, sharing, disclosure and other use of data relating to an identifiable living individual (personal data). The interpretations and measures conducted by us in our efforts to comply with these laws may have been or may prove to be insufficient. The GDPR and national implementing legislation in EEA member states and the U.K.,

 

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impose a strict data protection compliance regime. The GDPR and the U.K. GDPR imposes substantial fines for breaches and violations (up to the greater of €20 million (or £17.5 million) or 4% of global annual turnover). In addition to the foregoing, a breach of the GDPR or U.K. GDPR could result in regulatory investigations, reputational damage, orders to cease/ change our processing of our data, enforcement notices, and/ or assessment notices (for a compulsory audit). We may also face civil claims including representative actions and other class action type litigation (where individuals have suffered harm), potentially amounting to significant compensation or damages liabilities, as well as associated costs, diversion of internal resources, and reputational harm.

We are also subject to rules with respect to cross-border transfers of personal data from the EEA and the U.K. to the United States and other jurisdictions that the European Commission does not recognize as having “adequate” data protection laws unless a data transfer mechanism has been put in place. Recent legal developments in Europe have created complexity and uncertainty regarding transfers of personal data from the EEA and the U.K. to the United States, and other jurisdictions. Most recently, in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the E.U. (“CJEU”) limited how organizations could lawfully transfer personal data from the EEA to the United States, by invalidating the Privacy Shield and placing limitations on the use of the European Commission’s approved Standard Contractual Clauses (“SCCs”), requiring companies to independently assess the laws of the jurisdiction to which they transfer data with respect to their ability to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals as well as requiring further consideration of any additional protections such Company should put in place to ensure an essentially equivalent level of data protection to that afforded to the E.U. We currently rely on the SCCs to transfer personal data outside the EEA and the U.K., including to the United States, and will be required to implement new SCCs to address certain additional vendor relationships and the newly released SCCs issued by the European Commission on June 7, 2021. As supervisory authorities issue further guidance on personal data transfer mechanisms and the implications of the CJEU’s July 2020 decision, or start taking enforcement action, we could suffer additional costs, complaints and regulatory investigations or fines. If we are otherwise unable to transfer personal data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we provide our services as well as the geographical location or segregation of our relevant systems and operations, and could adversely affect our financial results.

On June 28, 2021, the European Commission issued an adequacy decision in respect of the UK’s data protection framework, enabling data transfers from EU member states to the UK to continue without requiring organizations to put in place contractual or other measures in order to lawfully transfer personal data between the territories. While it is intended to last for at least four years, the European Commission may unilaterally revoke the adequacy decision at any point. If we are required to implement additional measures to transfer data from the EEA to the U.K. or other third countries, this could increase our compliance costs, and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, some laws may require us to notify governmental authorities and/or affected individuals of data breaches involving certain personal information or other unauthorized or inadvertent access to or disclosure of such information. We may need to notify governmental authorities and affected individuals with respect to such incidents. For example, laws in all 50 U.S. states may require businesses to provide notice to consumers whose personal information has been disclosed as a result of a data breach in some instances. The requirements of these laws carry, and compliance in the event of a widespread data breach may be difficult and costly. We also may be contractually required to notify consumers or other counterparties of a security breach. Regardless of our contractual protections, any actual or perceived security breach could harm our reputation and brand, expose us to potential liability or require us to expend significant resources on data security and in responding to any such actual or perceived breach, including through increased insurance premiums.

We make public statements about our use and disclosure of personal information through our privacy policies that are posted on our websites. The publication of our privacy policies and other statements that provide promises and assurances about data privacy and security can subject us to potential government or legal action if they are found to be deceptive, unfair or misrepresentative of our actual practices.

 

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Further, we are subject to the Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) Data Security Standard, a security standard applicable to companies that collect, store or transmit certain data regarding credit and debit cards, holders and transactions. We rely on internal resources and external vendors to handle PCI matters and ensure PCI compliance. Despite our compliance efforts, we may become subject to claims that we have violated the PCI Data Security Standard based on past, present, and future business practices. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with the PCI Data Security Standard can subject us to fines, termination of banking relationships, and increased transaction fees. In addition, there is no guarantee that PCI DSS compliance will prevent illegal or improper use of our payment systems or the theft, loss or misuse of payment card data or transaction information.

We rely on a variety of marketing techniques and practices to sell our products and to attract new customers and consumers, and we are subject to various current and future data protection laws and obligations that govern marketing and advertising practices. Governmental authorities continue to evaluate the privacy implications inherent in the use of third-party “cookies” and other methods of online tracking for behavioral advertising and other purposes, such as by regulating the level of consumer notice and consent required before a company can employ cookies or other electronic tracking tools or the use of data gathered with such tools. In particular, we are subject to evolving E.U. and U.K. privacy laws on cookies and e-marketing. In the E.U. and the U.K., regulators are increasingly focusing on compliance with requirements in the online behavioral advertising ecosystem, and current national laws that implement the ePrivacy Directive are highly likely to be replaced by an E.U. regulation known as the ePrivacy Regulation which will significantly increase fines for non-compliance. In the E.U. and the U.K., informed consent is required for the placement of a cookie or similar technologies on a user’s device and for direct electronic marketing, and we are in the process of updating our applicable websites to include a mechanism for obtaining such consent. The GDPR also imposes conditions on obtaining valid consent, such as a prohibition on pre-checked consents and a requirement to ensure separate consents are sought for each type of cookie or similar technology. While the text of the ePrivacy Regulation is still under development, a recent European court decision, regulators’ recent guidance and recent campaigns by a not for profit organization are driving increased attention to cookies and tracking technologies. If regulators start to enforce the strict approach in recent guidance, this could lead to substantial costs, require significant systems changes, limit the effectiveness of our marketing activities, divert the attention of our technology personnel, adversely affect our margins, increase costs and subject us to additional liabilities. Additionally, some providers of consumer devices, web browsers and application stores have implemented, or announced plans to implement, means to make it easier for Internet users to prevent the placement of cookies or to block other tracking technologies, require additional consents, or limit the ability to track user activity, which could if widely adopted result in the use of third-party cookies and other methods of online tracking becoming significantly less effective.

Our employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners may engage in fraudulent or illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless, and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violate: (i) the rules of the applicable regulatory bodies; (ii) manufacturing standards; (iii) data privacy and security laws or other similar non-United States laws; or (iv) laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. These laws may impact, among other things, future sales, marketing, and education programs.

It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by our employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent these activities may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. In addition, we are subject to the risk that a person or government could allege such fraud or other misconduct, even if none occurred. If any such actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could result in the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions, including the imposition of civil, criminal, and administrative penalties, additional integrity reporting and oversight obligations. Whether or not we are successful in defending against any such actions or investigations, we could incur substantial costs, including legal fees, and divert the attention of management in defending.

 

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Violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, U.K. Bribery Act, and other anti-corruption laws outside the United States could have an adverse effect on us.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), U.K. Bribery Act, and other anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials or other persons for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Recent years have seen a substantial increase in anti-bribery law enforcement activity, with more frequent and aggressive investigations and enforcement proceedings by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC, increased enforcement activity by non-U.S. regulators and increases in criminal and civil proceedings brought against companies and individuals. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws. We sell our products in many parts of the world that are recognized as having governmental and commercial corruption and in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures will always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees, customers or other third-party intermediaries. In the event that we believe or have reason to believe that our employees or agents have or may have violated applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA, we may be required to investigate or have outside counsel investigate the relevant facts and circumstances, which can be expensive and require significant time and attention from senior management. Violations of these laws may require self-disclosure to government agencies and result in criminal or civil sanctions, which could disrupt our business and result in an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to Information Technology and Cybersecurity

We rely significantly on the use of information technology, as well as those of our third-party service providers. Any significant failure, inadequacy, interruption or data security incident of our information technology systems, or those of our third-party service providers, could disrupt our business operations, which could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.

We increasingly rely on information technology systems to process, transmit and store electronic information. Our ability to effectively manage our business and coordinate the manufacturing, sourcing, distribution and sale of our products depends significantly on the reliability and capacity of these systems. We rely on information technology systems to effectively manage, among other things, our business data, communications, supply chain, inventory management, customer order entry and order fulfillment, processing transactions, summarizing and reporting results of operations, human resources benefits and payroll management, compliance with regulatory, legal and tax requirements and other processes and data necessary to manage our business. Disruptions to our information technology systems, including any disruptions to our current systems and/or as a result of transitioning to additional or replacement information technology systems, as the case may be, could disrupt our business and could result in, among other things, transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, loss of data and the loss of sales and customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows. Additionally, the future operation, success and growth of our business depends on streamlined processes made available through information systems, global communications, internet activity and other network processes.

Our information technology systems may be subject to damage or interruption. Our existing safety systems, data backup, access protection, user management and information technology emergency planning may not be sufficient to prevent data loss or long-term network outages. In addition, we may have to upgrade our existing information technology systems or choose to incorporate new technology systems from time to time in order for such systems to support the increasing needs of our expanding business. Costs and potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems and technology or with maintenance or adequate support of existing systems could disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations.

 

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In addition, as part of our normal business activities, we collect and store certain confidential information, including personal information with respect to customers, consumers and employees, as well as information related to intellectual property, and the success of our e-commerce operations depends on the secure transmission of confidential and personal data over public networks, including the use of cashless payments. We may share some of this information with third-party service providers who assist us with certain aspects of our business. Any failure on the part of us or our third-party service providers to maintain the security of this confidential data and personal information, including via the penetration of our network security (or those of our third-party service providers) and the misappropriation of confidential and personal information, could result in business disruption, damage to our reputation, financial obligations to third parties, fines, penalties, regulatory proceedings and private litigation, any or all of which could result in the Company incurring potentially substantial costs. Such events could also result in the deterioration of confidence in the Company by employees, consumers and customers and cause other competitive disadvantages.

Security incidents compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our confidential or personal information and our and our third-party service providers’ information technology systems could result from cyber-attacks, ransomware, computer malware, supply chain attacks or malfeasance of our personnel. Moreover, we and our third-party service providers may be more vulnerable to such attacks in remote work environments, which have increased in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are particularly vulnerable to such risks because our employees all work remotely. As techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, a disruption, cyberattack or other security breach of our information technology systems or infrastructure, or those of our third-party service providers, may go undetected for an extended period and could result in the theft, transfer, unauthorized access to, disclosure, modification, misuse, loss or destruction of our employee, representative, customer, vendor, consumer and/or other third-party data, including sensitive or confidential data, personal information and/or intellectual property. We cannot guarantee that our security efforts will prevent breaches or breakdowns of the Company’s or its third-party service providers’ information technology systems. If we suffer a material loss or disclosure of personal or confidential information as a result of a breach of our information technology systems, including those of our third-party service providers, we may suffer reputational, competitive and/or business harm, incur significant costs and be subject to government investigations, litigation, fines and/or damages, which could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows. Moreover, while we maintain cyber insurance that may help provide coverage for these types of incidents, we cannot assure you that our insurance will be adequate to cover costs and liabilities related to these incidents.

In addition, any such access, disclosure or other loss or unauthorized use of information or data, whether actual or perceived, could result in legal claims or proceedings, regulatory investigations or actions, and other types of liability under laws that protect the privacy and security of personal information, including federal, state and foreign data protection and privacy regulations, violations of which could result in significant penalties and fines. In addition, although we seek to detect and investigate all data security incidents, security breaches and other incidents of unauthorized access to our information technology systems and data can be difficult to detect and any delay in identifying such breaches or incidents may lead to increased harm and legal exposure of the type described above.

Our information technology and websites may be susceptible to cybersecurity breaches, outages and other risks.

Our information technology systems may be susceptible to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins and other events. Despite the implementation of network security measures, our systems may be vulnerable to constantly evolving cybersecurity threats such as malware, break-ins and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering. The occurrence of these or other events could disrupt or damage our information technology and adversely affect our business, including our employees’ abilities to adequately conduct work. Insurance policies that may provide coverage with regard to such events may not cover any or all of the resulting financial losses.

 

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In addition, as part of our normal business activities, we collect and store certain confidential information, including personal information with respect to customers, consumers and employees, as well as information related to intellectual property, and the success of our e-commerce operations depends on the secure transmission of confidential and personal data over public networks, including the use of cashless payments. We may share some of this information with vendors who assist us with certain aspects of our business. Any failure on the part of us or our vendors to maintain the security of this confidential data and personal information, including via the penetration of our network security (or those of our vendors) and the misappropriation of confidential and personal information, could result in business disruption, damage to our reputation, financial obligations to third parties, fines, penalties, regulatory proceedings and private litigation, any or all of which could result in the Company incurring potentially substantial costs. Such events could also result in the deterioration of confidence in the Company by employees, consumers and customers and cause other competitive disadvantages. In addition, a security or data privacy breach could require us to expend significant additional resources to enhance our information security systems and could result in a disruption to our operations. Furthermore, third parties, such as our suppliers and retail customers, may also rely on information technology and be subject to such cybersecurity breaches. These breaches may negatively impact their businesses, which could in turn disrupt our supply chain and/or our business operations. Due to the potential significant costs, business disruption and reputational damage that typically accompany a cyberattack or cybersecurity breach, any such event could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property Matters

Our efforts to register, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to protect our business.

Our patents and trademarks are essential to our business, and we also rely on our unpatented proprietary technology, trade secrets, processes and know-how. We generally seek to protect our patents, trademarks and other proprietary information through a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws, as well as by confidentiality, non-disclosure and assignment of invention agreements with our employees, contractors, collaborators, vendors, consultants, advisors and third parties. Despite these measures, any of our intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or misappropriated. This could involve significant expense, potentially hinder or limit use of our intellectual property rights, or potentially result in the inability to use the intellectual property rights in question. If an alternative cost-effective solution were not available, there may be an adverse effect on our financial position and performance.

Enforcing our intellectual property rights against one or more third parties can be expensive and time-consuming, and an adverse result in any proceeding could put our intellectual property rights at risk of being invalidated or narrowed in scope of coverage. Patent and trademark challenges increase our costs to develop, engineer and market our products. We may not have adequate resources to enforce our intellectual property rights. In addition, our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights depends on our ability to detect infringement. It may be difficult to detect infringers who do not advertise the components that are used in their products. Moreover, it may be difficult or impossible to obtain evidence of infringement in a competitor’s or potential competitor’s product. We may not prevail in any disputes that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if we were to prevail, may not be commercially meaningful. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of dispute.

Pending and future patent applications may not be approved or result in patents being issued which protect our products or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and products. Moreover, the scope of coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced during prosecution before the patent is issued. Even once issued, the scope, validity, enforceability, and commercial value of patent rights are uncertain, and our patents may not be of sufficient scope or strength to provide any meaningful protection or commercial advantage and may not preclude competitors from developing products similar to ours.

 

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Any of our patents or pending patent applications may be challenged, narrowed, circumvented, or invalidated by third parties. For example, we are aware of pending oppositions in the European Patent Office, India, and Ecuador. Additionally, as a result of two post grant review proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, some of the claims in two of our U.S. patents were determined to be invalid. The invalidated claims are a subset of the claims that defend against the use of competitors’ products in a hair bleaching method that do not contain our Bis-amino ingredient.

While we have registered or applied to register many of our trademarks, trade names, and brand names to distinguish our products from those of our competitors, we cannot assure you that our trademark applications will be approved. Third parties may also oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition, and could require us to devote resources advertising and marketing new brands.

We rely on our unpatented proprietary technology and it is possible that others will independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology. Although we generally seek to protect our unpatented proprietary technology and our trade secrets, processes, and know-how by confidentiality, non-disclosure and assignment of invention agreements with our employees, contractors, collaborators, vendors, consultants and advisors, we cannot assure you that these agreements will provide meaningful protection in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure of such proprietary technology, trade secrets, processes, or know-how.

In addition, our ability to protect our intellectual property may be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain domestic and foreign intellectual property offices have amended their filing requirements and other procedures, including, but not limited to, extending deadlines and waiving fees. These accommodations have not been applied uniformly across all intellectual property offices globally, and the effectiveness and duration of existing action is unclear. Further, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty with respect to the uninterrupted operation of domestic and foreign intellectual property offices, which, amongst other things, may cause delayed processing of assignments, renewal fee payments, and application filings, and may delay prosecution of patent and trademark applications. Any inability to establish and maintain current and future trademarks, patents or other intellectual property rights may have an adverse effect on the growth and reputation of our business. Further, the constantly evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic may affect our brand and our other intellectual property rights over time in ways that cannot be reasonably anticipated or mitigated. This could have an adverse effect on our business, the results of our operations, and financial condition.

In certain foreign jurisdictions, relevant government authorities may also be slow to act on the acceptance and recordation of assignments of intellectual property rights, sometimes taking years to record such assignments. As noted above, the COVID pandemic has extended these delays further. While we are not currently adversely affected by these delays, our ability to enforce our rights against third-party infringers and to enter into local licensing arrangements may be limited or otherwise adversely affected by the failure of local governmental entities to promptly process and record prior transfers of IP rights.

If we do not adequately maintain our intellectual property, it can result in loss of rights. Loss of rights may be irrevocable. For example, we are required to pay various periodic renewal fees on registered intellectual property, and our failure to do so could result in the affected intellectual property lapsing. If this were to occur, our competitors may be able to use our technologies, names, brands or the goodwill we have acquired in the marketplace and erode or negate any competitive advantages we may have, which could harm our business and ability to achieve profitability.

 

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If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, we may not be able to maintain or build name recognition in our markets of interest.

If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, we may not be able to maintain or build name recognition in our target markets and our business may be adversely affected. If we are unable to successfully register our trademarks and trade names and establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively and our business may be adversely affected. In addition, competitors or other third parties have in the past, and may in the future, adopt trade names, trademarks or domain names similar to ours, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity, possibly leading to market confusion and potentially requiring us to pursue legal action. In addition, there could be trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of our unregistered trademarks or trade names. Our efforts to enforce or protect our trademarks, trade names and domain names may be ineffective, may impact the public perception of our brand, may be expensive, may divert our resources and, if our proprietary rights are challenged in connection with such enforcement efforts, could result in payment by us of monetary damages or injunctive relief against us that prevents us from using certain trademarks and trade names, all of which could adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations.

We may not be able to effectively protect and enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world to the same extent as in the United States.

Because of the differences in foreign trademark, patent and other laws concerning proprietary rights, our intellectual property rights may not receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as they would in the United States. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions. For example, the requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly in developing countries. Moreover, our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights may be adversely affected by unforeseen changes in foreign intellectual property laws. The legal systems of some countries, particularly developing countries, do not favor or may not be sufficiently robust for the meaningful enforcement of patents and other intellectual property rights. This could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement, misappropriation, or other violation of our intellectual property rights. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all jurisdictions in which we have patent protection. In addition, competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection. These products may compete with our products, and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Furthermore, we currently own trademarks that we use in connection with our business in the United States and other markets. As we continue to expand into international markets, we may experience certain risks associated with protecting our brand and maintaining the ability to use our brand in the countries where we operate. Specifically, there is a risk that our trademarks may conflict with the registered trademarks of other companies, which may require us to rebrand our product and service offerings, obtain costly licenses, defend against third-party claims, or substantially change our product or service offerings.

Proceedings to enforce our patent and trademarks rights in foreign jurisdictions, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and divert efforts and resources from other aspects of our business. While we generally seek to protect our intellectual property rights in the major markets where we intend to market and sell our products, we cannot ensure that we will be able to do so in all jurisdictions. Furthermore, we may not accurately predict all of the jurisdictions where patent protection will ultimately be desirable, and if we fail to timely file a patent application in any such jurisdiction, we may be precluded from doing so later. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our patent and other intellectual property rights in such jurisdictions may be inadequate.

 

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Third parties may allege that we are infringing, misappropriating, or otherwise violating their intellectual property rights, which could involve substantial costs and adversely impact our business.

Our success in part depends on our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our products without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of third parties. Third parties may allege that our products infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate third-party intellectual property rights, and we may become involved in litigation or other disputes relating to intellectual property used in our business.

Any such claims, even those without merit, can be expensive and time-consuming to defend and may divert management’s attention and resources, and an adverse result in any proceeding could put our ability to produce and sell our products in jeopardy. We may be required to spend significant amounts of resources to defend against claims of infringement, pay significant money damages, cease using certain processes, technologies, or other intellectual property, cease making, offering and selling certain products, obtain a license (which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all) or redesign our brand, our products or our packaging (which could be costly, time-consuming, or impossible).

In addition, we may be unaware of third-party intellectual property that covers or otherwise relates to some or all of our products. Because of technological changes in our industry, current patent coverage and the rapid rate of issuance of new patents, our current or future products may unknowingly infringe or misappropriate existing or future patents or intellectual property rights of other parties. Further, because some patent applications are maintained in secrecy for a period of time, there is a risk that we could develop a product or technology without knowledge of a pending patent application, which product or technology would infringe a third-party patent once that patent is issued. The defense costs and settlements for patent infringement lawsuits may not be covered by insurance. Patent infringement lawsuits can take years to resolve. If we are not successful in our defenses or are not successful in obtaining dismissals of any such lawsuit, legal fees or settlement costs could have an adverse effect on our operations and financial position. Even if resolved in our favor, the volume of intellectual-property-related claims, and the mere specter of threatened litigation or other legal proceedings may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our personnel from day-to-day responsibilities. The direct and indirect costs of addressing these actual and threatened disputes may have an adverse effect on our operations, reputation, and financial performance.

Relatedly, competitors or other third parties may raise claims alleging that other third parties indemnified by us infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate such competitors’ or other third parties’ intellectual property rights. These claims of infringement, misappropriation, or other violation may be extremely broad, and it may not be possible for us to conduct our operations in such a way to avoid all such alleged violations of such intellectual property rights.

We may be subject to claims that our employees, contractors, collaborators, vendors, consultants or advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their current or former employers or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.

Third parties may in the future allege wrongful use or disclosure of their alleged intellectual property or make claims challenging the inventorship or ownership of our intellectual property. We may be subject to claims that we or our employees, contractors, collaborators, vendors, consultants and advisors have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such individual’s current or former employer. In addition, we may face claims by third parties that our agreements with employees obligating them to assign intellectual property to us are ineffective or in conflict with prior or competing contractual obligations of assignment, which could result in ownership disputes regarding intellectual property we have developed or will develop and may interfere with our ability to capture the commercial value of such intellectual property. Litigation may be necessary to resolve an ownership dispute, and if we are not successful, we may be precluded from using certain intellectual property or may lose our exclusive rights in such intellectual property. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by employees, contractors, collaborators, vendors,

 

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consultants and advisors and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this type of activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses. Any of these outcomes could harm our business and competitive position.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

Our significant indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness, which, as of June 30, 2021, totaled approximately $766.8 million, including $766.8 million outstanding under our Term Loan Facility (as defined herein) and no amounts outstanding under our Revolver (as defined herein).

Our significant indebtedness, combined with our other financial obligations and contractual commitments, could have important consequences, including:

 

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requiring us to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flows from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, selling and marketing efforts, product development and other purposes;

 

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increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have relatively less indebtedness;

 

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limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industries in which we operate;

 

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increasing our exposure to rising interest rates because certain of our borrowings are at variable interest rates;

 

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restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or causing us to make non-strategic divestitures; and

 

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limiting our ability to borrow additional funds, or to dispose of assets to raise funds, if needed, for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, product development and other corporate purposes.

Although the terms of the agreements governing our indebtedness contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, such restrictions are subject to a number of important exceptions and indebtedness incurred in compliance with such restrictions could be substantial. If we and our restricted subsidiaries incur significant additional indebtedness, the related risks that we face could increase.

Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash. Our ability to generate sufficient cash depends on numerous factors beyond our control, and we may be unable to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt obligations.

Our business may not generate sufficient cash flow from operating activities to service our debt obligations. Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our debt, and to fund planned capital expenditures depends on our ability to generate cash in the future. To some extent, this is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory, and other factors that are beyond our control.

If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to service our debt and meet our other commitments, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our debt, sell material assets or operations, delay capital expenditures, or raise additional debt or equity capital. We may not be able to affect any of these actions on a timely basis, on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and these actions may not be sufficient to meet our capital requirements. In addition, the terms of our existing or future debt agreements may restrict us from pursuing any of these alternatives, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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The terms of our indebtedness restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to change or to take certain actions.

The agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness contain a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our long-term best interest, including, among other things, restrictions on our ability to:

 

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incur additional indebtedness;

 

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create liens on assets;

 

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declare or pay certain dividends and other distributions;

 

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make certain investments, loans, guarantees or advances;

 

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consolidate, amalgamate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets;

 

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enter into certain transactions with our affiliates; and

 

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exceed certain secured leverage ratios.

These restrictions could impede our ability to operate our business by, among other things, limiting our ability to take advantage of financing, merger and acquisition and other corporate opportunities. See “Description of Certain Indebtedness—Certain Covenants and Events of Default.”

Various risks, uncertainties and events beyond our control could affect our ability to comply with these covenants and maintain these financial tests and ratios. A breach of such covenants could result in an event of default unless we obtain a waiver to avoid such default. If we are unable to obtain a waiver, such a default may allow our creditors to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of, or default under, any other debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies. In the event our lenders accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness.

Because our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries, we are dependent on the receipt of distributions and dividends or other payments from our subsidiaries for cash to fund our operations and expenses, including to make future dividend payments, if any.

Our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to make future dividend payments, if any, is dependent on the earnings of our subsidiaries and the payment of those earnings to us in the form of dividends, loans or advances and through repayment of loans or advances from us. Payments to us by our subsidiaries will be contingent upon our subsidiaries’ earnings and other business considerations and may be subject to statutory or contractual restrictions. We do not currently expect to declare or pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future; however, to the extent that we determine in the future to pay dividends on our common stock, the agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness significantly restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or otherwise transfer assets to us.

Despite our substantial debt, we may still be able to incur significantly more debt, which would increase the risks described herein. We may also require additional capital, which may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all, and may cause dilution to our existing stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.

Despite our current indebtedness levels, we may increase our levels of debt in the future to finance our operations or in connection with acquisitions. The agreements relating to our indebtedness limit but do not prohibit our ability to incur additional debt. If we increase our total indebtedness, our debt service obligations will increase. We will become more exposed to the risks arising from our substantial level of indebtedness as described above as we become more leveraged. As of June 30, 2021, we had approximately $51.0 million of undrawn capacity available under our Revolver, subject to certain conditions. We regularly consider market conditions and our ability to incur indebtedness to either refinance existing indebtedness or for working capital. If additional debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks we face could increase.

 

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If our cash flow from operations is less than we anticipate, if our cash requirements are more than we expect, or if we intend to finance acquisitions, we may require more financing. However, debt or equity financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. If we incur additional debt or raise equity through the issuance of additional capital shares, the terms of the debt or capital shares issued may give the holders rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our ordinary shares, particularly in the event of liquidation. The terms of the debt may also impose additional and more stringent restrictions on our operations than we currently have. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted. If we are unable to raise additional capital when needed, our financial condition could be adversely affected. Unfavorable changes in the ratings that rating agencies assign to our debt may ultimately negatively impact our access to the debt capital markets and increase the costs we incur to borrow funds.

Uncertainty relating to LIBOR and the potential discontinuation of LIBOR in the future may adversely affect our interest expense.

Borrowings under our Credit Agreement (as defined herein) bear interest at a rate equal to an adjusted base rate or LIBOR, plus, in each case, an applicable margin. On July 27, 2017, the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to phase out LIBOR by the end of 2021. While the ICE Benchmark Administration recently announced its intention to extend the publication of certain LIBOR settings to the end of 2023, there can be no assurance such extension will occur. As a result, it is unclear if LIBOR will cease to exist after 2021 or if new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after that time. The United States Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee composed of large U.S. financial institutions, is considering replacing LIBOR with a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by U.S. Treasury securities. The future of LIBOR at this time is uncertain and any changes in the methods by which LIBOR is determined or regulatory activity related to LIBOR’s phaseout could cause LIBOR to perform differently than in the past or cease to exist. If LIBOR ceases to exist, we may need to renegotiate our credit agreements and related agreements, which may result in interest rates and/or payments that do not correlate over time with the interest rates and/or payments that would have been made on our obligations if LIBOR was available in its current form. Changes in the method of calculating LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative rate or benchmark, may adversely affect interest rates and result in higher borrowing costs. This could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flow and liquidity.

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Common Stock

The Advent Funds will continue to have significant influence over us after this offering.

Following completion of this offering, entities affiliated with the Advent Funds will beneficially own approximately 79.6% of our outstanding common stock (approximately 78.2% if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). In addition, three members of our Board of Directors are employed by affiliates of the Advent Funds. For as long as affiliates of the Advent Funds continue to beneficially own a substantial percentage of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, they will continue to have significant influence over us. For example, they will be able to strongly influence or effectively control the election of all of the members of our Board of Directors and our business and affairs, including any determinations with respect to mergers or other business combinations, the acquisition or disposition of assets, the incurrence of additional indebtedness, the issuance of any additional shares of common stock or other equity securities, the repurchase or redemption of shares of our common stock and the payment of dividends. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of deterring, delaying, or preventing a change of control of the Company, could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their common stock as part of a sale of the Company and might ultimately affect the market price of our common stock.

 

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Our restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will waive any interest or expectancy in corporate opportunities presented to the Advent Funds, members of our Board of Directors who are affiliated with the Advent Funds or Christine Dagousset, in her capacity as an officer or employee of Chanel Inc, US and as a member of the Executive Committee of Chanel Limited UK or any of its controlled affiliates (“Chanel”).

Our restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the Advent Funds and the members of our Board of Directors who are affiliated with the Advent Funds will not be required to offer us any corporate opportunity of which they become aware and can take any such corporate opportunity for themselves or offer it to other companies in which they have an investment. In addition, our restated certificate of incorporation will provide that Ms. Dagousset will not be required to offer us any corporate opportunity of which she becomes aware in her capacity as an officer or employee of Chanel and can take such corporate opportunity for Chanel. We, by the terms of our restated certificate of incorporation, will expressly renounce any interest or expectancy in any such corporate opportunity to the extent permitted under applicable law, even if the opportunity is one that we or our subsidiaries might reasonably have pursued or had the ability or desire to pursue if granted the opportunity to do so. The Advent Funds may have interests that differ from yours. The Advent Funds are in the business of making investments in companies and may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Ms. Dagousset, in her capacity as an officer or employee of Chanel, also may have interests that differ from those of the Company, including that she may be presented with or become involved with business opportunities for Chanel that may be competitive with the Company.

We will be required to pay our Existing Stockholders 85% of certain tax benefits related to Pre-IPO Tax Assets and could be required to make substantial cash payments in which the stockholders purchasing shares in this offering will not participate.

Following our initial public offering, we expect to be able to utilize the Pre-IPO Tax Assets, which arose (or are attributable to transactions occurring) prior to the completion of this offering. These Pre-IPO Tax Assets will reduce the amount of tax that we and our subsidiaries would otherwise be required to pay in the future.

Prior to the completion of this offering and in connection with the Pre-IPO Reorganization, we will enter into the Tax Receivable Agreement, which provides the right to receive future payments from us to our Existing Stockholders of 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state or local income tax that we or our subsidiaries realize (or are deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of the utilization of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets and the making of payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Consequently, stockholders purchasing shares in this offering will only be entitled to the economic benefit of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets to the extent of our continuing 15% interest in those assets. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Income Taxes and Tax Receivable Agreement.”

These payment obligations will be our obligations and not obligations of any of our subsidiaries and are not conditioned upon the Existing Stockholders maintaining a continued direct or indirect ownership interest in us. For purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreement, the amount of cash savings in U.S. federal, state or local income tax that we or our subsidiaries realize (or are deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of the utilization of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets will be computed by comparing our actual U.S. federal, state and local income tax liability with our hypothetical liability had we not been able to utilize the Pre-IPO Tax Assets, taking into account several assumptions and adjustments, including, for example, that:

 

•

we will pay state and local income taxes at a blended rate based on our nexus to applicable jurisdictions, even though our actual effective state and local income tax rate may be materially different;

 

•

tax benefits existing at the time of the offering are deemed to be utilized before certain tax attributes acquired after this offering; and

 

•

a non-taxable transfer of assets by us to a non-consolidated entity is treated under the Tax Receivable Agreement as a taxable sale at the greater of (i) tax basis and (ii) fair market value subject to certain adjustments.

 

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The actual amount and utilization of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets, as well as the timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the amount, character and timing of our and our subsidiaries’ taxable income in the future and the rates then applicable to us and our subsidiaries. Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are expected to give rise to certain additional tax benefits. Any such tax benefits that we are deemed to realize under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement are covered by the Tax Receivable Agreement and will increase the amounts due thereunder.

The Tax Receivable Agreement provides that interest, at a rate equal to LIBOR (or if LIBOR ceases to be published, a replacement rate with similar characteristics) plus 3%, will accrue from the due date (without extensions) of the tax return to which the applicable tax benefits relate to the date of payment specified by the Tax Receivable Agreement. In addition, where we fail to make payment by the date so specified, the Tax Receivable Agreement generally provides for interest to accrue on the unpaid amount from the date so specified until the date of actual payment, at a rate equal to LIBOR (or if LIBOR ceases to be published, a replacement rate with similar characteristics) plus 5%, except under certain circumstances specified in the Tax Receivable Agreement where we are unable to make payment by such date, in which case interest will accrue at a rate equal to LIBOR (or if LIBOR ceases to be published, a replacement rate with similar characteristics) plus 3%.

We expect that the payments we make under this Tax Receivable Agreement will be substantial. As described above, the Tax Receivable Agreement will make certain simplifying assumptions and adjustments regarding the determination of the cash savings in U.S. federal, state or local income tax that we or our subsidiaries realize (or are deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of the utilization of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets and the making of payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which may result in payments pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement significantly greater than the benefits we realize in respect of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets.

Based on current tax laws and assuming that we and our subsidiaries earn sufficient taxable income to realize the full tax benefits subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement, we expect that future payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement relating to the Pre-IPO Tax Assets could aggregate to approximately $233 million. The aggregate amount payable pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement is dependent in large part on the reduction in taxes that we would have been required to pay absent the existence of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets. As a result, changes in tax law, and in particular the tax rate applicable to U.S. corporations and the tax rules on the amortization and depreciation of assets, may materially impact the timing and amounts of payments by us to the Existing Stockholders pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement. The Biden Administration has proposed a significant number of changes to U.S. tax laws, including an increase in the maximum tax rate applicable to U.S. corporations, which may materially increase our payment obligations to Existing Stockholders under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Upon the effective date of the Tax Receivable Agreement, we expect to recognize a liability of $233 million for the payments to be made under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which will be accounted for as a reduction of additional paid-in capital on our consolidated balance sheet.

Changes in the utilization of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets will impact the amount of the liability that will be paid pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement. Changes in the utilization of these Pre-IPO Tax Assets are recorded in income tax expense (benefit) and any changes in the obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement is recorded in other income (expense).

In addition, the Tax Receivable Agreement provides that (i) upon certain mergers, stock and asset sales, other forms of business combinations, (ii) upon certain sales or other divestitures, (iii) upon certain proceedings seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief under bankruptcy, insolvency or similar law, event of default under certain of our indebtedness for borrowed money, or other Credit Event (as defined therein), (iv) upon a breach of any of our material obligations (that is not timely cured) under the Tax Receivable Agreement, or (v) or other Changes of Control (as defined therein), or if, at any time, we elect an early termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement, our payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement will accelerate and may

 

53

significantly exceed the actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. We will be required to make a payment intended to be equal to the present value of future payments (calculated using a discount rate equal to LIBOR (or if LIBOR ceases to be published, a replacement rate with similar characteristics) plus 1%, which may differ from our, or a potential acquirer’s, then-current cost of capital) under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which payment would be based on certain assumptions, including the assumption that we and our subsidiaries have sufficient taxable income and tax liabilities to fully utilize anticipated future tax benefits. In these situations, our, or a potential acquirer’s, obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our, or a potential acquirer’s, liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring, modifying or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other Changes of Control. These provisions of the Tax Receivable Agreement may result in situations where the Existing Stockholders have interests that differ from or are in addition to those of our other stockholders. In addition, we could be required to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement that are substantial, significantly in advance of any potential actual realization of such further tax benefits, and in excess of our, or a potential acquirer’s, actual cash savings in U.S. federal, state or local income tax.

Different timing rules will apply to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement to be made to holders that, prior to the completion of the offering, hold stock options (collectively, the “Award Holders”). Such payments will generally be deemed invested in a notional account rather than made on the scheduled payment dates, and the account will be distributed on the fifth anniversary of the initial public offering, together with an amount equal to the net present value of such Award Holder’s future expected payments, if any, under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Moreover, payments to holders of stock options that are unvested prior to the completion of this offering will be subject to vesting on the same schedule as such holder’s unvested stock options.

The Tax Receivable Agreement contains a Change of Control definition that includes, among other things, a change of a majority of the Board of Directors without approval of at least two-thirds majority of the then-existing Board members (the “Continuing Directors Provision”). Delaware case law has stressed that such Continuing Directors Provisions could have a potential adverse effect on shareholders’ right to elect a company’s directors. In this regard, decisions of the Delaware Chancery Court (not involving us or our securities) have considered change of control provisions and noted that a board of directors may “approve” a dissident shareholders’ nominees solely to avoid triggering the change of control provisions, without supporting their election, if the board determines in good faith that the election of the dissident nominees would not be materially adverse to the interests of the corporation or its stockholders. Further, according to these decisions, the directors’ duty of loyalty to shareholders under Delaware law may, in certain circumstances, require them to give such approval. However, there can be no assurance that the Board of Directors would vote in approval of such new Board members and that, as a result, the election of such new Board of Directors members could give rise to a Change of Control and accelerate payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement will be based in part on our reporting positions. The Existing Stockholders (or their transferees or assignees) will not reimburse us for any payments previously made under the Tax Receivable Agreement if such tax benefits are subsequently disallowed, although future payments would be adjusted to the extent possible to reflect the result of such disallowance and any excess payments made to any Existing Stockholder (or such Existing Stockholder’s transferees or assignees) will be netted against future payments that would otherwise be made under the Tax Receivable Agreement, if any, after our determination of such excess. As a result, in certain circumstances, the payments we are required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement could exceed the cash tax savings we actually realize in respect of the attributes in respect of which the Tax Receivable Agreement required us to make payment.

Certain transactions by us could cause us to recognize taxable income (possibly material amounts of income) without a current receipt of cash. Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement with respect to such taxable income would cause a net reduction in our available cash. For example, transactions giving rise to cancellation of debt income, the accrual of income from original issue discount or deferred payments, a “triggering event” requiring the recapture of dual consolidated losses, or “Subpart F” income would each produce income with no

 

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corresponding increase in cash. In these cases, we may use some of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets to offset income from these transactions and, under the Tax Receivable Agreement, would be required to make a payment to our Existing Stockholders even though we receive no cash corresponding to such income.

Because we are a holding company with no operations of our own, our ability to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions to us. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for specified reasons, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest at a rate equal to LIBOR (or if LIBOR ceases to be published, a replacement rate with similar characteristics) plus 3%, which could negatively impact our results of operations and could also affect our liquidity in periods in which such payments are made. Among other reasons, we may be unable to timely make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement due to limitations on distributions under the terms of the credit agreement to which one or more our subsidiaries are a party.

If we did not enter into the Tax Receivable Agreement, we would be entitled to realize the full economic benefit of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets. Stockholders purchasing shares in this offering will not be entitled, indirectly by holding such shares, to the economic benefit of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets that would have been available if the Tax Receivable Agreement were not in effect (except to the extent of our continuing 15% interest in the Pre-IPO Tax Assets).

In the event that any determinations must be made under or any dispute arises involving the Tax Receivable Agreement, the Existing Stockholders will be represented by a shareholder representative that initially will be an entity controlled by the Advent Funds. For so long as any Advent Funds retain an interest in the Tax Receivable Agreement, should any representatives of the Advent Funds then be serving on our Board of Directors, such directors will be excluded from decisions of the Board of Directors related to the relevant determination or dispute.

The Tax Receivable Agreement is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and the foregoing description of the Tax Receivable Agreement is qualified by reference thereto.

If you purchase shares in this offering, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution.

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the pro forma net tangible book value of your stock of $16.31 per share as of June 30, 2021 because the price that you pay will be substantially greater than the net tangible book value deficiency per share of the shares you acquire. You will experience additional dilution upon the exercise of options to purchase shares of our common stock, including those options currently outstanding and those granted in the future, and the issuance of restricted stock or other equity awards under our stock incentive plans. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders will experience substantial additional dilution. See “Dilution.”

Further, we may need to raise additional funds in the future to finance our operations and/or acquire complementary businesses. If we obtain capital in future offerings on a per-share basis that is less than the initial public offering price per share, the value of the price per share of your common stock will likely be reduced. In addition, if we issue additional equity securities in a future offering and you do not participate in such offering, there will effectively be dilution in your percentage ownership interest in the Company.

We will in the future grant stock options and other awards to our certain current or future officers, directors, employees, and consultants under additional plans or individual agreements. The grant, exercise, vesting, and/or settlement of these awards, as applicable, will have the effect of diluting your ownership interests in the Company. We may also issue additional equity securities in connection with other types of transactions, including shares issued as part of the purchase price for acquisitions of assets or other companies from time to time or in connection with strategic partnerships or joint ventures, or as incentives to management or other providers of resources to us. Such additional issuances are likely to have the same dilutive effect.

 

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Our stock price could be extremely volatile and, as a result, you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid for them.

Since our inception, there has not been a public market for our common stock, and an active public market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained following completion of this offering. The initial public offering price for our common stock was determined through negotiations among us and the underwriters, and may vary from the market price of our common stock following the completion of this offering. An active or liquid market in our common stock may not develop upon completion of this offering or, if it does develop, it may not be sustainable. In the absence of an active trading market for our common stock, you may not be able to resell any shares you hold at or above the initial public offering price, or at all. We cannot predict the prices at which our common stock will trade.

In addition, the stock market in general has been highly volatile. As a result, the market price of our common stock is likely to be similarly volatile, and investors in our common stock may experience a decrease, which could be substantial, in the value of their stock, including decreases unrelated to our operating performance or prospects, and could lose part or all of their investment. The price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors, including those described elsewhere in this prospectus and others such as:

 

•

variations in our operating performance and the performance of our competitors;

 

•

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results;

 

•

publication of research reports by securities analysts about us, our competitors or our industry;

 

•

our failure or the failure of our competitors to meet analysts’ projections or guidance that we or our competitors may give to the market;

 

•

additions or departures of key personnel;

 

•

timing of new product launches;

 

•

strategic decisions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures, strategic investments or changes in business strategy;

 

•

the passage of legislation or other regulatory developments affecting us or our industry;

 

•

changes in legislation, regulation and government policy as a result of the U.S. presidential and congressional elections;

 

•

speculation in the press or investment community;

 

•

changes in accounting principles;

 

•

terrorist acts, acts of war or periods of widespread civil unrest;

 

•

natural disasters and other calamities;

 

•

changes in general market and economic conditions; and

 

•

the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section and the section titled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

In addition, broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance, and factors beyond our control may cause our stock price to decline rapidly and unexpectedly. We are exposed to the impact of any global or domestic economic disruption. Additionally, in the past, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, and could also require us to make a substantial payment to satisfy judgments or to settle litigation.

 

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There may be sales of a substantial amount of our common stock after this offering by our current stockholders, and these sales could cause the price of our common stock to fall.

Following completion of this offering, there will be 648,124,639 shares of our common stock outstanding. Of our issued and outstanding shares, all of the common stock sold in this offering will be freely transferable, except for any shares held by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Following completion of this offering, approximately 79.6% of our outstanding common stock (or approximately 78.2% if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) will be held by affiliates of the Advent Funds.

Each of our executive officers and directors, the selling stockholders and substantially all holders of our common stock have entered into a lock-up agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as representatives of the underwriters, which regulates their sales of our common stock for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC may, in their sole discretion, release all or some portion of the shares subject to lock-up agreements at any time and for any reason. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale—Lock-Up Agreements” and “Underwriting.”

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market after this offering, the perception that such sales will occur, or early release of these lock-up agreements could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and make it difficult for us to raise funds through securities offerings in the future. Of the shares of our common stock to be outstanding following completion of this offering, the 67,000,000 shares offered by this prospectus (or approximately 77,050,000 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) will be eligible for immediate sale in the public market without restriction by persons other than our affiliates. Our remaining 581,124,639 outstanding shares (or approximately 571,074,639 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) will become available for resale in the public market on the date that is 180 days after this offering, subject to certain exceptions to the lock-up agreements and subject to the provisions of Rule 144 and Rule 701.

Beginning 180 days after this offering, subject to certain exceptions, the Advent Funds may require us to register shares of our common stock held by them for resale under the federal securities laws, subject to reduction upon the request of the underwriter of the offering, if any. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Registration Rights Agreement.” Registration of those shares would allow the Advent Funds to immediately resell their shares in the public market. Any such sales or anticipation thereof could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

In addition, following completion of this offering, we intend to register (i) shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding under the 2020 Plan and (ii) shares of our common stock that we expect to issue pursuant to the 2021 Plan. For more information, see “Shares Eligible for Future Sale—Registration Statements on Form S-8.”

Delaware law and provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and depress the market price of our common stock.

In addition to the Advent Funds beneficial ownership of a substantial percentage of our common stock, provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws after this offering and Delaware law could make it harder for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our stockholders, and could also make it difficult for stockholders to elect directors that are not nominated by the current members of our Board of Directors or take other corporate actions, including effecting changes in our management. These provisions include a classified board of directors and the ability of our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval that could be used to dilute a potential hostile acquiror. Our restated certificate of incorporation will also impose some restrictions on mergers and other business

 

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combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock other than the Advent Funds. As a result, you may lose your ability to sell your stock for a price in excess of the prevailing market price due to these protective measures, and efforts by stockholders to change the direction or management of the company may be unsuccessful. See “Description of Capital Stock—Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws and Certain Provisions of Delaware Law.”

Our restated certificate of incorporation will designate specific courts as the sole and exclusive forum for certain claims or causes of action that may be brought by our stockholders, which could discourage lawsuits against us and our directors and officers.

Our restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, subject to limited exceptions, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if, and only if, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses a Covered Claim (as defined below) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, any other state or federal court in the State of Delaware that does have subject matter jurisdiction) will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the sole and exclusive forum for the following types of claims: (i) any derivative claim brought in the right of the Company, (ii) any claim asserting a breach of a fiduciary duty to the Company or the Company’s stockholders owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee or stockholder of the Company, (iii) any claim against the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), our restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, (iv) any claim to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, (v) any claim against the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine, and (vi) any other claim, not subject to exclusive federal jurisdiction and not asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, as amended, brought in any action asserting one or more of the claims specified in clauses (a)(i) through (v) herein above (each a “Covered Claim”). This provision would not apply to claims brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act.

Our restated certificate of incorporation will further provide that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. In addition, our restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in the shares of capital stock of the Company will be deemed to have notice of and consented to these choice-of-forum provisions and waived any argument relating to the inconvenience of the forums in connection with any Covered Claim.

The choice of forum provisions to be contained in our restated certificate of incorporation may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, it is possible that a court of law in another jurisdiction could rule that the choice of forum provisions to be contained in our restated certificate of incorporation are inapplicable or unenforceable if they are challenged in a proceeding or otherwise, which could cause us to incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions. The choice of forum provisions may also impose additional litigation costs on stockholders who assert that the provisions are not enforceable or invalid.

Upon the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. As a result, we will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance standards. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

After the completion of this offering, the Advent Funds will collectively control a majority of the voting power of shares eligible to vote in the election of our directors. Because more than 50% of the voting power in the election of our directors will be held by an individual, group, or another company, we will be a “controlled

 

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company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. As a controlled company, we may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that, within one year of the date of the listing of our common stock:

 

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a majority of our Board of Directors consists of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of such exchange;

 

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our Board of Directors has a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

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our Board of Directors has a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.

Following this offering, we intend to utilize these exemptions. As a result, immediately following this offering we do not expect that the majority of our directors will be independent or that any committees of our Board of Directors, other than our audit committee, will be composed of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, the price of our common stock and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If few securities analysts commence coverage of us, or if industry analysts cease coverage of us, the trading price for our common stock would be negatively affected. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our common stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which might cause our common stock price and trading volume to decline.

We do not currently intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business and we do not currently expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Moreover, the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement and our existing Credit Agreement restrict our ability to pay dividends, and any additional debt we may incur in the future may include similar restrictions. In addition, Delaware law may impose requirements that may restrict our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common stock. As a result, stockholders must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment. As a result, investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our common stock. See “Dividend Policy.”

We are an emerging growth company and cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to us will make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we expect to take advantage of certain exemptions and relief from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. In particular, while we are an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”); we will be exempt from any rules that could be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotations or a supplement to the auditor’s report on financial statements; we will be subject to reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and we will not be required to hold nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation or stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

 

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In addition, while we are an emerging growth company, we can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of this extended transition period and, as a result, our operating results and financial statements may not be comparable to the operating results and financial statements of companies that have adopted the new or revised accounting standards.

We may remain an emerging growth company until the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, though we may cease to be an emerging growth company earlier under certain circumstances, including if (i) we have $1.07 billion or more in annual gross revenue in any fiscal year, (ii) we become a “large accelerated filer,” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act; or (iii) we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.

We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

General Risks

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If our remediation of these material weaknesses is not effective, or if we identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner or prevent fraud, which may adversely affect investor confidence in our company.

Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal control over financial reporting. Although we are not yet subject to the certification or attestation requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in connection with the preparation of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified three material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

The following are the material weaknesses we identified as of December 31, 2020: (i) limited technical accounting resources and a lack of sufficient segregation of duties related to the control over review and approval of journal entries, reconciliations and accruals; (ii) lack of formal risk assessment process to identify, evaluate and address business risks relevant to financial reporting objectives; and (iii) lack of entity-level controls typical for a public company, including corporate policies, accounting policies, formal board and audit committee charters and calendar, formal organizational chart depicting reporting lines and key areas of authority and responsibility, and information technology.

The control deficiencies described above were considered to be material weaknesses because they could have resulted in a misstatement of the aforementioned account balances or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement to our annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.

We have implemented improved processes and internal controls, including hiring a Chief Financial Officer, VP of Finance, Controller, Assistant Controller and Staff Accountant while we continue to utilize additional support from external accounting consultants to assist with technical accounting questions as well as the implementation of additional control processes in preparation for becoming a public company. However, these control deficiencies were unremediated as of June 30, 2021 as the controls that we designed to address these control

 

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deficiencies had not been operating for a sufficient amount of time to conclude that they had been remediated. While we believe these efforts will improve our internal controls and address the underlying causes of the material weaknesses, such material weaknesses will not be remediated until our remediation plan has been fully implemented and we have concluded that our controls are operating effectively for a sufficient period of time. We cannot be certain that the steps we are taking will be sufficient to remediate the control deficiencies that led to our material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or prevent future material weaknesses or control deficiencies from occurring. While we are working to remediate the material weaknesses as timely and efficiently as possible, at this time we cannot provide an estimate of costs expected to be incurred in connection with the implementation of this remediation plan, nor can we provide an estimate of the time it will take to complete this remediation plan.

We cannot provide assurance that additional material weaknesses or control deficiencies will not occur in the future. If we identify additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an unqualified opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in future periods, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected. Additionally, allegations of fraud may have a direct and adverse effect on the value of our brand, which may further negatively impact our financial situation.

We are not currently required to comply with the rules of the SEC implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and therefore are not required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for that purpose. Upon becoming a public company, we will be required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Although we will be required to disclose changes that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting on a quarterly basis, we will not be required to make our first annual assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until our second annual report required to be filed with the SEC.

To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we may need to undertake various actions, to develop, implement and test additional processes and other controls. Testing and maintaining internal controls can divert our management’s attention from other matters related to the operation of our business.

We are not insured against all risks affecting our activities and our insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all losses and/or liabilities that may be incurred by our operations.

We cannot provide assurance that our insurance coverage will always be available or will always be sufficient to cover any damages resulting from any kind of claims. In addition, there are certain types of risks that may not be covered by our policies, such as war, force majeure or certain business interruptions. In addition, we cannot provide assurance that when our current insurance policies expire, we will be able to renew them with sufficient and favorable terms, and the failure to renew our insurance policies may adversely affect us.

We could be subject to changes in our tax rates, the adoption of new U.S. or international tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities, which could have a material and adverse effect on our operating results, cash flows and financial condition.

We are subject to taxes in the United States and in the U.K., where our subsidiary Olaplex UK Limited is organized. Tax laws, regulations, administrative practices and interpretations in the U.K. or other jurisdictions may be subject to change, with or without notice, due to economic, political and other conditions. As a result, significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our provision for income taxes. Our future effective

 

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tax rates could be affected by numerous factors, such as intercompany transactions, changes in our business operations, acquisitions and dispositions, entry into new markets, the amount of our earnings and where earned, losses incurred in jurisdictions, the inability to realize tax benefits, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, changes in our stock price, uncertain tax positions, allocation and apportionment of state taxes, changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities and their valuation. In addition, U.S. and foreign governments may enact tax laws that could result in further changes to global taxation and may materially affect our operating results and financial condition.

The recent presidential and congressional elections in the United States could also result in significant changes in, and uncertainty with respect to, tax legislation, regulation and government policy directly affecting us and our business. For example, the United States government may enact significant changes to the taxation of business entities including, among others, a permanent increase in the corporate income tax rate, an increase in the tax rate applicable to the global intangible low-taxed income and elimination of certain exemptions, and the imposition of minimum taxes or surtaxes on certain types of income. The likelihood of these changes being enacted or implemented is unclear.

We are not currently subject to tax controversies in any jurisdiction. However, an audit, investigation or other tax controversy could have a material effect on our operating results, cash flows or financial condition. We regularly assess the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from these proceedings to determine the adequacy of our tax accruals. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the outcome of audits, investigations and any other tax controversies could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions.

Our business could be negatively impacted by corporate citizenship and sustainability matters.

There is an increased focus from certain investors, customers, consumers, employees and other stakeholders concerning corporate citizenship and sustainability matters. From time to time, we may announce certain initiatives, including goals, regarding our focus areas, which include environmental matters, packaging, responsible sourcing, social investments and inclusion and diversity. We could fail, or be perceived to fail, in our achievement of such initiatives or goals, or we could fail in accurately reporting our progress on such initiatives and goals. Such failures could be due to changes in our business (e.g., shifts in business among distribution channels). Moreover, the standards by which citizenship and sustainability efforts and related matters are measured are developing and evolving, and certain areas are subject to assumptions. The standards or assumptions could change over time. In addition, we could be criticized for the scope of such initiatives or goals or perceived as not acting responsibly in connection with these matters. Any such matters, or related corporate citizenship and sustainability matters, could have an adverse effect on our business.

If we pursue acquisition, such acquisitions may expose us to additional risks.

We may review acquisition and strategic investment opportunities to expand our current product offerings and distribution channels, increase the size and geographic scope of our operations or otherwise offer growth and operating efficiency opportunities. There can be no assurance that we will be able to identify suitable candidates or consummate these transactions on favorable terms. If required, the financing for these transactions could result in an increase in our indebtedness, dilute the interests of our stockholders or both. The purchase price for some acquisitions may include additional amounts to be paid in cash in the future, a portion of which may be contingent on the achievement of certain future operating results of the acquired business. If the performance of any such acquired business exceeds such operating results, then we may incur additional charges and be required to pay additional amounts.

Our failure to successfully complete the integration of any acquired business or to achieve the long-term plan for such business, as well as any other adverse consequences associated with our acquisition and investment activities, could have an adverse effect on our business.

 

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As we outsource functions, we become more dependent on the entities performing those functions.

As part of our long-term strategy, we are continually looking for opportunities to provide essential business services in a more cost-effective manner. In some cases, this requires the outsourcing of functions or parts of functions that can be performed more effectively by external service providers. These include certain information technology, e-commerce, logistics, finance and human resource functions. While we believe we conduct appropriate due diligence before entering into agreements with the outsourcing entity, the failure of one or more entities to provide the expected services, provide them on a timely basis or to provide them at the prices we expect may have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, if we transition systems to one or more new, or among existing, external service providers, we may experience challenges that could have an adverse effect on our business.

Our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate, and if our operating and financial performance in any given period does not meet the guidance that we have provided to the public or the expectations of our investors and securities analysts, the trading price of our common stock may decline.

Our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate for a variety of reasons, many of which are beyond our control. These reasons include those described in these risk factors as well as the following:

 

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fluctuations in product mix;

 

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our ability to effectively launch and manage new products;

 

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fluctuations in the levels or quality of inventory;

 

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fluctuations in capacity as we expand our operations;

 

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our success in engaging existing customers and consumers and attracting new customers and consumers;

 

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the amount and timing of our operating expenses;

 

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the timing and success of new product launches and expansion into new geographic markets;

 

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the impact of competitive developments and our response to those developments;

 

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the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

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our ability to manage our existing business and future growth; and

 

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economic and market conditions, particularly those affecting our industry.

Fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations may cause those results to fall below the guidance that we have provided to the public or the expectations of our investors and securities analysts, which could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. Fluctuations in our results could also cause a number of other problems. For example, analysts or investors might change their models for valuing our common stock, we could experience short-term liquidity issues, our ability to retain or attract key personnel may diminish and other unanticipated issues may arise.

In addition, we believe that our quarterly results of operations may vary in the future and that period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations may not be meaningful. You should not rely on the results of one quarter as an indication of future performance.

The estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth included in this prospectus may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the markets in which we compete achieve the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, or at all.

The estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth included in this prospectus may prove to be inaccurate. Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts are subject to significant uncertainty and are based

 

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on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate, including as a result of any of the risks described in this prospectus.

The variables that go into the calculation of our market opportunity are subject to change over time, and there is no guarantee that any particular number or percentage of addressable customers covered by our market opportunity estimates will purchase our products at all or generate any particular level of net revenues for us. In addition, our ability to expand in any of our target markets depends on a number of factors, including the cost, performance and perceived value associated with our products and other haircare products. Even if the markets in which we compete meet the size estimates and growth forecasted in this prospectus, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, or at all. Our growth is subject to many factors, including our success in implementing our business strategy, which is subject to many risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, the forecasts of market growth included in this prospectus should not be taken as indicative of our future growth.

Our results of operations could be adversely affected by natural disasters, public health crises, political crises or other catastrophic events.

Our finished products are primarily manufactured and fulfilled by companies located in Southern California, an area which has a history of earthquakes, and are thus vulnerable to damage. Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other adverse weather and climate conditions; unforeseen public health crises, such as epidemics and pandemics, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; political crises, such as terrorist attacks, war and other political instability; or other catastrophic events, whether occurring in the United States or internationally, could disrupt our operations in any of our offices and fulfillment center or the operations of one or more of our third-party providers or vendors. In particular, these types of events could impact our merchandise supply chain, including the ability of third parties to manufacture and ship merchandise and our ability to ship products to customers from or to the impacted region. In addition, these types of events could negatively impact customer spending in the impacted regions. To the extent any of these events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We will incur significant additional costs as a result of being a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance with our public company responsibilities and corporate governance practices.

Upon completion of this offering, we expect to incur increased costs associated with corporate governance requirements that will become applicable to us as a public company, including rules and regulations of the SEC, under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Customer Protection Act of 2010, and the Exchange Act, as well as the rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. These rules and regulations are expected to significantly increase our accounting, legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time consuming.

We expect such expenses to further increase after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We also expect these rules and regulations to make it more expensive for us to maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors or as executive officers. Furthermore, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur as a public company or the timing of such costs. In addition, our management team will need to devote substantial attention to transitioning to interacting with public company analysts and investors and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies, which may divert attention away from the day-to-day management of our business. Increases in costs incurred or diversion of management’s attention as a result of becoming a publicly traded company may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our results of operations could fall below the expectations of our investors and securities analysts, resulting in a decline in the trading price of our common stock.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as discussed in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities, equity, net sales and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below our publicly announced guidance or the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our common stock.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

Upon the closing of this initial public offering, we will become subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. We designed our disclosure controls and procedures to provide reasonable assurance that information we must disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, including the sections entitled “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business,” contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to us that are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, us. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our strategies, plans, objectives, expectations, intentions, expenditures and assumptions and other statements contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus that are not historical facts. When used in this document, words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “intend,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “plan,” “target,” “predict,” “project,” “seek” and similar expressions as they relate to us are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate.

Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding: our financial position and operating results; business plans and objectives; general economic and industry trends; business prospects; future product development; growth and expansion opportunities; cybersecurity profile; and expenses, working capital and liquidity. We may not achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place significant reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make.

The forward-looking statements in this prospectus are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements, including such statements taken from third-party industry and market reports. See “Market and Industry Data.” You should understand that the following important factors, in addition to those discussed herein under the caption “Risk Factors,” could affect our future results and could cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements, including the following:

 

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our ability to execute on our growth strategies and expansion opportunities;

 

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increased competition causing us to reduce the prices of our products or to increase significantly our marketing efforts in order to avoid losing market share;

 

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our existing and any future indebtedness, including our ability to comply with affirmative and negative covenants under the Credit Agreement to which we will remain subject to until maturity, and our ability to obtain additional financing on favorable terms or at all;

 

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our dependence on a limited number of customers for a significant portion of our net sales;

 

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our ability to effectively market and maintain a positive brand image;

 

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changes in consumer preferences or changes in demand for haircare products or other products we may develop;

 

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our ability to accurately forecast consumer demand for our products;

 

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our ability to maintain favorable relationships with suppliers;

 

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our relationships with and the performance of distributors and retailers who sell our products to haircare professionals and other customers;

 

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impacts on our business from the sensitivity of our business to unfavorable economic and business conditions;

 

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our ability to develop, manufacture and effectively and profitably market and sell future products;

 

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failure of markets to accept new product introductions;

 

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our ability to attract and retain senior management and other qualified personnel;

 

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regulatory changes and developments affecting our current and future products;

 

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our ability to service our existing indebtedness and obtain additional capital to finance operations and our growth opportunities;

 

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impacts on our business from political, regulatory, economic, trade, and other risks associated with operating internationally including volatility in currency exchange rates, and imposition of tariffs;

 

•

our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for our products, as well as our ability to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others;

 

•

the impact of material cost and other inflation and our ability to pass on such increases to our customers;

 

•

the impact of changes in laws, regulations and administrative policy, including those that limit U.S. tax benefits or impact trade agreements and tariffs;

 

•

the outcome of litigation and governmental proceedings;

 

•

impacts on our business from the COVID-19 pandemic; and

 

•

the other factors identified under the heading “Risk Factors” elsewhere in this prospectus.

These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, inherent uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results, performance, time frames or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, time frames or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Actual results and the timing of certain events may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements.

Many of these factors are macroeconomic in nature and are, therefore, beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from those described in this prospectus as anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended, planned or projected. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors.” The forward-looking statements included in this prospectus are made only as of the date hereof. Unless required by United States federal securities laws, we neither intend nor assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this prospectus to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders named in this prospectus. We will, however, bear the costs, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions, associated with the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders. The selling stockholders will receive approximately $                 of net proceeds from this offering after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We do not currently anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock following this offering and currently expect to retain all future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Following this offering, we may reevaluate our dividend policy. The declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends on our common stock will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors, which may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and results of operations, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders or by our subsidiaries to us, including restrictions under our Credit Agreement, our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement and other indebtedness we may incur, and such other factors as our Board of Directors may deem relevant. If we elect to pay such dividends in the future, we may reduce or discontinue entirely the payment of such dividends at any time.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of June 30, 2021:

 

•

on an actual basis; and

 

•

on a pro forma basis to reflect (i) the Reorganization that will be completed in connection with this offering, as described under “The Reorganization” as if it had occurred on June 30, 2021 and based on an assumed public offering price of $15.00 per share (which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus) and (ii) this offering as if it had been consummated on June 30, 2021 regarding the offering expenses and capitalized IPO costs.

You should read the information in this table in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, as well as the information under the headings “The Reorganization,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

		As of June 30, 2021
		Actual				Pro Forma(1)
(dollars in thousands except per share amounts)
Cash and cash equivalents		$	76,430			$	70,906
Debt:
Term Loan, due January 8, 2026		$	779,291			$	779,291
Revolver, due January 8, 2025			—				—
Less: unamortized deferred financing fees			(12,483	)			(12,483	)
Total debt			766,808				766,808
Total stockholders’ equity:
Olaplex Holdings, Inc. Preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share; no shares authorized, issued or outstanding, actual; 25,000,000 shares authorized and no shares issued or outstanding, pro forma			—				—
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 2,000,000 shares authorized, 960,185 shares issued and outstanding, actual; no shares authorized, issued or outstanding, pro forma			960				960
Olaplex Holdings, Inc. Common stock, $0.001 par value per share; no shares authorized, issued or outstanding, actual; 2,000,000,000 shares authorized, 648,124,639 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma			—				—
Additional paid-in capital			531,520				298,627
Retained earnings			94,882				89,120
Total stockholders’ equity			627,362				388,707
Total capitalization		$	1,394,170			$	1,155,515

 

(1)

Pro forma gives effect to (i) the Reorganization, as if it had occurred on June 30, 2021 and based on the initial public offering price per share, at an assumed initial public offering price of per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, including (1) the exchange of all outstanding Class A common units of Penelope Group Holdings into an aggregate of 648,124,639 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, (2) the conversion of all outstanding time-based options to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. into time-based options to purchase an aggregate of 17,244,225 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, (3) the conversion of outstanding performance-based options to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. into an aggregate of 29,679,075 time-based options to purchase shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, (4) the recording of an incremental

 

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liability of $0.4 million for the conversion of all time-based cash-settled units of Penelope Holdings Corp. into an aggregate of 641,250 time-based cash-settled units of Olaplex Holdings and, (5) the recording of a liability of $233 million associated with the Tax Receivable Agreement entered into with the Existing Stockholders which will require us to make payments to the Existing Stockholders upon the realization of tax benefits from certain Pre-IPO Tax Assets and (ii) this offering as if it had been consummated on June 30, 2021, and assume the deduction of estimated offering expenses payable by us, which amount to approximately $5.6 million, including offering expenses of $0.7 million capitalized as of June 30, 2021. The liability associated with the Tax Receivable Agreement is based on our estimate of the amount of cash savings in U.S. federal, state or local income tax that we or our subsidiaries will realize (or will be deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of the utilization of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets, which will be computed by comparing our actual U.S. federal, state and local income tax liability with our hypothetical liability had we not been able to utilize the Pre-IPO Tax Assets. The primary assumption impacting our estimate of the liability is the assumption that our profitability will continue at levels sufficient to fully utilize the Pre-IPO Tax Assets. The actual amount and utilization of the Pre-IPO Tax Assets, as well as the timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the amount, character and timing of our and our subsidiaries’ taxable income in the future and the tax rates then applicable to us and our Subsidiaries, and may materially differ from our current estimate. Any change between the actual and the initial recorded liability shall be charged to the statement of operations and comprehensive income. See “The Reorganization” and “The Tax Receivable Agreement.”

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest in us will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per share of our common stock and the as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share of our common stock after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the per share offering price of the common stock is substantially in excess of the net tangible book value (deficit) per share attributable to the shares of common stock held by our pre-IPO equity holders.

Our pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) as of June 30, 2021 would have been $(847) million, or $(1.31) per share of our common stock after giving effect to (i) the Reorganization, assuming the Reorganization had taken place on June 30, 2021, including the payment of estimated fees and expenses payable by us in connection with this offering, the expense of capitalized IPO costs, the incurrence of a tax receivable obligation and the increase of the cash-settled award liability, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and (ii) this offering as if it had been consummated on June 30, 2021. Pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) represents the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities, after giving effect to the pro forma adjustments described above. Pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share represents pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) divided by the number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2021, after giving effect to the pro forma adjustments described above.

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares of our common stock offered by the selling stockholders named in this prospectus. The sale by the selling stockholders of shares of common stock in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, represents net tangible book value dilution to new investors of $16.31 per share.

The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

 

Assumed initial public offering price per share						$	15.00
Pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of June 30, 2021		$	(1.31	)
Dilution per share to new investors purchasing common stock in this offering						$	16.31

Dilution is determined by subtracting as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share of common stock after this offering from the initial public offering price per share of common stock.

The following table summarizes, as of June 30, 2021, and after giving effect to the Reorganization as if it had occurred on such date, the total number of shares of common stock owned by existing stockholders and to be owned by new investors, the total consideration paid, and the average price per share paid by our existing stockholders and to be paid by new investors in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share, calculated before deduction of estimated underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

		Shares purchased								Total consideration
($ in millions, except share and per share amounts)		Number				%				Amount				%				Avg/Share
Existing stockholders			581,124,639				89.7	%		$	961				48.9	%		$	1.65
Investors in this offering			67,000,000				10.3	%		$	1,005				51.1	%		$	15.00
Total			648,124,639				100	%		$	1,966				100	%

If the underwriters were to fully exercise their option to purchase 10,050,000 additional shares of our common stock in this offering, the percentage of shares of our common stock held by existing stockholders as of June 30, 2021 would be 88.1% and the percentage of shares of our common stock held by new investors would be 11.9%.

 

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To the extent that outstanding options are exercised, or we grant options, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other equity-based awards to our employees, executive officers and directors in the future, or other issuances of common stock are made, there will be further dilution to new investors.

The dilution information above is for illustrative purposes only. Dilution per share to new investors will be based on the actual initial public offering price of our shares of common stock sold by the selling stockholders and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

 

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THE REORGANIZATION

Penelope Group Holdings is a holding company and the direct parent of Penelope Holdings Corp., which is the indirect parent of Olaplex, Inc., our primary operating subsidiary. The consolidated financial statements of Penelope Holdings Corp., as the predecessor of the issuer of the shares offered by this prospectus, are the financial statements included in this prospectus. Olaplex Holdings is a newly formed Delaware corporation formed by Fund IX. Fund IX and the other Existing Owners collectively hold 100% of the economic equity interests in Penelope Group Holdings. Fund IX also holds 100% of the equity interests in Penelope Group Holdings GP II, which will be designated as, and replace Penelope Group GP in the capacity of, general partner of Penelope Group Holdings, and will hold a non-economic general partner interest in the partnership prior to the consummation of this offering. Following such designation and prior to the consummation of this offering, we intend to complete a series of transactions pursuant to which:

 

•

the Existing Owners will contribute 100% of their respective economic equity interests in Penelope Group Holdings, and Fund IX will further contribute 100% of the equity interests in Penelope Group GP II, to Olaplex Holdings in exchange for (1) shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings and (2) certain rights to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement;

 

•

each outstanding vested option to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. will be converted into a vested option to purchase a number of shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings in an amount based on a conversion ratio equal to the overall exchange ratio at which Class A common units of Penelope Group Holdings will be exchanged for shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, with a corresponding adjustment to the exercise price that preserves the option’s spread value;

 

•

each outstanding unvested time-based option to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. will be converted into an unvested time-based option to purchase a number of shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings in an amount based on a conversion ratio equal to the overall exchange ratio at which Class A common units of Penelope Group Holdings will be exchanged for shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, with a corresponding adjustment to the exercise price that preserves the option’s spread value and the same time-based vesting schedule that applied to the option prior to the conversion;

 

•

each outstanding unvested performance-based option to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. that would vest in accordance with its terms based on the performance conditions specified below will be converted into an unvested time-based option to purchase a number of shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings in an amount based on a conversion ratio equal to the overall exchange ratio at which Class A common units of Penelope Group Holdings will be exchanged for shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, with a corresponding adjustment to the exercise price that preserves the option’s spread value, that will be eligible to vest as specified below;

 

•

each outstanding time-based cash-settled unit of Penelope Holdings Corp. will be converted into a number of outstanding cash-settled units of Olaplex Holdings in an amount based on a conversion ratio equal to the overall exchange ratio at which Class A common units of Penelope Group Holdings will be exchanged for shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, with a corresponding adjustment to the base price per unit that preserves the spread value and the same time-based vesting schedule that applied to the unit prior to the conversion; and

 

•

each outstanding performance-based cash-settled unit of Penelope Holdings Corp. that would vest in accordance with its terms based on the performance conditions specified below will be converted into an outstanding time-based cash-settled unit of Olaplex Holdings in an amount based on a conversion ratio equal to the overall exchange ratio at which Class A common units of Penelope Group Holdings will be exchanged for shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, with a corresponding adjustment to the base price per unit that preserves the spread value, that will be eligible to vest as specified below.

 

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As a result, the unitholders of Penelope Group Holdings will receive 100% of the common stock of Olaplex Holdings outstanding immediately prior to the completion of the offering.

As a result of the Pre-IPO Reorganization and pursuant to the terms of a Contribution Agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part:

 

•

the outstanding Class A common units of Penelope Group Holdings will be exchanged for (1) an aggregate of 648,124,639 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings and (2) certain rights to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement;

 

•

the outstanding time-based options to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. will be converted into time-based options to purchase an aggregate of 17,244,225 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings;

 

•

the outstanding performance-based options to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. will be converted into time-based options to purchase an aggregate of 29,679,075 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings;

 

•

the outstanding time-based cash-settled units of Penelope Holdings Corp. will be converted into an aggregate of 641,250 time-based cash-settled units of Olaplex Holdings; and

 

•

the outstanding performance-based cash-settled units of Penelope Holdings Corp. will be converted into an aggregate of 492,075 time-based cash-settled units of Olaplex Holdings;

Prior to the Pre-IPO Reorganization, Olaplex Holdings is the sole owner of Olaplex Intermediate, Inc., which is the sole owner of Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc., and has no other material assets. Following the Pre-IPO Reorganization, Olaplex Holdings will also be the direct or indirect parent of Penelope Group Holdings and Penelope Group GP II. Following the consummation of this offering, we intend to complete a series of additional transactions pursuant to which (i) Olaplex Holdings and Olaplex Intermediate, Inc. will contribute 100% of the equity interests of Penelope Group Holdings and 100% of the equity interests of Penelope Group GP II to Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc., and (ii) Penelope Group Holdings and Penelope Group GP II will each merge with and into Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc. with Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc. surviving each merger.

Immediately following the Reorganization, Olaplex Holdings will be a holding company with no material assets other than 100% of the equity interests in Olaplex Intermediate, Inc., which will be a holding company with no material assets other than 100% of the equity interests in Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc., which will be the direct parent of Penelope Holdings Corp. and indirect parent of Olaplex, Inc., and Olaplex Holdings will consolidate Penelope Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries in its historical consolidated financial statements. See “The Reorganization.”

Treatment of Performance-Based Options and Cash-Settled Units

Our performance-based options vest upon the achievement by the Advent Funds of certain returns on their investment in the Company. In the event of an initial public offering, each unvested performance-based option that would vest if the Advent Funds were to sell for cash its equity interest in Penelope Group Holdings at a share price equal to the initial public offering price will be converted into an unvested time-based option to purchase shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings that will vest in equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the offering, subject to the option holder’s continued service through each vesting date. Each unvested performance-based option that would not vest if the Advent Funds were to sell for cash its equity interest in Penelope Group Holdings at a share price equal to the initial public offering price will be forfeited. The fair value of the performance-based options are recognized as share-based compensation expense over the requisite service period. See Note 10 of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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Our performance-based cash-settled units vest upon the achievement by the Advent Funds of certain returns on their investment in the Company. In the event of an initial public offering, each unvested performance-based cash-settled unit that would vest if the Advent Funds were to sell for cash its equity interest in Penelope Group Holdings at a share price equal to the initial public offering price will be converted into a time-based cash-settled unit of Olaplex Holdings that will vest in equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the offering, subject to (i) the unitholder’s continued service through the applicable vesting date and (ii) the weighted average closing price per share of the Company’s common stock over the thirty consecutive trading days ending on the day immediately prior to the applicable vesting date equaling or exceeding the initial public offering price in this offering on each applicable vesting date. Each unvested performance-based cash-settled unit that would not vest if the Advent Funds were to sell for cash its equity interest in Penelope Group Holdings at a share price equal to the initial public offering price will be forfeited.

In addition, upon the consummation of an initial public offering, cash-settled unitholders have the right to receive for each vested time-based cash-settled unit they then hold an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the initial public offering price per share over the applicable base price per unit. Any outstanding unvested time-based cash-settled units will continue to vest in accordance with their terms. However, no time-based cash-settled units will be vested until March 2, 2022.

If the initial public offering price in this offering is equal to or greater than $14.00, which is the low end of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, all of the performance-based stock options and all of the performance-based cash-settled units will be converted into time-based options to purchase shares of our common stock and time-based cash-settled units of ours, respectively, pursuant to the Pre-IPO Reorganization.

In the event that the Advent Funds will receive net proceeds from this offering of more than approximately $1,294 million, a portion of the performance-based options to purchase shares of Penelope Holdings Corp. and a portion of the performance-based cash settled units of Penelope Holdings Corp. would be converted in the Pre-IPO Reorganization into vested options to purchase shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings and vested cash settled units of Olaplex Holdings, which would result in the following conversions of performance-based options and performance-based cash settled units: (i) the conversion of performance-based options to purchase an aggregate of 6,393 shares of Penelope Holdings Corp. into vested options to purchase an aggregate of 4,315,275 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, (ii) the conversion of performance-based options to purchase an aggregate of 37,576 shares of Penelope Holdings Corp. into time-based options to purchase an aggregate of 25,363,800 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, (iii) the conversion of an aggregate of 243 performance-based cash settled units of Penelope Holdings Corp. into an aggregate of 164,025 vested cash settled units of Olaplex Holdings, and (iv) the conversion of 486 performance-based cash settled units of Penelope Holdings Corp. into an aggregate of 328,050 time-based cash settled units of Olaplex Holdings. As a result, Olaplex Holdings will make a payment to holders of the aggregate 164,025 vested cash settled units in an aggregate amount equal to the difference between the base price of the cash settled unit (which is $2.97 for each unit after giving effect to the Pre-IPO Reorganization) and the initial public offering price to the public in this offering.

 

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

You should read the following summary consolidated financial and other data together with the “Capitalization” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of this prospectus and our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto and our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto, each included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Historically, our business has been operated through Penelope Group Holdings and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Penelope Holdings Corp., which is the indirect parent of Olaplex, Inc., our primary operating subsidiary. The consolidated financial statements of Penelope Holdings Corp. are the financial statements included in this prospectus. Olaplex Holdings was formed for the purpose of this offering and has engaged to date only in activities in contemplation of this offering. Immediately following the Reorganization, Olaplex Holdings will be a holding company with no material assets other than 100% of the equity interests in Olaplex Intermediate, Inc., which will be a holding company with no material assets other than 100% of the equity interests in Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc., which will be the direct parent of Penelope Holdings Corp. and indirect parent of Olaplex, Inc., and Olaplex Holdings will consolidate Penelope Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries in its historical consolidated financial statements.

On the Acquisition Date, we acquired the Olaplex business. Subsequent to the Acquisition Date, all of our operations are comprised of the operations of Olaplex, Inc. We have presented the financial statements in a format with a 2020 successor fiscal year from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 and 2019 predecessor fiscal year. Given the insignificance of the operations of the acquired Olaplex business between, January 1, 2020 and the Acquisition Date, a separate financial statement has not been presented and the associated acquisition accounting has been reflected as occurring as of January 1, 2020.

The predecessor period includes the consolidated financial position and results of operations of the Olaplex LLC entity and LIQWD IP, carried out by the Sellers during the 2019 predecessor fiscal year applying U.S. generally accepted accounting principles that coincide with the Sellers’ accounting policies. The predecessor period does not include an income tax provision due to the Sellers operating the Olaplex business through pass through entities subject to tax at the unitholder level.

Due to the change in the basis of accounting resulting from the application of the acquisition method of accounting, the predecessor period includes the financial position and results of operations of the Olaplex business. The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2020 (successor) and 2019 (predecessor) and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2020 (successor) and 2019 (predecessor) is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The summary consolidated statement of operations data for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020 and the summary consolidated balance sheet data as of June 30, 2021 is derived from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for any future period.

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,								Year ended December 31,
		2021				2020				2020								2019
										(Successor)								(Predecessor)
		(in thousands, except share, unit, per share and per unit data
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income Data:
Net sales		$	270,243			$	99,608			$	282,250							$	148,206
Cost of sales:
Cost of product (excluding amortization)			51,397				54,667				96,611								31,171
Amortization of patented formulations			4,719				2,465				6,052								—
Total cost of sales			56,116				57,132				102,663								31,171
Gross profit			214,127				42,476				179,587								117,035
Operating expenses:
Selling, general, and administrative			45,067				15,076				37,170								56,698
Amortization of other intangible assets			20,364				19,461				39,825								—
Acquisition costs			—				16,011				16,499								—
Total operating expenses			65,431				50,548				93,494								56,698
Operating income (loss)			148,696				(8,072	)			86,093								60,337
Interest (expense) income, net			(31,065	)			(18,783	)			(38,645	)							39
Other (expense) income, net			(204	)			(126	)			(190	)							503
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes			117,427				(26,981	)			47,258								60,879
Income tax provision (benefit)			22,545				(4,556	)			7,980								—
Net income (loss)		$	94,882			$	(22,425	)		$	39,278							$	60,879
Comprehensive income (loss)		$	94,882			$	(22,425	)		$	39,278							$	60,879
Net income (loss) per share (unit) attributable to common stockholders (members):
Basic		$	98.83			$	(24.31	)		$	41.73							$	60.88
Diluted		$	97.55			$	(24.31	)		$	41.63							$	60.88
Weighted-average shares used in computing net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders:
Basic			960,098				922,450				941,313								1,000,000
Diluted			972,681				922,450				943,437								1,000,000
Pro Forma net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders (1):
Basic		$	0.15							$	0.05
Diluted		$	0.14							$	0.05
Pro Forma weighted-average shares used in computing net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders (1):
Basic			648,066,439								635,386,216
Diluted			683,133,369								655,779,875

 

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Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:		As of June 30, 2021				As of December 31, 2020				As of December 31, 2019
Cash and cash equivalents		$	76,430			$	10,964			$	3,155
Working capital			128,750				14,570				18,129
Total assets			1,427,863				1,332,833				28,081
Total liabilities			800,501				802,160				9,672
Total liabilities and stockholder’s and members’ equity			627,362				530,673				18,409

 

(1)

The pro forma net income (loss) per share data for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 gives effect to (i) the Reorganization, as if it had occurred on January 1, 2020, including (1) the exchange of all outstanding Class A common units of Penelope Group Holdings into an aggregate of 648,124,639 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings, (2) the conversion of all outstanding time-based options to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. into time-based options to purchase an aggregate of 17,244,225 and 15,997,500 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, respectively, (3) the conversion of all outstanding performance-based options to purchase shares of common stock of Penelope Holdings Corp. into time-based options to purchase an aggregate of 29,679,075 and 28,732,050 shares of common stock of Olaplex Holdings for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, respectively, (4) the conversion of outstanding time-based cash settled units of Penelope Holdings Corp. into an aggregate of 641,250 outstanding time-based cash settled units of Olaplex Holdings, and (5) the conversion of outstanding performance-based cash settled units of Penelope Holdings Corp. into an aggregate of 492,075 time-based cash settled units of Olaplex Holdings and (ii) this offering as if it had been consummated on January 1, 2020 and assume the deduction of estimated offering expenses payable by us, which amount to approximately $5.6 million, including offering expenses of $0.7 million capitalized as of June 30, 2021 with no offering expenses capitalized as of December 31, 2020. Pro forma net income of $33.5 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 gives effect to the Reorganization, including the conversion of all of the options and cash settled units described above, and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and reflects a $5.8 million after tax net income adjustment for the period. There was no pro forma net income adjustment for net income for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

 

The conversion of the outstanding time-based and performance-based options as described above results in a dilutive effect of 35,066,930 shares and 20,393,659 shares for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, respectively.

 

In the event that the weighted average closing price per share of the Company’s common stock over the thirty consecutive trading days ending on the day immediately prior to the applicable vesting date equals or exceeds the initial public offering price in this offering and subject to the continued service by the grantee, then 33.33% of the cash-settled units that were converted from performance-based cash-settled units shall vest on each of the first three anniversaries of this offering. If 100% of these cash-settled units vest and the applicable market price of the Company’s common stock is equal to the initial public offering price per share in this offering, the Company will pay an aggregate of $5.9 million to the holders of these units, based upon an assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. If the market price of the Company’s common stock per share exceeds the initial public offering price in this offering on any vesting date, the liability with respect to each cash-settled unit shall increase $1 per unit for each $1 increase in the price per share of the Company’s common stock as of the applicable vesting date.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the section titled “Summary Consolidated Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from management’s expectations as a result of various factors, including but not limited to those discussed in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Historically, our business has been operated through Penelope Group Holdings and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Penelope Holdings Corp., which is the indirect parent of Olaplex, Inc., our primary operating subsidiary. The consolidated financial statements of Penelope Holdings Corp. are the financial statements included in this prospectus. Olaplex Holdings was formed for the purpose of this offering and has engaged to date only in activities in contemplation of this offering. Immediately following the Reorganization, Olaplex Holdings will be a holding company with no material assets other than 100% of the equity interests in Olaplex Intermediate, Inc., which will be a holding company with no material assets other than 100% of the equity interests in Olaplex Intermediate II, Inc., which will be the direct parent of Penelope Holdings Corp. and indirect parent of Olaplex, Inc., and Olaplex Holdings will consolidate Penelope Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries in its historical consolidated financial statements.

On the Acquisition Date, we acquired the Olaplex business. Subsequent to the Acquisition Date, all of our operations are comprised of the operations of Olaplex, Inc. We have presented the financial statements in a format with a 2020 successor fiscal year from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 and 2019 predecessor fiscal year. Given the insignificance of the operations of the acquired Olaplex business between, January 1, 2020 and the Acquisition Date, a separate financial statement has not been presented and the associated acquisition accounting has been reflected as occurring as of January 1, 2020.

The predecessor period includes the consolidated financial position and results of operations of the Olaplex LLC entity and LIQWD IP carried out by the Sellers during the 2019 predecessor fiscal year applying U.S. generally accepted accounting principles that coincide with the Sellers’ accounting policies. The predecessor period does not include an income tax provision due to the Sellers operating the Olaplex business through pass through entities subject to tax at the unitholder level.

In this “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations,” the term “Olaplex” is used to refer to either the operations of the business prior to or after the Acquisition depending on the respective period discussed.

Company Overview

OLAPLEX is an innovative, science-enabled, technology-driven beauty company. We are founded on the principle of delivering effective, patented and proven performance in the categories where we compete. We strive to empower our consumers to look as beautiful on the outside as they feel on the inside.

We believe every person deserves to have healthy, beautiful hair, whether they are visiting a salon or caring for their hair at home. Our commitment to deliver results that are visible on first use, coupled with our strong sense of community across both professional hairstylists and consumers, has driven tremendous brand loyalty. We offer our award-winning products through a global omni-channel platform serving the professional, specialty retail, and DTC channels.

OLAPLEX disrupted and revolutionized the professional haircare industry by creating the bond building category in 2014. We have grown from an initial offering of three products sold exclusively through the

 

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professional channel to a broader suite of products strategically developed to address three key uses: treatment, maintenance and protection. Our unique bond building technology can repair disulfide bonds in human hair that are destroyed via chemical, thermal, mechanical, environmental and aging processes. Our current product portfolio comprises eleven unique, complementary products specifically developed to provide a holistic regimen for hair health. We have strategically expanded our product line over time to create a self-care routine that our consumers look forward to and rely upon on a daily basis.

We have developed a cohesive and synergistic distribution strategy that leverages the strength of each of our channels, including the specific attributes of each channel as depicted below, and our strong digital capabilities that we apply across our omni-channel sales platform. Our specialty retail channel grew 75% from 2019 to 2020, representing 18% of our 2020 total net sales. Our DTC channel, comprised of OLAPLEX.com and sales through third-party e-commerce platforms, grew 260% from 2019 to 2020, and represented 27% of our 2020 total net sales. This channel also provides us with the opportunity to engage directly with our consumers to help power a feedback loop that drives decisions we make around new product development.

The strength of our business model and ability to scale have created a compelling financial profile characterized by revenue growth and very strong profitability over the past two years that we believe is among the best in our industry. Our net sales increased from $148.2 million in 2019 to $282.3 million in 2020, representing a 90% increase. Our net income decreased from $60.9 million in 2019 to $39.3 million in 2020, representing a 36% decrease, and our adjusted net income increased from $100.5 million in 2019 to $131.1 million in 2020, representing a 30% increase. We have also experienced robust adjusted EBITDA growth over the past year, increasing our adjusted EBITDA from $100.5 million in 2019 to $199.3 million in 2020, representing a 98% increase, and an increase in our adjusted EBITDA margins from 68% in 2019 to 71% in 2020. We have continued to see strong momentum in our business, with net sales increasing from $99.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $270.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, representing an increase of 171%, and net income increasing from net loss of $22.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 to net income of $94.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Our adjusted EBITDA margins continue to be robust, remaining at 71% for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Key Factors Affecting Our Performance

We believe that our continued success and growth are dependent on a number of factors. These factors provide both significant areas of opportunity as well as potential challenges that we will need to address in order to sustain the growth of our business. We have outlined some of these factors below, as well as in the section of this prospectus titled “Risk Factors.”

Ability to Grow Our Brand Awareness and Penetration

Our brand is integral to the growth of our business and is essential to our ability to engage with our community. Our performance will depend on our ability to attract new customers and encourage consumer spending across our product portfolio. Despite rapid growth in our brand awareness, we believe Olaplex still only has aided brand awareness of approximately 45% among prestige haircare consumers, which is lower than most haircare peers. We believe the core elements of continuing to grow our awareness, and thus increase our penetration, are highlighting our products’ quality, our continued ability to drive innovative new haircare solutions and our digital first marketing tactics. As we seek to enter new markets, it will be important for us to be able to expand our brand awareness and engage with new consumers across all of our channels.

Continued Execution of Omni-channel Strategy

Since our founding, the professional channel has provided our brand with credibility in the hairstylist community and with consumers, which translated into meaningful brand equity and success in the specialty retail and DTC channel, allowing us to gain deeper consumer insights. These channels broaden the scope of our brand’s awareness and customer penetration, which also serves to grow our professional channel. This synergistic omni-channel strategy has been key to our growth thus far, and we expect it will continue to serve as a valuable tool for

 

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growing our business. We intend to continue to find ways to deepen our channel integration through our digital platform, engaged social community, and vendor relationships with salons and key retailers. Our ability to execute this strategy will depend on a number of factors, such as retailers’ and salons’ satisfaction with the sales and profitability of our products.

Continued Geographic Expansion Across All Channels

We believe our ability to enter new markets across all of our channels will continue to be part of our future growth. Since our founding, we have expanded into Europe, Asia, Latin America and other markets, with plans to continue to increase our presence in all of these markets. As we scale in new markets, we anticipate that we will leverage our existing relationships with partners who operate in these markets, as well as engage with new professional and retail customers. We believe our ability to continue expanding in new markets will be powered by our integrated omni-channel efforts to enable a synergistic relationship between the professional, specialty retail and DTC channels. Our ability to grow our business geographically will depend on a number of factors, including our marketing efforts and continued customer satisfaction with the quality of our products.

Continued Product Innovation

We anticipate a meaningful portion of our future growth will come from new product development and innovation. We believe our robust in-house research and development team, dedicated Olaplex laboratory, independent lab testing and real-world salon testing enables us to continue to develop innovative products and positions us to maintain a full product pipeline for several years into the future. Though we have a well-built pipeline for our future products, we are relentlessly focused on staying at the forefront of cutting edge and technologically enhancing innovation. Our attention in this area is a critical component of our growth plan, and thus our performance will depend, in part, on our ability to continue to deliver new and high-performance products.

Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our business beginning in March 2020. The degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact our cash flow, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, many of which are outside of our control.

We believe the COVID-19 pandemic shifted demand from our professional channel to our specialty retail and DTC channels, as consumers were unable to treat their hair in salons as a result of restrictions, such as mandatory lockdowns, that caused the closure of many of our professional salon partners and consumers turned to purchasing our products online for home treatment. This shift enabled us to scale our DTC capability faster than expected. Even as salons in our professional channel locations have reopened, we have not seen a decline in the demand for our products in our DTC channel, nor do we expect to, as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease globally.

One impact on our business due to COVID-19 was the implementation of our Affiliate Program. We created this program during April and May of 2020 to support hairstylists during salon closures imposed by COVID-19 safety measures, allowing hairstylists to connect with their consumers and generate income by selling Olaplex products for at-home use. As we continue to monitor developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the impacts on our customers, suppliers and consumers, we have taken and will continue to take further measures.

 

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Components of Our Results of Operations and Trends Affecting Our Business

Net Sales

We develop, market and sell premium haircare products through our wholly owned subsidiary, Olaplex, Inc., which is our primary operating subsidiary and conducts business under the name “Olaplex”. We operate through three customer channels: professional, specialty retail, and DTC.

Net sales are comprised of the transaction price to customers for product sales less expected allowances, discounts, and allowance for returns. Our growth in net sales is driven by a number of trends, including the levels of consumer spending, increasing awareness of and demand for our products, and the broader economic environment. Our largest channel, professional, includes sales through external distributors who sell to professional hairstylists throughout the world who use our products to treat their customers’ hair. Net sales in our professional channel also include products sold to consumers for use at home. Net sales within this channel has continued to grow with increased awareness and distribution. Our specialty retail channel includes sales through national retail accounts, such as Sephora. Net sales in this channel have continued to grow through increased distribution across new stores within our existing customers, new customer relationships, and increasing sales within existing stores. We expect to continue to grow through increased penetration in additional stores within existing accounts as well as the addition of new retail customers and stores, both domestically and internationally. The DTC channel includes direct sales to the consumer through our website, olaplex.com, and sales through third-party e-commerce customers who resell our products solely through online platforms.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales reflects the aggregate costs to procure our products, including the amounts invoiced by our third-party contract manufacturers and suppliers for finished goods, as well as costs related to transportation to our distribution center, and amortization of our patented formulations. For the 2020 fiscal year, we amortized a one-time non-recurring fair value step-up adjustment to inventory as part of purchase accounting related to the Acquisition that is recorded in cost of sales.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Gross profit is our net sales less cost of sales. Gross margin measures our gross profit as a percentage of net sales.

We have a network of domestic and international third-party manufacturers from whom we purchase finished goods. Over the past several years, we have worked to evolve our supply chain to increase capacity and technical capabilities while maintaining and reducing overall costs as a percentage of sales. We intend to continue to leverage our innovation and sourcing capabilities to lower costs margin in future periods.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of selling, general and administrative expenses, amortization of brand name and customer relationship intangible assets and purchase accounting acquisition costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses include personnel-related expenses, including salaries, success payments, fringe benefits and share-based compensation. See “—Critical accounting policies and estimates—Share-based compensation” below for more detail. Other significant operating expenses include sales and marketing, research and development, outbound shipping, fulfillment, information technology costs, merchant fees, professional fees for accounting, auditing, consulting and legal services, and travel and overhead expenses.

In relation to the Acquisition, and included in the operating expenses, are amortization of brand name and customer relationship intangible assets and non-recurring purchase accounting acquisition costs that consist of legal, accounting, and banking fees.

 

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In the near term, we expect selling, general and administrative expense to increase as we invest to support our growth initiatives, including investments in the Olaplex brand and infrastructure. Additionally, we expect our operating expenses will increase compared to prior periods due to the reporting and compliance costs associated with being a public company.

Interest (Expense) Income, Net

Interest expense primarily consists of interest incurred on our outstanding indebtedness and amortization of debt issuance costs. See “Financial condition, liquidity and capital resources” below and a description of our indebtedness in Note 8 of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Other (Expense) Income, Net

Other (expense) income primarily reflects gains (losses) caused by fluctuations of foreign currency exchange rates, as well as reduction of diversion income that results from penalty payments received from distributors for sales in violation of their distribution agreements.

Income Tax Provision

For the 2020 fiscal successor period, we operated as a C-Corporation. The fiscal 2020 provision for income taxes represents U.S. federal, foreign, state and local income taxes. The effective rate differs from statutory rates due to the effect of state and local income taxes, tax rates in foreign jurisdictions and certain permanent tax adjustments. The U.S. federal statutory tax rate was primarily lower due to the foreign derived intangible income deduction. This deduction results in income from the Company’s sales to foreign customers being taxed at a lower effective tax rate. Our effective tax rate will change from quarter to quarter based on recurring and nonrecurring factors including, but not limited to, the geographical mix of earnings, enacted tax legislation, state and local income taxes, the impact of permanent tax adjustments, and the interaction of various tax strategies. For the 2019 predecessor period, the Olaplex business operated through pass through entities subject to tax at the unitholder level. See “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimate-Income Taxes and Tax Receivable Agreement” pertaining to the pre-IPO Reorganization.

Net Income (Loss)

Our net income (loss) for future periods will be affected by the various factors described above.

Segments

Operating segments are components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is available that is evaluated by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. Utilizing these criteria effective the second quarter of 2021, the Company revised its structure from managing its business on the basis of one operating segment to three operating segments that are aggregated into one reportable segment given the operating segments have similar economic characteristics, classes of consumers, products, production, distribution methods, and operate in the same regulatory environments. This did not result in a change in the Company’s reportable segment.

 

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Results of operations

The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of operations data for each of the periods presented:

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,																Year Ended December 31,
		2021								2020								2020 (Successor)												2019 (Predecessor)
		(in thousands)				% of Net sales				(in thousands)				% of Net sales				(in thousands)				% of Net sales								(in thousands)				% of Net sales
Net sales		$	270,243				100.0	%		$	99,608				100.0	%		$	282,250				100.0	%						$	148,206				100.0	%
Cost of sales:
Cost of product (excluding amortization)			51,397				19.0				54,667				54.9				96,611				34.2								31,171				21.0
Amortization of patented formulations			4,719				1.7				2,465				2.5				6,052				2.1								—				—
Total cost of sales			56,116				20.8				57,132				57.4				102,663				36.4								31,171				21.0
Gross profit			214,127				79.2				42,476				42.6				179,587				63.6								117,035				79.0
Operating expenses:
Selling, general, and administrative			45,067				16.7				15,076				15.1				37,170				13.2								56,698				38.3
Amortization of other intangible assets			20,364				7.5				19,461				19.5				39,825				14.1								—				—
Acquisition costs			—				—				16,011				16.1				16,499				5.8								—				—
Total operating expenses			65,431				24.2				50,548				50.7				93,494				33.1								56,698				38.3
Operating income (loss)			148,696				55.0				(8,072	)			(8.1	)			86,093				30.5								60,337				40.7
Interest (expense) income, net			(31,065	)			(11.5	)			(18,783	)			(18.9	)			(38,645	)			(13.7	)							39				—
Other (expense) income, net			(204	)			(0.1	)			(126	)			(0.1	)			(190	)			(0.1	)							503				0.3
Income (loss) before provision (benefit) for income taxes			117,427				43.5				(26,981	)			(27.1	)			47,258				16.7								60,879				41.1
Income tax provision (benefit)			22,545				8.3				(4,556	)			(4.6	)			7,980				2.8								—				—
Net income (loss)		$	94,882				35.1			$	(22,425	)			(22.5	)		$	39,278				13.9							$	60,879				41.1
Comprehensive income (loss)		$	94,882				35.1	%		$	(22,425	)			(22.5	)%		$	39,278				13.9	%						$	60,879				41.1	%

 

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