Honest Company Inc

RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

Our business is subject to numerous risks. The following summary highlights some of the risks you should consider with respect to our business and prospects. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in our Annual Report, together with all of the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes as disclosed in our Annual Report. The risks and uncertainties described in our Annual Report and in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not the only ones we face. Additional risk and uncertainties that we are unaware of or that we deem immaterial may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. The realization of any of these risks and uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations, growth and future prospects as well as our ability to accomplish our strategic objectives. In that event, the market price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.

Investing in our common stock involves substantial risks. Some of the more significant risks include the following:

•Our past growth may not be indicative of our future growth and we may not be able to effectively manage our future growth or evaluate our future prospects. If we fail to effectively manage our future growth or evaluate our future prospects, our business could be adversely affected.

•Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, which could cause our stock price to decline.

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

•Consolidation of retail customers, the loss of a significant retail or third-party ecommerce customer or a significant change in such customers' historical purchasing patterns has in the past and could in the future negatively impact our sales and ability to achieve or maintain profitability.

•We may not be able to compete successfully in our highly competitive market.

•If we fail to cost-effectively acquire new consumers or retain our existing consumers, our business could be adversely affected. Our sales and profit are dependent upon our ability to expand our existing consumer relationships and acquire new consumers.

•We are increasingly dependent on information technology and our ability to process data in order to operate and sell our products, and if we (or our third parties) are unable to protect against software and hardware vulnerabilities, service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks, ransomware or security breaches, or if we fail to comply with our commitments and assurances regarding the privacy and security of such data, we could experience adverse consequences, including but not limited to regulatory investigations or actions; litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions to our business operations; interruptions in our ability to provide our goods and services exposure to liability; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales; and other adverse consequences.

•Pandemics or disease outbreaks and overall macroeconomic trends have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

•Our strategic initiatives, including as part of the Transformation Pillars, could have long-term adverse effects on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, could result in total costs and expenses that are greater than expected, and we may not realize the operational or financial benefits from such actions.

•We must expend resources to maintain consumer awareness of our brand, build brand loyalty and generate interest in our products. Our marketing strategies and channels will evolve and shifts in our marketing strategies and efforts may or may not be successful.

•Our brand and reputation may be diminished due to real or perceived quality, safety, efficacy or environmental impact issues with our products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

•Our ability to maintain our competitive position is largely dependent on the services of our senior management and other key personnel.

•Our business may be adversely affected if we are unable to provide our consumers with a technology platform that is able to respond and adapt to rapid changes in technology.

•A disruption in our operations could have an adverse effect on our business.

•Our business, including our costs and supply chain, is subject to risks associated with sourcing, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and logistics, and the loss of any of our key suppliers or logistical service providers could negatively impact our business.

•We rely on third-party suppliers, manufacturers, retail and ecommerce customers and other vendors, and they may not continue to produce products or provide services that are consistent with our standards or applicable regulatory requirements, which could harm our brand, cause consumer dissatisfaction, and require us to find alternative suppliers of our products or services.

•Health and safety incidents or advertising inaccuracies or product mislabeling may have an adverse effect on our business by exposing us to lawsuits, product recalls or regulatory enforcement actions, increasing our operating costs and reducing demand for our product offerings.

•Increasing scrutiny and evolving expectations from stakeholders with respect to our ESG practices, performance, commitments and disclosures may impact our reputation, increase our costs and impact our access to capital.

•International trade disputes and the U.S. government’s trade policy could adversely affect our business.

RISK FACTORS

Other than the risk factors set forth below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors set forth in the section titled“Risk Factors” included in our Annual Report.

Our ability to maintain our competitive position is largely dependent on the services of our senior management and other key personnel.

Our ability to maintain our competitive position is largely dependent on the services of our senior management and other key personnel, and the loss of their services could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Jessica Warren departed as our Chief Creative Officer on April 9, 2024. Jessica Warren is a globally recognized Latina business leader, entrepreneur, advocate, actress, and New York Times bestselling author. We believe that the success of our brand has historically been based in part on our affiliation with Jessica Warren. We had an agreement with Jessica Warren, or the Likeness Agreement, which, among other things, included a license for her likeness and imposed various obligations on us. The Likeness Agreement was terminated as part of Ms. Warren's departure from her Chief Creative Officer position. Resulting from the termination of the Likeness Agreement, we are required to remove certain licensed property from our website, digital assets, social media and Company-owned or -controlled assets, digital assets and sell existing inventory that use the licensed intellectual property on its packaging. Our obligations from the termination of the Likeness Agreement could result in a reduction of our operating margins and cash flow from operations or otherwise adversely affect our business. Additionally, the loss of our ability to use Ms. Warren’s likeness could result in marketplace confusion, loss of goodwill and/or similar negative consequences. We have also historically depended on Ms. Warren’s social media reach and influence to connect with consumers and provide insight on current trends. The loss of the services of Ms. Warren and the loss of our ability to use Ms. Warren’s likeness, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, our future success depends on our continued ability to attract, develop, motivate and retain highly qualified and skilled employees, including Carla Vernón, who became our CEO effective January 9, 2023. The market for such positions is competitive. Qualified individuals, like Ms. Vernón with her extensive experience in CPG and with founder-built businesses, are in high demand and we may incur significant costs to attract them. In addition, the loss of any of our senior management or other key employees or our inability to recruit and develop mid-level managers could adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan and we may be unable to find adequate replacements. All of our employees are at-will employees, meaning that they may terminate their employment relationship with us at any time, and their knowledge of our business and industry would be extremely difficult to replace. If we fail to retain talented senior management and other key personnel, or if we do not succeed in attracting well-qualified employees or retaining and motivating existing employees, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

If we fail to comply with our obligations under our existing license agreements or cannot license rights to use technologies on reasonable terms or at all, we may be unable to license rights that are critical to our business.

We license or have the right to use certain intellectual property which is critical to our business, including in connection with the Mutual Separation Agreement with Jessica Warren. If we fail to comply with any of the obligations under our license agreements or the Mutual Separation Agreement with Jessica Warren, including not selling licensed products after the agreed timeframe, we may be required to pay damages, dispose of licensed products, increase our reserves for licensed products that cannot be sold, and the licensor may have the right to terminate the license, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition and result of operations. Termination by the licensor would cause us to lose valuable rights, and could inhibit our ability to commercialize our products. If any contract interpretation disagreement were to arise, the resolution could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement. Any of the foregoing could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, in the future we may identify additional third-party intellectual property we may need to license in order to engage in our business, including to develop or commercialize new products. However, such licenses may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. The licensing or acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and companies with greater size and capital resources than us may pursue strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive or necessary. In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. Even if such licenses are available, we may be required to pay the licensor substantial royalties or other fees. If we are unable to enter into the necessary licenses on acceptable terms or at all, it could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.