The company's stock - one of the year's biggest losers, with a price drop of around 20 percent so far this year - rose by almost 9 percent in futures trading on Wall Street after the report.
The average forecast among analysts was for a profit of 32 cents per share, and in the corresponding quarter a year earlier, the profit was 9 cents per share.
Sales also rose more than expected, up 6.5 percent to $3.6 billion.
In the report, Estée Lauder confirms its sales forecast for the new fiscal year, along with a higher profit margin forecast.
