# Solesence, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Sep 30, 2024

- Company: [Solesence, Inc.](/companies/slsn.md) (CIK 883107)
- Form: 10-Q
- Filed: 2024-11-12
- Accepted by EDGAR: Nov 12, 2024, 16:24 ET
- Period: 2024-09-30
- Accession: 0001999371-24-014552
- Inline XBRL: yes
- Main document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/883107/000199937124014552/nanx-10q_093024.htm
- All documents and exhibits: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/883107/000199937124014552/

## Figures reported in this filing

Standardized XBRL line items for the period ended 2024-09-30.

| Line item | Period | Value | XBRL concept |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| Revenue | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $16.9m | us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax |
| Revenue | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $39.8m | us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax |
| Cost of revenue | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $10.8m | us-gaap:CostOfGoodsAndServicesSold |
| Cost of revenue | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $26.4m | us-gaap:CostOfGoodsAndServicesSold |
| Gross profit | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $6.1m | us-gaap:GrossProfit |
| Gross profit | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $13.4m | us-gaap:GrossProfit |
| Research and development | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $970.0k | us-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense |
| Research and development | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $2.7m | us-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense |
| Selling, general and administrative | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $1.9m | us-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense |
| Selling, general and administrative | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $5.3m | us-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense |
| Operating income | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $3.2m | us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss |
| Operating income | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $5.4m | us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss |
| Interest expense | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $153.0k | us-gaap:InterestExpense |
| Interest expense | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $562.0k | us-gaap:InterestExpense |
| Net income | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $3.0m | us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss |
| Net income | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $4.8m | us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss |
| Diluted EPS | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $0.04 | us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted |
| Diluted EPS | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $0.08 | us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted |
| Basic EPS | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | $0.04 | us-gaap:EarningsPerShareBasic |
| Basic EPS | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $0.08 | us-gaap:EarningsPerShareBasic |
| Diluted shares (weighted) | 3 months, 2024-07-01 to 2024-09-30 | 71,935,394 shares | us-gaap:WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding |
| Diluted shares (weighted) | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | 61,725,119 shares | us-gaap:WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding |
| Operating cash flow | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | −$218.0k | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities |
| Capital expenditure | 9 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | $2.0m | us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment |
| Cash and equivalents | at 2024-09-30 | $2.9m | us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue |
| Current assets | at 2024-09-30 | $29.8m | us-gaap:AssetsCurrent |
| Total assets | at 2024-09-30 | $48.0m | us-gaap:Assets |
| Current liabilities | at 2024-09-30 | $23.3m | us-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent |
| Shareholders' equity | at 2024-09-30 | $15.2m | us-gaap:StockholdersEquity |

## Management's discussion and analysis

As filed, 18,757 characters.

### Overview

Nanophase is a health-oriented, science-driven company, which, along with its wholly owned subsidiary, Solésence, LLC (our “Solésence beauty science subsidiary”), is focused on various beauty- and life-science markets. Our primary skin health products are fully developed prestige skin care formulations with mineral-based UV protection, marketed and sold through our Solésence beauty science subsidiary, enabled by our proprietary Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (“APIs”) which are also marketed as APIs for sale to manufacturers of other types of skin health products, including sunscreens and daily care products. In terms of the balance of our life sciences focus, we have seen current conditions decrease demand for our medical diagnostics ingredients, which are used in testing for various viruses. Additionally, we continue to sell products in legacy markets including architectural coatings, industrial coating applications, abrasion-resistant additives, plastics additives, and surface finishing technologies (polishing) applications— all of which, along with medical diagnostics, currently fall into the advanced materials product category.

Leveraging a platform of integrated patented and proprietary technologies, we create products with unique performance to enhance end-consumers’ health and well-being. We offer soup-to-nuts production, from engineered materials, formulation development, and finished product development, to commercial manufacturing and packaging capabilities. Our expertise in materials engineering allows us to effectively coat and disperse materials on a nano and “non-nano” scale for use in a variety of markets in skin health, including for use in sunscreens as APIs and as fully developed prestige skin care products, marketed and sold through our Solésence beauty science subsidiary. We believe that we have developed technological advantages with respect to our APIs sold for use as ingredients, while our Solésence beauty science technologies lead to enhanced efficacy and aesthetics in our finished products, which have received broad acceptance in the marketplace. Due to the enhanced efficacy and aesthetic qualities offered by our proprietary technology platform, Solésence finished products satisfy growing consumer demands around “clean” and inclusive beauty. Solésence beauty science also benefits from the Company’s vertical integration with each product’s key active ingredient that delivers its point-of-difference. This vertical integration helps us to improve efficiency and avoid potential major supply chain challenges while also addressing ongoing sustainability efforts.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (“PCR”) testing for various viruses, most notably SARS-CoV-2 (“COVID-19”), has become an important use of our technology in the life science space. However, we have seen current conditions decrease demand for our medical diagnostics ingredients, which are used in testing for various viruses. We believe that our deep expertise in materials science has created advantages that enable performance in certain tests that may not be achievable through other materials. Outside of life science, we continue to sell advanced materials for use in legacy applications, all of which, along with medical diagnostics, currently fall into the advanced materials product category.

Given our technological position, in addition to the historical market acceptance of our APIs for use in skin health products and sunscreens, rapidly growing sales for our suite of Solésence® finished products, and the expanded use of our diagnostic materials in aiding the fight to curb the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses, in 2021 we announced that we reoriented our Company strategy. Regardless of the demand decrease for our medical diagnostic ingredients, we continue to see unprecedented demand in beauty science for our APIs and finished products. The markets for both have shown an appetite for what we are producing, and management believes that this growth is happening now due to a confluence of our technology, market conditions that favor what we produce, and our expanded expertise in these areas.

Nanophase, primarily through Solésence, now partners with brands to develop, manufacture, and market products and ingredients that enhance lives through healthy skin. We are focusing our combined business-, ingredient-, and product-development capabilities on products with unique performance in this area. While we will continue to produce and sell materials to our other advanced materials customers, it is not our strategic focus. We may develop additional technologies or find unique applications outside of our core markets in the future, but to maximize the use of our resources today, we plan on expanding efforts in areas where we have proven we can deliver innovation and growth.

### Results of Operations

Total revenue increased to $16,866 for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $7,958 for the same period in 2023. Total revenue increased to $39,780 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $29,286 for the same period in 2023. Much of our revenue was from our largest customers for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 2024, and 2023, respectively. This reflects sales to our largest customers for our finished skin health products marketed through our Solésence subsidiary and sales of APIs to our largest customer in skin care and sunscreen applications. This is the revenue breakdown, as a percentage of total revenue, from the customers referenced above during the three- and nine- months periods ended September 2024, and 2023 respectively:

| Customer # | Product Category | Three months ended September 30, 2024 | 2023 | Nine months ended September 30, 2024 | 2023 |
| ---: | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1 | Solésence® | 34% | 21% | 34% | 11% |
| 2 | Personal Care Ingredients | 17% | 30% | 14% | 31% |
| 3 | Solésence® | 5% | 18% | 5% | 13% |
| 4 | Solésence® | 6% | 2% | 9% | 10% |
|  | Total | 62% | 71% | 62% | 65% |

Product revenue, the primary component of our total revenue, increased to $16,785 for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $7,746 during the same period of 2023, and increased to $39,479 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $28,925 during the same period of 2023. The three-month and nine-month increase in product revenue were due to higher sales in our Solésence® and Personal Care Ingredients product categories offset by lower sales in our Advanced Materials product category.

Other revenue decreased to $81 and $301 for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2024, respectively, compared to $212 and $361 for the same periods in 2023, respectively. Other revenue is typically comprised primarily of developmental or licensing fees.

Cost of revenue generally includes costs associated with commercial production and customer development arrangements. Cost of revenue increased to $10,764 for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $6,428 for the same period in 2023, and increased to $26,358 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $21,932 for the same period in 2023. The increase for the three months in the cost of revenue was primarily driven by increased volume, manufacturing operating inefficiencies, and facilities improvements. The increase for the nine months in cost of revenue was primarily driven by increased volume, price inflation on materials, manufacturing operating inefficiencies and facilities improvements. While we typically pass-through costs to our customers, we sometimes cannot pass through 100% of pricing increases on raw materials, and even with pass throughs, our gross margin percentage is negatively impacted by higher material costs.

Capacity is a key area of focus to increase throughput first, followed quickly by increased cost efficiency once we can achieve greater scale. Our planning has had us adding to our current fixed manufacturing cost structure through 2024 to accommodate additional growth, and to build a better base for further growth beyond that level. The extent to which margins grow, as a percentage of total revenue, will be dependent upon revenue mix, revenue volume, our ability to cut costs and pass commodity market-driven raw materials increases on to customers, and the speed and efficiency with which we are able to scale up production for our Solésence products. We expect that, as product revenue volume increases, our fixed manufacturing costs will be more efficiently absorbed, which should lead to increased margins as we grow. Our most critical operational issue today is reducing controllable variable product manufacturing costs.

Research and development expense, which includes all expenses relating to the technology and advanced engineering groups, primarily consists of costs associated with the development or acquisition of new finished product formulations for skin care, new product applications for our skin care ingredients, advancement of our medical diagnostics ingredient knowledge, and the cost of enhancing our manufacturing processes. As an example, we are currently focusing the bulk of our resources on developing new product formulations, and related new technologies, as we expand marketing and sales efforts relating to our Solésence products. This work has led to several new products and additional potential new products. Our efforts in research and development, cosmetic formulating, process engineering and advanced engineering groups are focused in three major areas: 1) application development for our products; 2) creating or obtaining additional core materials technologies and/or materials that have the capability to serve multiple skin health-related markets; and 3) continuing to improve our core technologies to improve manufacturing operations and reduce costs.

Research and development expense decreased to $970 for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $1,057 for the same period in 2023. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 research and development expense decreased to $2,746 compared to $3,052 for the same period in 2023. The decrease is due in large part to decreased legal costs related to research and development, and salaries in 2024 compared to 2023.

Selling, general and administrative expense increased to $1,934 for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $1,695 for the same period in 2023. The increase is due to an increase in the allowance for credit loss and increased employee-related costs in 2024 to when compared to 2023. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, selling, general and administrative expense decreased to $5,321, compared to $5,951 for the same period in 2023. The decrease is due to lower legal costs in 2024 when compared to 2023.

### Inflation

We believe inflation has had an incremental impact on our costs of operations and financial position to date. However, supplier price increases and wage and benefit inflation, both of which represent a significant component of our costs of operations, could have a material effect on our operations and financial position in 2024 if we are unable to pass through any applicable increases under our present contracts or through to our markets in general. We have begun to increase pricing where possible and continue to adjust our pricing to the extent supported by the markets we are in, and under any contract limitations we may have.

### Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash, cash proceeds and use of cash for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, 2023, and year ended December 31, 2023 were:

|  | Nine months ended September 30, 2024 | Nine months ended September 30, 2023 | Year ended December 31, 2023 |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Total cash | $2,925 | $1,188 | $1,722 |
| Cash (used in) provided by operating activities | (218) | 644 | (2,006) |
| Net cash used in investing activities | (1,965) | (852) | (1,051) |
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 3,386 | (790) | 2,593 |

The net cash used in operating activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was primarily due to increased accounts receivable and inventory offset by net income and increased customer deposits. Net cash used in investing activities was attributable to expenditures on capital equipment for all periods presented above. The net cash provided by financing activities was attributable to the issuance of additional common stock.

Our actual future capital requirements in 2024 and beyond will depend on many factors, including customer acceptance of our current and potential finished Solésence products, APIs sold as ingredients in to the skin health markets, medical diagnostics ingredients, and other engineered materials, applications, and products, continued progress in research and development activities and product testing programs, the magnitude of these activities and programs, and the costs necessary to increase and expand our manufacturing capabilities and to market and sell these products and ingredients. Other important issues that will drive future capital requirements will be the development of new markets and new customers as well as the potential for significant unplanned growth with existing customers. Depending on the success of certain projects, and conditions within the markets supplying labor and materials for capital equipment, we expect that capital spending relating to currently known capital needs for 2024 will be between $1 million and $2 million, to be funded by profit from operations, our existing loans and lines of credit, and possible new debt financing. If those projects are delayed or ultimately prove unsuccessful, or if we fail to be able to support the additional cost of funding them in the near term, we expect our capital expenditures may fall below the lower end of the range. Similarly, substantial success in business development projects may cause the actual 2024 capital investment to exceed the top of this range.

### Additional Consideration

We had federal net operating loss carryforwards for tax purposes of approximately $50 million, and tax effected section 179 carryforwards of approximately $0.2 million at December 31, 2023. Because the Company may experience “ownership changes” within the meaning of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) in connection with any future equity offerings, future utilization of this carryforward may be subject to certain limitations as defined by the IRC. If not utilized, $44 million of this loss carryforward will expire between 2024 and 2037. Given changes to the IRC, net operating loss carryforwards generated after January 1, 2018 do not expire, therefore, $5.6 million in net operating losses generated since January 1, 2018 do not expire. We had Illinois net loss deduction carryforwards for tax purposes of approximately $21.3 million on December 31, 2023. Due to the provisions of Illinois Public Act 102-0669 signed November 16, 2021, Illinois net loss deductions expire between 2029 and 2042.

### Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have not created, and are not party to, any special-purpose or off-balance sheet entities for the purposes of raising capital, incurring debt or operating our business. We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements or relationships with entities that are not consolidated into our financial statements that are reasonably likely to materially affect our liquidity or the availability of capital resources.

### Safe Harbor Provision

We want to provide investors with more meaningful and useful information. As a result, this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (the “Form 10-Q”) contains and incorporates by reference certain “forward-looking statements”, as defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These statements reflect our current expectations of the future results of our operations, performance, and achievements. Forward-looking statements are covered under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify these statements by using words such as “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “expects”, “plans”, “intends” and similar expressions. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information now available to it. Accordingly, these statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and contingencies that could cause our actual results, performance, or achievements in 2024 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements. These risks, uncertainties and factors include, without limitation: our ability to be consistently profitable despite the losses we have incurred since our incorporation; a decision by a customer to cancel a purchase order or supply agreement in light of our dependence on a limited number of key customers; the terms of our supply agreements with BASF which could trigger a requirement to sell equipment to that customer; our potential inability to obtain working capital when needed on acceptable terms or at all; our ability to obtain materials at costs we can pass through to our customers, including Rare Earth elements, specifically cerium oxide, as well as high purity zinc; uncertain demand for, and acceptance of, our Solésence products, and our advanced materials; our manufacturing capacity and product mix flexibility in light of customer demand; our limited marketing experience, including with our suite of Solésence products; changes in development and distribution relationships; the impact of competitive products and technologies; our dependence on patents and protection of proprietary information; our ability to maintain an appropriate electronic trading venue for our securities; the impact of any potential new governmental regulations, especially any new governmental regulations focusing on the processing, handling, storage or sale of nanomaterials, that could be difficult to respond to or costly to comply with; business interruptions due to unexpected events or public health crises, including viral pandemics such as COVID-19; and the resolution of litigation or other legal proceedings in which we may become involved. In addition, our forward-looking statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates. Readers of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect new events or uncertainties.

## Controls and procedures

As filed, 2,003 characters.

### Disclosure controls

We are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports filed by us under the Exchange Act is: (a) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms; and (b) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. It should be noted that in designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, we recognize that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and that our management necessarily was required to apply its judgment regarding the design of our disclosure controls and procedures. As of the end of the period covered by this report, we conducted an evaluation, under the supervision (and with the participation) of our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at reaching that level of reasonable assurance.

### Internal control over financial reporting

The Company’s management, including the CEO (who is also currently acting as both the Company’s principal executive officer and the Company’s principal financial officer), confirm that there was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Filed Nov 12, 2024.
Source: SEC EDGAR, the filing index for accession 0001999371-24-014552. Last ingested by Listed: Nov 10, 2026, 04:06 ET. No prices; not investment advice.