The humble beginnings of e.l.f. Beauty and its subsequent rise to popularity in the following years have made the brand a staple in the makeup kits of not just everyday people but professional makeup artists as well.
Founded by a father-and-son duo who originally sold cosmetics on the internet for just a dollar, the brand reached heights of internet fandom that many could not have anticipated—not only because of their cruelty-free practices but also for their marketing strategies. It was one of the first brands to join TikTok, and its subsequent marketing on the platform has helped it become the number one cosmetic brand among teens in 2024.
e.l.f. Beauty is a favorite among Gen-Z consumers. It has had over 23 straight quarters of market growth and boasts a $10 “power grip primer,” which is the “number-one SKU in all of color cosmetics,” according to its current CEO, Tarang Amin. The brand—which stands for ‘eyes, lips, face’—is the number one brand for millennials and Generation Alpha as well.
The Rise of e.l.f. on TikTok
CEO Tarang Amin, who has served in his role at e.l.f Beauty, since 2014, has more than 25 years of experience building brands, leading innovation, and assembling high-performance teams. He has spoken candidly about the importance of building the brand online, as well as how early adoption in blossoming platforms helped contribute to e.l.f.’s popularity. Its 2019 song ‘Eyes Lips Face’ was a viral hit on TikTok in the years after the platform launched in 2016, and dance trends on the platform inspired the brand to break onto the platform in a major way.
“When we looked at TikTok,” Amin shared, “we noticed that there was a lot of dancing, there was a lot of music, so we composed our own song. We did our hashtag challenge, and that ended up getting something like 2 billion views.”
He added, “We noticed that almost 70% of our consumers play video games or watch other people play video games, so having a female empowerment platform with popular female gamer Lufu on Twitch did great. We created an entire branded experience on Roblox and just celebrated our 20 millionth visit.”
e.l.f.’s commitment to expression, empowerment, and human rights has led to them creating their e.l.f. CARES campaign, in which they say they “stand with every eye, lip, face, paw, and fin.” They share that they are delighted in their community and committed to making actionable choices and embracing change in their brand, all while championing high-performance teamwork.
A Focus on the Right Team
Amin has also stated that the brand has succeeded because it focuses on building the right team by giving them stock and creative freedom.
“One of the first moves I did when we bought the company was make sure that our employee base reflects the community,” Amin stated, “so I’m very proud that 74% of our team are women, 75% are Gen-Z or millennial, 44% are diverse.”
This diversity and its commitment to inclusion have helped the brand succeed in a space dominated by “mega-influencer brands” that include Fenty, Huda, and Kylie Jenner’s makeup lines. Many of e.l.f.’s customers have shared that they were proud of the campaign’s response to maintaining their diversity campaigns, offering comments such as “I have never loved ELF more in my life!” and “I’m so proud of this brand.”
According to Amin, “Around 75% of its roughly 500 employees are women and 40% are people of color.”
He concludes, “Diverse voices actually help us because they’re bringing different perspectives.”
