‘Bold disruptors with a kind heart’: Elf Beauty’s brand chief on its non-stop growth

Beauty brand Elf – which stands for eyes, lips, face – has emerged as one of the fastest-growing, most consumer-savvy brands of the last decade.

It has seen 22 consecutive quarters – five and a half years – of market share gains and net sales growth, with sales rising by 50% in the three months to 30 June alone.

First launched in 2004, Elf began life selling make-up products over the internet for $1 a pop. While its cruelty-free vegan products, which are pitched at the premium end, now cost a bit more they are still priced at the lower end of the spectrum, with its ‘more luxe, less bucks’ ethos and strong brand helping Elf resonate across demographics, but particularly with Gen Z.

“Our mission has always been to make the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face,” Elf’s chief brand officer Laurie Lam tells Marketing Week. “We are democratising something that is normally out of reach.”