Hey everyone, so I’ve been really into makeup lately, and there’s this one brand, e.l.f. Cosmetics, that I’ve been using a lot. But I realized I didn’t know much about its history. So, I decided to dig in and find out who’s behind this awesome brand.
First, I started with a simple search. It turns out e.l.f. Cosmetics was started back in 2004 by two guys named Joseph Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba. Joseph was just a 23-year-old business student at New York University, and Scott was already into the beauty industry. They got some help from Joseph’s dad, Alan, and boom – e.l.f. Cosmetics was born.
I found out that they didn’t waste any time. In just a couple of months, they put together a business plan. That’s some serious hustle! It’s pretty cool to see how quickly they turned an idea into reality. There are so many different version of saying who founded this company, such as Kristen and Tarang, I am a little confused. But according to most people, it is Joseph and Scott.
Then, I looked into what happened after the launch. In 2014, a big investment firm called TPG Growth bought a majority stake in the company. That’s when things changed a bit. Joey Shamah stepped down, and Tarang P. Amin took over as the new president and CEO. He seemed like a big deal in the business world, so I guess that’s a major level-up for e.l.f.
I also stumbled upon some interesting info about their stores. Apparently, they opened a bunch of stores in 2013, but by 2019, Tarang Amin decided to close them all. It seemed like their online sales were doing way better. Makes sense, I mean, who doesn’t love shopping from their couch?
Here’s a fun tidbit I found: e.l.f. once had this cool thing called “e.l.f. Court.” It was like a mock court for “crimes” against makeup. They even got Judge Judy to play “Judge Beauty.” How cool is that?
And just when I thought I was done, I read that in August 2023, e.l.f. actually acquired a skin-care brand based in West Hollywood. They’re always expanding, which is pretty awesome.
Oh, and one last thing that really impressed me – e.l.f. Cosmetics is vegan. That’s a huge plus for me because I’m trying to use more animal-friendly products.
So yeah, that’s my little adventure into the history of e.l.f. Cosmetics. It’s amazing how a simple idea from two guys turned into such a big brand. I’m definitely going to keep using their stuff, and now I feel like I know them a little better.
