cosmetics founded june 2004 new york city founder joseph shamah scott vincent borba headquarters new york city united states area served worldwide key people tarang p. amin ceo scott vincent borba co founder richard f. baruch jr. senior vice president chief commercial officer 1 megan o connor vice president digital 1 products makeup bath products skin care products revenue 5 million 2005 2 3 total equity 20 million 2008 4 website http www.elfcosmetics.com eyes lips face also known as e.l.f. cosmetics is an international cosmetics brand based in new york city . founded by joseph shamah and scott vincent borba in 2004 it sells products largely at 1 3 and 6 price points . 5 items include bath and skin care products mineral based makeup professional tools 4 eyeliners lipstick glosses 6 7 blushes bronzers brushes and mascara among others . 8 according to the company its products are 100 % cruelty free and it supports peta s no fur campaign . 9 e.l.f. cosmetic s products have been reviewed in glamour allure self 7 instyle and good housekeeping 2 and are sold in 17 countries and stores including target 10 kmart 7 dollar general 5 and walmart . 8 over half the company s sales come from its website which doubles as a social networking site with over two million members . 11 contents 1 history and operations 2 product 3 sales 3.1 retail 3.2 website 4 media presence 5 campaigns 6 references 7 further reading 8 external links history and operations edit e.l.f. cosmetics was founded by joseph shamah and scott vincent borba in june 2004 . 3 12 the duo originally met at a party in 2002 ; shamah was a 23 year old new york university business student . borba was a 31 year old los angeles beauty industry veteran responsible for previously launching brands such as hard candy cosmetics . 3 both were enthusiastic about an inexpensive high quality cosmetics line for women and decided to form a company together . a few days after the party they sat down to brainstorm and a business plan was created within months . borba claims the idea originated from seeing women with expensive cars such as bmws and mercedes benzes buying bargain price cosmetics at 99 cent stores in los angeles . 2 e.l.f. short for eyes lips face 12 cosmetics was officially launched in new york city on june 2004 also with the assistance of shamah s father alan . they continue to sell high quality cosmetics at 1 3 and 6 price points . 5 on february 3 2014 tpg growth bought a majority stake in e.l.f. cosmetics . 1 joey shamah was replaced by tarang p. amin who has been appointed president chief executive officer and director of e.l.f. cosmetics . 1 product edit the company started with only 13 makeup products but has since developed more than 300 products that include bath products skin care products mineral based makeup professional tools 4 eyeliners lipstick glosses 6 7 blushes bronzers brushes mascara 8 and more . most items cost 3 . 2 the variety of e.l.f. products allows the company to target a demographic with a broad age range from teenagers to women in their 40s and 50s . 5 the company carries different product lines which include e.l.f. studio e.l.f. minerals and e.l.f. essentials . 5 there used to be e.l.f. bath & body which includes moisturizers cleanser and fragrances.they have now stopped making those products . 5 e.l.f. studio makeup line includes professional makeup for professional makeup artists and consumers . e.l.f. minerals consists of makeup made out of natural minerals . e.l.f. essentials includes every day makeup supplies at lower prices in an effort to be affordable . 13 the newer e.l.f elements line from e.l.f. essentials also allows customers to customize their own makeup palette . 14 sales edit retail edit e.l.f. cosmetics is currently available in 17 countries including the united states canada australia saudi arabia france colombia and spain . 5 10 products can be purchased at regional drug chains across the united states and canada . 2 e.l.f products are most commonly found in target . in march 2010 e.l.f. s 1 and studio line of products were placed in over 700 target stores 10 with most individual items prices at 1 and 3 . 8 another target expansion to include most outlets happened in march 2011 . 8 other stores include kmart 7 dollar general 5 and walmart . 8 e.l.f. is also sold at various supermarkets and women s apparel discount retailers often in four tiered spinners or fish bowls in impulse buy sections . 4 website edit history in 2004 the company was having only partial success stocking its products in retail stores including dollar stores . 14 glamour magazine wanted to feature an e.l.f. product but told the company they couldn t unless the product was nationally available for their 2 million person readership base . 4 12 e.l.f. cosmetics at that point had a website intended as a product showcase 4 and that year it relaunched the site as an e commerce site quickly shipping out thousands of orders . 2 since the premiere of the new site e.l.f. products have been featured in glamour over seven times . 15 the website is now the brand s primary sales vehicle 2 and accounted for approximately 50 % of all sales in 2008 . 6 features in june 2007 e.l.f. launched ask achelle a beauty blog and advice column that touts products not only e.l.f. and talks about celebrity sightings . since then the length of customer visits to the website has tripled . 6 all product pages on the site host a chat now button that lets customers connect directly with one of the company s in house professional makeup artists . the site hosts a virtual makeover lab where customers can digitally test products on models or their own photos . 12 customers can create a personal profile publish and comment on blogs converse with other customers and access a beauty encyclopedia . 4 they can also create a beauty profile and are recommended e.l.f. products according to their skin type hair and eye colors and typical beauty regimen . 4 7 also included is the option to create a wish list that connects to facebook 6 16 or view educational web videos on makeup techniques and styles . 5 14 the website currently includes over two million members . 11 promotions in 2007 the company began to invest heavily in email marketing and its weekly email campaigns are considered by ecommerce guide to be the company s strongest promotion . 12 the company offers a near constant supply of promotions to its customers largely through its website . subscribers on the mailing list can earn points or gift certificates for making web referrals that turn into sales transactions . 6 16 shamah claimed that as of september 2009 more than 500 000 friend referrals had come back to make a purchase . 12 it also frequently hosts online events and since 2010 has asked customers of all ages and ethnicities to submit to a casting resource to select a yearly model representative for the brand . four selected individuals are brought to new york city to receive makeovers from achelle dunaway e.l.f. s creative director and lead makeup artist as well as participate in a photo shoot . there are various cash prizes for nominees and the winner is dubbed face of e.l.f. 10 17 yes media presence edit e.l.f. products have been favorably reviewed in dozens of major magazines including glamour allure self 7 instyle and good housekeeping . 2 a segment on e.l.f. has premiered on the style network as well . 14 the business has been profiled by publications such as entrepreneur 3 16 cnn 2 retail merchandiser 4 information week 6 and the wall street journal . 8 in december 2010 the e.l.f. product 100 piece endless eyes pro eyeshadow palet was featured in the o list holiday edition oprah s favorite things in oprah winfrey s o magazine . the magazine stated the set included almost every color imaginable and the product quickly sold entirely out of stock . in january 2011 e.l.f. reintroduced the product at half price or 10 . 11 campaigns edit breast cancer funds during october 2004 just months after its founding e.l.f. donated 20 % of the proceeds from its shimmering facial whip to win against breast cancer s research and facilities . it also provided color therapy care packages to breast cancer patients in inner city hospitals in los angeles . 3 peta the brand only uses products that are 100 % cruelty free . 9 in 2007 it was announced that e.l.f. was selling tweezers in a faux leather case 18 that read e.l.f. professional supports peta in the fur free campaign . 50 % of the proceeds from sales of these tweezers go straight to peta ceo joseph shamah later earned peta s trail blazer award given for compassion and commitment to never testing on animals . 7 2011 japan earthquake and tsunami e.l.f. cosmetics announced the mi & you can make a difference campaign days after the 2011 t hoku earthquake and tsunami disaster which helped fund relief efforts . the program donated 5 % of all online purchases to the red cross for japan s crisis recovery initiative . 19 references edit a b c d brookman faye 6 february 2014 . tarang amin named ceo of e.l.f. cosmetics . wwd . retrieved 6 february 2014 . a b c d e f g h i a pretty face that won t cost an arm and a leg . cnn . january 9 2006 . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b c d e pennington april y. january 2005 . bucking convention challenging the industry standard of costly cosmetics e.l.f. says the buck stops here . . entrepreneur . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b c d e f g h i elf cosmetics covered . retail merchandiser . july 31 2008 . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b c d e f g h i e.l.f. cosmetics announces investment from tsg consumer partners . e.l.f. cosmetics . january 7 2011 . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b c d e f g clancy heather october 24 2008 . how to boost e commerce revenue with community . information week . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b c d e f g h e.l.f. cosmetics bargain beauty essentials full of cheap thrills . peta . october 2010 . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b c d e f g athavaley anjali february 3 2011 . it s just lip gloss mom . the wall street journal . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b non cruelty statement . e.l.f. cosmetics . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b c d e.l.f. cosmetics hits 2 million . e.l.f. cosmetics . june 4 . retrieved 2011 03 09 . check date values in date help a b c oprah s favorite eyeshadow palette back in stock at e.l.f. cosmetics . e.l.f. cosmetics . january 18 2011 . retrieved 2011 03 09 . a b c d e f beal vangie september 23 2009 . ebiz profile e.l.f. eyes lips face cosmetics . ecommerce guide.com . retrieved 2011 03 09 . makeup line overviews . e.l.f. cosmetics . retrieved 2011 03 10 . a b c d palmquist susan . the budget smart girl s guide to make up . the dollar stretcher . retrieved 2011 03 09 . the buzz glamour . e.l.f. cosmetics . retrieved 2011 03 10 . a b c clancy heather august 2008 . know how to hold em . entrepreneur . retrieved 2011 03 09 . doyle erin february 13 2011 . e.l.f cosmetics announces beauty