Making Their Way Into Our Hearts and Wallets

For a young makeup enthusiast finding a brand that is inexpensive yet a quality product, does not test on animals, and provides all you’ll ever need in your makeup bag can prove to be difficult. High end brands are often times far too expensive, while many drug store brands still test on animals making it hard for vegans and animal rights activists to find what they need. However, there is one brand that seems to check all the necessary boxes on a modern makeup aficionado’s checklist, and that brand is e.

l.f. cosmetics. This company is not only inexpensive even when compared to other drug store brands, but is also cruelty free and sports a wide range of makeup tools that most other drug store brands do not. Indeed, e.l.f. seems to be the way of the future, and has already found itself to be quite popular amongst makeup enthusiasts and amateurs alike!

Much has been said about Millennials and the numerous chain restaurants and markets they’re destroying by essentially not having the money to afford certain luxuries.

Even when it comes to makeup, an artform that Millennials love and actively engage in both online and in real life, it isn’t hard to wrack up quite the debt at any nearby Ulta or Sephora. The struggle to find inexpensive yet effective makeup is difficult, but many young people are turning towards a new makeup brand popping up on the shelves. When e.l.f. was founded in 2004 by veteran businessman Scott Borba and a fresh college graduate Joseph Shamah, their main objective was to create a makeup brand that was inexpensive, yet would be able to compete with high end products. e.l.f. offers drugstore prices, sometimes even less than its competitors such as Maybelline, and their products actually work! (CNN. “A Pretty Face That Won’t Cost an Arm and a Leg.”).

Recently this brand has become quite popular among Millennial makeup enthusiasts, as many are ditching the more expensive brands for this appropriately priced range of makeup. The idea was inspired by fast fashion, which in 2004 was just beginning to find its footing (Metrus, Lindsey. “The Untold Story of E.l.f. Cosmetics.”). However, while fast fashion is famous for low prices and equally low quality, e.l.f. manages to compete with it’s name brand competitors. Upon its initial release, using the direct to consumer method, e.l.f. sold its products for a measly $1 each, a staggeringly low price in the makeup industry. (CNN. “A Pretty Face That Won’t Cost an Arm and a Leg.”). However because e.l.f. sources low cost, high quality cosmetics quickly, they made it work. Now fourteen years down the line, the brand sells products within the $1, $3, $6 range at stores such as Target, Walmart, and Old Navy (Jacques, Renee. “How the Internet Became Obsessed With This One Drugstore Makeup Brand.”). By keeping their products at a low-cost and selling their products as stores people love and trust, e.l.f. has quickly grown a loyal fanbase.

In this day in age, the vegan diet movement seems to be growing at a rapid rate among Millennials. Young adults between the ages of 18 to 34 are more concerned with social justice than ever before, and passionately so. Of course most cruelty-free brands have the luxury of being so as they may be more expensive and therefore the company can afford it, but as a result many young people may struggle to find enough in their pockets to pay for this highly priced makeup. However, e.l.f. cosmetics seems to be the shining light in this scenario. The company offers cruelty-free makeup at a less expensive price than most of its competitors such as Maybelline. According to their Vice President, e.l.f. cosmetics puts a fairly strong emphasis on their sourcing team, as they want only the best for their company. (Metrus, Lindsey.

“The Untold Story of E.l.f. Cosmetics.”). They also firmly believe in listening to what their customers want, and do so through their social media presence online. The brand sells primarily from their website and has since its founding in the early 2000’s, and make it easy for their customers to post reviews and critiques. Having a cruelty-free line of makeup is becoming increasingly important, and while many brands like Maybelline and Covergirl are failing to catch up with the times, e.l.f. is keen on adapting to an ever changing industry and by listening to customers they make it very clear that they know what they’re doing and are here to stay.

With the rise of the internet and beauty guru’s demonstrating their impeccable makeup skills, more and more young people are looking towards trying to replicate their favorite makeup looks. In the past, wearing makeup meant using applicator brushes that conveniently came with kits, but no more. Nowadays, amateurs makeup artists are determined to follow their idols footsteps exactly, and that means having all the necessary equipment. Finding quality makeup brushes, eyelash curlers, cleaning kits, etc. may prove difficult to the average drugstore shopper, however e.l.f. cosmetics makes this easier by providing virtually everything you may need to apply your makeup, their company name does stand for “eyes, lips, face” after all! (Metrus, Lindsey. “The Untold Story of E.l.f. Cosmetics.”). The company makes shopping for their customers easier, and by providing everything someone may need to fill their makeup cabinets e.l.f. may foster a sort of loyalty between themselves as well as the customers for supplying everything someone may need. Professional and celebrity makeup artists also love the company, and their support adds a level of credibility.

In a day in age when awareness to social justice issues is at an all time high, and the biggest demographic is criminally poor, e.l.f. cosmetics seems to be Millennials answer for the perfect makeup brand. Inexpensive, animal friendly, and full of every makeup applicator one could dream of, this company is likely to stick around and continue to do well with young makeup enthusiasts and amateurs alike. Hopefully it can serve as an example for other makeup brands as well, to show that having an interest in what the public has to say does absolutely matter as far as sales are concerned. Of course, only time will tell what has in store for this brand but it seems safe to say that they may in fact have it handled.