Eyes, lips, face, and… strands? Elf Beauty is launching haircare, marking the brand’s first category expansion after its official skincare rollout in June 2022. The initial launch consists of six products: a shampoo, conditioner, treatment oil, anti-frizz styling spray, styling cream, and a styling wand, all priced at $10 or below.

The line has been in the works for about two years, says Kory Marchisotto, president of Elf Brands. “This is a new category for us. We wanted to make sure that the formulas were perfected,” she says. “It takes time to make sure that we can get that right.”

About 77% of Elf’s consumers have expressed interest in haircare, according to the brand. This figure is based on inbounds the brand has received from its community via social comments and emails. During the brand’s latest TikTok Live (which executives regularly participate in), hosted by Marchisotto and CEO Tarang Amin, haircare was the most-requested product, the former says, alongside fragrance. “They’re incredibly vocal, because they know we’ll act on what we hear,” Marchisotto adds.

The launch follows last year’s one-off, test-and-learn drop of two limited-edition hair styling products (the Power Grip Styling Wand, as well as the Power Grip Hair Gel and Brush bundle). The brand says that both sold out in 48 hours. What surprised the team is that 65% of sales were from shoppers who had never previously purchased Elf. “We didn’t necessarily expect that we’d have that much coming from a completely new consumer group,” Marchisotto says. “So it was an incredible signal that gave us great confidence in what we’re doing on the road ahead. While our data tells us that we are answering the call for our existing community, we also have an opportunity to expand beyond that.”

Elf is on a growth push. The company finished fiscal 2026 (ended March 31) up 25% to $1.6 billion in revenue. In May last year, the company acquired Hailey Bieber’s very buzzy beauty brand Rhode for $1 billion, adding to its existing portfolio that also includes Well People and Naturium. The acquisition marked a step in the company’s ambitions to establish itself as a global, next-generation beauty group. “We’re not interested in top-line growth alone,” Amin told Vogue Business at the time. “We’re a public company. We need to grow the top and bottom line and do it by disrupting in white space.”

The six haircare products will first be available on TikTok Shop, from June 16, followed by the Elf and Target websites from June 24, and then across US Target stores starting July 5. (Target is the brand’s exclusive retail partner.) “Obviously, we are a very socially driven brand,” Marchisotto says. “With the massive acceleration of TikTok Shop, we’ve seen unbelievable traction with our brands.” Beauty shoppers spend 55% more on TikTok Shop ($59.84) than they do off-platform ($38.54), according to recent research by Globaldata, while 53.4% of users who discover a beauty brand on TikTok Shop go on to make a purchase, which is the highest conversion rate of any category.

Launching on TikTok is a buzz-driver too, Marchisotto adds. “The other thing that is really important is that it sets off the flywheel,” she says. “It’s where discovery and exploration happen, and we want to make sure that we can speak to a wide audience — and then give them the opportunity to shop directly through TikTok Shop, if they would like.”

Much of the social rollout will center around Elf’s haircare campaign, which stars TikToker Yonna Jay and actor Peyton List, who encounter an Elfed-up Bigfoot in the woods (with great hair). “We put a lot of stimuli to market, we have a large number of campaigns, and the ones that perform the highest are entertaining and funny,” Marchisotto says. On June 16, Elf is also adding haircare to its Roblox product repertoire, plus a collection of exclusive hair accessories.

Beyond the initial launch, the haircare growth opportunity is big. The global haircare category is expected to grow 24% by 2030, reaching $173 billion — and, in doing so, outpacing growth of established beauty verticals including makeup and fragrance. “When we created Elf Skin, we didn’t think it would cross the $200 million mark as quickly as it did. So what’s important for us here is to walk in eyes wide open, to be incredibly curious, to listen to our community, and to follow the signals wherever they may lead us,” Marschisotto says. “We know that the global haircare market is massive. So there’s plenty of white space opportunity here.”

Marchisotto is anticipating both category and product range expansion, which, she says, will be driven by consumer feedback, as is the company’s usual approach to growth. She’s not ruling out future haircare acquisitions, either. “We have made no secret that we are open for business as it relates to mergers and acquisitions,” she says. “So if we find another incredible brand that matches the Elf ethos and that can deliver a distinctive yet complimentary position in our portfolio, we are definitely open.”

Correction: Keys Soulcare is no longer part of Elf’s portfolio of brands as of May.

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