Failed premium drugstore lines from Revlon and L'Oreal enabled e.l.f.'s retail expansion
Joey Shamah · e.l.f. Cosmetics: Joey Shamah. The Dollar Store Formula That Built a Cosmetics Giant · Jun 29, 2026 · at 52:23
Joey Shamah explains how high-end drugstore initiatives by legacy beauty brands failed during the 2008 recession, opening retail shelf space.
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“Revlon launched a brand called Vital Radiance. Now you probably don't remember, ever heard of it. And L'Oreal launched a brand called Hip to compete with Mac. And the major premise of both those brands was we are going to sell more expensive cosmetics in the drugstore arena. We are going to compete with Sephora and At Dwayne Reed at CVS. And that was a utter failure. That failed miserably, quickly, and that is really what opened the door for Elf Cosmetics to get shelf space at Target and really continue to become a brand that's thriving in the, in, in the retailer space.”
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