ESQA
ESQA is an Indonesian vegan and halal-certified cosmetics company founded in 2016, selling 30+ color-cosmetics and skincare-hybrid SKUs through D2C e-commerce, official resellers, and planned brick-and-mortar stores across Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersJakarta, Indonesia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ESQA does
ESQA (legally PT Keva Kosmetik Retail) is an Indonesian vegan and halal-certified cosmetics company founded in June 2016 by Cindy Angelina and Kezia Trihatmanto. The company is positioned as Indonesia's first vegan cosmetics brand and sells a comprehensive color-cosmetics portfolio spanning face (powder foundation, skin tints, cushion serums, concealers, correctors, primers, setting powders and sprays, sun sticks), eyes (eyeshadow palettes and trios, brow pencils and mascaras, eyeliner, mascara), cheeks (blush, bronzer, highlighter, cheek palettes, liquid blushes, stick blushes), and lips (lip gloss, lip tints, refillable powder lipsticks, tinted lip balms), plus licensed collaborations (Wonder Woman, Darbotz, BCL, Paola). The portfolio includes 30+ active SKUs differentiated by proprietary formulation technologies — Dewy Fusion Technology for liquid blush, Blurring Metagram Technology for talc-free powders with 24-hour wear, and Blur Fix Technology for transfer-resistant lip velvet — alongside skincare-infused actives (peptides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E) and exclusion of parabens, phthalates, SLS, and gluten.
The business operates a direct-to-consumer model anchored on esqacosmetics.com (Shopify-hosted) with unit pricing from IDR 59,000 to IDR 265,000, complemented by official resellers, online marketplaces, and a planned 5-10 brick-and-mortar retail footprint. Distribution spans 47 Indonesian cities plus Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia, with social-media-led acquisition (465,000+ TikTok followers targeting Gen Z) and additional presence on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and email. Revenue mechanics are one-time product sales with bundling options and e-gift cards; no subscription model is disclosed.
The company has raised $10 million across two rounds: a $6M Series A in November 2022 led by Unilever Ventures with East Ventures, and a $4M Series B in July 2024 led by Unilever Ventures. The Series B is explicitly allocated to retail expansion and ESG-aligned growth under Unilever's responsible-investment framework. ESQA held over 70 employees as of 2024 and operates without a parent company or disclosed acquisitions.
ESQA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ESQA
- Legal name
- PT Keva Kosmetik Retail
- Website
- https://esqacosmetics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- ESQA is an Indonesian vegan and halal-certified cosmetics company founded in 2016, selling 30+ color-cosmetics and skincare-hybrid SKUs through D2C e-commerce, official resellers, and planned brick-and-mortar stores across Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ESQA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vegan Cosmetics
- NAICS
- Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)
- SIC
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Clean/Organic/Natural Makeup (Positioning-based Color Cosmetics) (CRABACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Makeup Palettes & Sets (Curated Palettes, Gift Sets, Multi-use Kits) (CRABACAF), Lip Makeup (Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Lip Liner, Lip Stain, Lip Balm-Tint) (CRABACAC), Makeup Primers & Setting (Face/Eye Primer, Setting Spray, Setting Powder, Fixers) (CRABACAE)
Keywords
Where ESQA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jakarta
- HQ country
- Indonesia
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices4 records
Markets served
ESQA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer retail sales of vegan cosmetics through e-commerce website and retail stores. One-time purchase model for individual products with bundling options available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level lip products starting at Rp 59,000 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Face products in mid-range pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium palette products at higher price points |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
ESQA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ESQA designs, formulates and sells vegan, halal-certified cosmetics including foundations, skin tints, concealers, eyeshadows, blushes, bronzers, highlighters, lip products, primers, setting powders and setting sprays. The company sells directly to consumers through its own e-commerce website, official resellers, and planned physical retail stores across Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Product overview
ESQA is Indonesia's first and leading vegan cosmetics brand offering a comprehensive portfolio of makeup products across face, eyes, cheeks, and lips categories. The product line includes foundation and skin tints (Flawless Powder Foundation, Minimalist Blurring Serum Skin Tint, Flawless Cushion Serum), concealers and correctors (Minimalist Serum Concealer, Flawless Liquid Concealer, Eye Tint Corrector), color products (Goddess Eyeshadow Palette, Glaze Eyeshadow Trio, lip products including Lip Gloss, Velvet Lip Tint, Serum Lip Tint, Cloud Kiss Refillable Lipstick, Glow Pop Lip Balm), cheek products (Blush On, Wonder Crush Serum Liquid Blush, Goddess Cheek Palette, Bronzer, Highlighter), eye products (Dream Lash Serum Mascara, Brow products, Eyeliner), and setting/primer products (Setting Powder, Setting Spray, Primer Serum). The brand emphasizes vegan, halal-certified formulations with skincare benefits, using proprietary technologies like Dewy Fusion Technology and Blurring Metagram Technology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ESQA X DARBOTZ: Collaboration collection featuring local Indonesian street art themes
- ESQA X WONDER WOMAN
- ESQA x BCL
- ESQA x PAOLA
Products and services
- Flawless Powder Foundation
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% vegan and halal certified products
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ESQA
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ESQA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ESQA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ESQA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kosas: Kosas is a US-based clean beauty brand offering color cosmetics formulated with skincare actives (peptides, hyaluronic acid) and direct-to-consumer positioning—closely parallel to ESQA's vegan/skincare-hybrid makeup model targeting Gen Z.
- Rare Beauty: Rare Beauty is a celebrity-founded (Selena Gomez) Gen Z color cosmetics brand with strong TikTok/social-led acquisition and inclusive shade ranges—directly comparable to ESQA's Gen Z focus, social-first GTM, and accessible premium positioning.
- Huda Beauty: Huda Beauty is an influencer-founded color cosmetics brand with strong social-driven growth, diverse shade ranges, and expansion across Middle East/US markets—comparable to ESQA in founder-led, social-native indie beauty model and regional market penetration.
- Tower 28 Beauty: Tower 28 is a US clean beauty brand focused on non-toxic, vegan color cosmetics for sensitive skin sold through DTC and Sephora—highly comparable to ESQA in vegan positioning, indie brand status, and social-led community growth.
Broad incumbents
- Fenty Beauty: Fenty Beauty is a LVMH-affiliated prestige beauty brand renowned for inclusive shade ranges and viral launches—comparable to ESQA's inclusive shade assortment and social-first brand moments, but at a broader, more global scale.
- E.l.f. Cosmetics: E.l.f. is a publicly listed mass color cosmetics brand competing aggressively in affordable beauty through digital and mass-retail channels—a comparable mass-market consumer base to ESQA's middle-class Indonesian positioning with broader global scale.
- ColourPop: ColourPop is a US mass-prestige color cosmetics brand selling primarily DTC at aggressive price points—comparable to ESQA in affordable-luxury positioning, broad shade range, and product-led social discovery model.
Regional players
- Somethinc: Somethinc is a leading Indonesian beauty brand that has scaled from local startup to nationwide D2C presence—directly comparable to ESQA in Indonesian consumer market positioning, social-media-led growth, and Gen Z target segment.
- Scarlett Whitening: Scarlett is a fast-growing Indonesian beauty brand with strong social media presence and influencer-driven acquisition—comparable to ESQA in Indonesian middle-class targeting, viral social-led GTM, and regional expansion playbook.
Emerging players
- EM Cosmetics: EM Cosmetics is a beauty brand by influencer Michelle Phan offering color cosmetics with cult-favorite hero products (lip and cheek)—comparable to ESQA's influencer-collaboration DNA, social-led community, and indie DTC model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ESQA social profiles
Digital presenceESQA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
ESQA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ESQA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
ESQA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ESQA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ESQA
What does ESQA do?
ESQA designs, formulates and sells vegan, halal-certified cosmetics including foundations, skin tints, concealers, eyeshadows, blushes, bronzers, highlighters, lip products, primers, setting powders and setting sprays. The company sells directly to consumers through its own e-commerce website, official resellers, and planned physical retail stores across Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Is ESQA a public or private company?
ESQA is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ESQA founded?
ESQA was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ESQA based?
ESQA is headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the Asia region.
How does ESQA make money?
One revenue line is on record: direct Product Sales.
Who are ESQA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kosas, Rare Beauty, Huda Beauty and Tower 28 Beauty. Broad incumbents are Fenty Beauty, E.l.f. Cosmetics and ColourPop. Regional players are Somethinc and Scarlett Whitening. EM Cosmetics is listed as an emerging player.
Does ESQA have an API?
No public API is recorded for ESQA.
What industry is ESQA in?
ESQA's product category is Vegan Cosmetics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRABACAJ, Clean/Organic/Natural Makeup (Positioning-based Color Cosmetics), with a secondary code of CRABACAF, Makeup Palettes & Sets (Curated Palettes, Gift Sets, Multi-use Kits). Its NAICS code is 456120 and its SIC code is 2844.