eSalon
eSalon is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce company that makes individually formulated custom hair color, hair care, and hair growth products via licensed colorists and a patented color-dispensing machine, shipping on subscription and one-time bases to consumers across 15+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersCulver City, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What eSalon does
eSalon is a direct-to-consumer, e-commerce-only custom hair care company founded around 2008-2012 (firmographic data and historical references conflict; the "over 10 years" claim positions the company as at least a decade old) and headquartered in Los Angeles. It sells made-to-order hair color, hair care, and hair growth products individually formulated for each customer by licensed colorists using a patented color-dispensing machine capable of quarter-shade precision, with each bottle labeled with a unique Formula ID, the customer's name, and production date. The company has progressively expanded from a single custom color product into a multi-category ecosystem that now includes custom hair care with proprietary Tri-Bonding and Microbiome technologies, custom hair growth featuring FDA-approved 2% Minoxidil, a men's sub-brand (Colorsmith), and a curated marketplace of partner professional brands.
The business is built around a quiz-driven personalization funnel feeding a licensed colorist review, after which products are shipped on a one-time or subscription basis (the Color Plan, with 20% savings and free reformulation). Revenue is generated primarily from subscription and one-time custom color orders (around $26 on subscription or $32.50 one-time), custom hair care from $28, custom hair growth from $32, plus add-ons, supplements, styling tools, and partner-brand resale. eSalon ships to 15+ countries across North America, Europe, and Oceania through localized storefronts and has accumulated over 67,000 customer reviews at a 4.1 average rating, ten Allure Best of Beauty wins, and four Allure Readers' Choice Awards. Customer concentration risk is minimal by construction since the customer base consists of individual consumers; however, the business carries a meaningful headcount of licensed cosmetologists on the cost side that determines unit economics.
eSalon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- eSalon
- Legal name
- eSalon.com LLC
- Website
- https://esalon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- eSalon is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce company that makes individually formulated custom hair color, hair care, and hair growth products via licensed colorists and a patented color-dispensing machine, shipping on subscription and one-time bases to consumers across 15+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
eSalon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Hair Care Products
- NAICS
- Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)
- SIC
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hair Color & Bleaching (CRABABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Professional Hair Care (Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatments) (CRABALAB), Professional Hair Color (CRABALAA)
Keywords
Where eSalon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Culver City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
eSalon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Hair Color - Flex Plan (Subscription): Recurring subscription model offering 20% discount on custom hair color. The Color Plan delivers products on a scheduled basis tailored to the customer's hair growth cycle. Subscribers receive additional benefits including 20% or more off hair-care products, exclusive presales, one-on-one colorist consultations, and flexible order management.
- Custom Hair Color - One-Time Purchase: Single-order purchase of custom hair color set at $32.50. Includes custom color crafted for the customer, developer, gloves, shampoo and conditioner samples, stain guard, stain remover, and personalized instructions.
- Custom Hair Care Products: Custom-formulated hair care routine including shampoo, conditioner, treatments, and styling products. Available on subscription or one-time purchase basis. Custom hair care starts from $28.00.
- Custom Hair Growth Products: Custom hair growth regimen featuring Minoxidil treatments, scalp serums, and supplements. Products are customized based on individual hair loss type and goals. Starts from $32.00.
- Third-Party Brand Products: Resale of professional hair care brands including Joico, Kenra, Schwarzkopf, SexyHair, T3, STMNT, DevaCurl, and Colorsmith. Products include shampoos, conditioners, treatments, styling tools, and accessories.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Custom Color Set - Flex Plan |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Color Set - One-Time |
| Subscription | Monthly | Custom Hair Care |
| Subscription | Monthly | Custom Hair Growth |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hair Regrowth Treatment |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Densifying Scalp Serum |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Biotin Hair Supplements |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Professional Hair Tools |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
eSalon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
eSalon manufactures and ships custom-formulated hair color, hair care, and hair growth products directly to consumers via its e-commerce website. Each custom color set is individually crafted by licensed colorists and produced using a patented color-dispensing machine that creates unique pigment variations. The company also retails third-party professional hair care brands and operates a men's grooming sub-brand called Colorsmith.
Product overview
eSalon is a direct-to-consumer hair care company offering a multi-product portfolio centered on customization. The core offerings include: (1) Custom Hair Color Set - individually formulated by licensed colorists using a patented color-dispensing machine that can produce infinite pigment variations; (2) Custom Hair Care (Signature) - personalized hair care routines based on a quiz, featuring proprietary Tri-Bonding Technology; (3) Custom Hair Growth (Revive) - personalized hair growth products featuring FDA-approved 2% Minoxidil and proprietary ingredients. The company also offers add-on products including pre-formulated color kits (Personal Colorist Kit), highlighting kits (Light Set), scalp treatments, supplements, and professional styling tools. Additionally, eSalon retails partner professional hair care brands including Joico, Kenra, Schwarzkopf, SexyHair, T3, STMNT, and DevaCurl, as well as a sub-brand Colorsmith for men. All custom products are shipped directly to customers with personalized instructions and access to licensed colorist support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Colorsmith: Men's custom hair color and hair care brand founded by the experts at eSalon, utilizing the same patented technology and colorist expertise
- Colorsmith for Men
Products and services
- Custom Hair Color Set Made-to-order custom hair color individually crafted by licensed colorists based on hair profile, history, and color goals. Includes personalized instructions and everything needed for at-home application. Available as one-time purchase or subscription Color Plan.
- Custom Hair Care (Signature) Personalized hair care routine made by expert stylists based on a quiz about hair history, goals, and preferences. Features Tri-Bonding Technology, L21 Complex, and Microbiome Defense. Starts from $28.00.
- Custom Hair Growth (Revive) Custom hair growth products designed by professionals featuring FDA-approved 2% Minoxidil, Procapil, Redensyl, Biotin, Collagen, and Maca Root Extract for thicker, fuller-looking hair. Starts from $32.00.
- Personal Colorist Kit
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 100% gray coverage with radiant, long-lasting results
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use eSalon
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
eSalon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
eSalon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ColorsmithcoreColorsmith is a men's grooming brand founded by eSalon that utilizes the same patented technology and colorist expertise to deliver custom men's hair color and hair care products. It operates as a separate but related brand targeting the male consumer segment.
- JoicominoreSalon carries Joico professional hair care products including Color Balance Purple Shampoo/Conditioner, K-PAK Color Therapy line, Defy Damage products, InnerJoi Hydrate and Preserve lines, Moisture Recovery, YouthLock, and Color Intensity semi-permanent dyes.
- KenraminoreSalon offers Kenra professional hair care products including AllCurl, Clarify, Triple Repair, Moisture, Volume, Color Protecting, and Violet shampoo and conditioner lines, along with Platinum styling products.
- SchwarzkopfminoreSalon carries Schwarzkopf Professional products including BLONDME Cool Blondes, Goodbye Yellow and Goodbye Orange neutralizing washes, Fibre Clinix hair care, and OSiS+ styling products.
- SexyHairminoreSalon offers SexyHair products including Big SexyHair volumizing hairsprays and texturizing powders, and Healthy SexyHair gloss rinses and Imperfect Fruit mask line.
- T3minoreSalon carries T3 professional hair styling tools including Featherweight StyleMax hair dryers, SinglePass StyleMax flat irons, AireBrush smoothing and volumizing brushes, and SinglePass Curl X curling irons.
- STMNTminoreSalon offers STMNT Grooming Goods products including shampoos, conditioners, all-in-one cleansers, shine pastes, pomades, dry clays, beard oils, curl creams, and styling gels targeted at the modern grooming market.
- DevaCurlminoreSalon carries DevaCurl products including No-Poo Decadence cleansers, One Condition Decadence conditioners, and styling products like Supercream, Styling Cream, and Ultra Defining Gel for curly and coily hair types.
- National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.minoreSalon is a proud supporter of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, demonstrating corporate social responsibility through community support.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
eSalon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Madison Reed: Madison Reed is the most direct competitor: a DTC custom hair color brand using licensed colorist consultation to deliver personalized permanent and demi-permanent color, with subscription plans. Competes head-to-head with eSalon on the same consumer value proposition, with broader salon footprint (Madison Reed Color Bar).
- Function of Beauty: Function of Beauty offers custom-formulated shampoo, conditioner, and body care via a quiz-driven personalization engine and subscription model. Closely comparable to eSalon's Custom Hair Care line in mechanics and customer segment.
- Prose: Prose is a DTC custom haircare brand using a personalization quiz and AI-driven formulation. Closely comparable to eSalon's Custom Hair Care product line and quiz-based personalization funnel, though with broader personalization across categories including skincare.
Emerging players
- Hims & Hers Health: Hims & Hers offers custom-formulated wellness products including hair loss treatments (Minoxidil, Finasteride) via online consultation and subscription. Overlaps directly with eSalon's Custom Hair Growth (Revive) line and shares the quiz/consultation-led DTC model.
- Keeps: Keeps is a DTC subscription brand for hair loss prevention featuring FDA-approved Minoxidil and Finasteride. Directly comparable to eSalon's Custom Hair Growth (Revive) line on the male hair retention use case and subscription delivery mechanics.
- Nutrafol: Nutrafol sells clinically-tested hair growth supplements via DTC and professional channels. Comparable to eSalon's Biotin Hair Supplements and Densifying Scalp Serum SKUs, with stronger dermatologist positioning and broader professional channel presence.
Broad incumbents
- Clairol: Clairol (a subsidiary of Wella/Procter & Gamble) is the legacy market leader in at-home boxed hair color. Represents the incumbent mass-market alternative that eSalon competes against for budget-conscious color consumers.
- L'Oréal Professionnel: L'Oréal Professionnel is the global leader in professional salon hair color products distributed through licensed stylists. Represents the salon-channel incumbent that eSalon's professional-quality positioning benchmarks against and partially substitutes for via DTC.
- Revlon: Revlon is a global mass-market beauty conglomerate with a leading at-home hair color portfolio (ColorSilk, Revlon Color). Competes with eSalon in the consumer boxed color category and serves as a broad incumbent benchmark for pricing and distribution.
- Schwarzkopf (Henkel): Schwarzkopf Professional is a global hair care and color brand owned by Henkel, sold both through salons and retail. Already distributed on eSalon as a partner brand, and serves as the salon-grade benchmark that eSalon's Custom Color competes against on quality.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
eSalon social profiles
Digital presenceeSalon compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
eSalon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
eSalon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
eSalon subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
eSalon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
eSalon 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 eSalon
What does eSalon do?
eSalon manufactures and ships custom-formulated hair color, hair care, and hair growth products directly to consumers via its e-commerce website. Each custom color set is individually crafted by licensed colorists and produced using a patented color-dispensing machine that creates unique pigment variations. The company also retails third-party professional hair care brands and operates a men's grooming sub-brand called Colorsmith.
Is eSalon a public or private company?
eSalon is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was eSalon founded?
eSalon was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is eSalon based?
eSalon is headquartered in Culver City, United States, in the North America region.
How does eSalon make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Custom Hair Color - Flex Plan (Subscription) is the primary driver. The others are custom Hair Color - One-Time Purchase, custom Hair Care Products, custom Hair Growth Products and third-Party Brand Products.
Who are eSalon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Madison Reed, Function of Beauty and Prose. Emerging players are Hims & Hers Health, Keeps and Nutrafol. Broad incumbents are Clairol, L'Oréal Professionnel, Revlon and Schwarzkopf (Henkel).
Does eSalon have an API?
No public API is recorded for eSalon.
What industry is eSalon in?
eSalon's product category is Custom Hair Care Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRABABAD, Hair Color & Bleaching, with a secondary code of CRABALAB, Professional Hair Care (Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatments). Its NAICS code is 456120 and its SIC code is 2844.