Folica
Folica operates as the US-facing arm of LOOKFANTASTIC, an online premium beauty marketplace founded in 1999 offering 660+ brands across skincare, haircare, makeup, and fragrance, serving individual consumers via subscription boxes, loyalty programs, and AI-powered product recommendations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Folica does
Folica was founded in 1999 by Dennis Huang as a US-based e-commerce retailer specializing in hair and beauty care products. Over time, Folica has been integrated into the LOOKFANTASTIC platform operated by THG Beauty Limited, a UK-domiciled subsidiary of The Hut.com Ltd (THG). The Folica storefront now redirects to us.lookfantastic.com, positioning it as the US-facing arm of one of Europe's largest online premium beauty retailers, which aggregates over 660 luxury and prestige beauty brands spanning skincare, haircare, makeup, fragrance, body care, men's grooming, and Korean beauty.
The platform's core product is a single-destination online beauty marketplace featuring an AI-powered skin expert tool for personalized recommendations, a monthly Beauty Box subscription (£13/month with contents valued over £55), and an LF Beauty Plus+ loyalty program offering premier delivery and exclusive discounts. Supporting capabilities include native mobile apps (iOS), buy-now-pay-later integrations (Klarna, ClearPay, Frasers Plus), and an editorial content library ("The Glossary") covering ingredient guides, K-beauty routines, and influencer-curated collections. The product surface is purely transactional e-commerce with content-driven discovery and emerging diagnostic functionality.
Revenue mechanics are multi-pronged: direct product sales across the 660+ brand catalog with discounts of 20-50% on select items drive the majority of income, supplemented by recurring subscription revenue from the Beauty Box and LF Beauty Plus+ loyalty tiers. Free UK delivery over £25 acts as a minimum basket incentive. The customer base is fully consumer-facing with no disclosed B2B or enterprise contracts, spanning personas from premium beauty enthusiasts and K-beauty devotees to professional skincare shoppers and men's grooming consumers. The company reports 51-100 employees, reflecting its positioning as a regional/US localization layer within the broader THG conglomerate rather than a standalone full-stack operator.
Folica firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Folica
- Legal name
- THG Beauty Limited
- Website
- https://us.lookfantastic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Folica operates as the US-facing arm of LOOKFANTASTIC, an online premium beauty marketplace founded in 1999 offering 660+ brands across skincare, haircare, makeup, and fragrance, serving individual consumers via subscription boxes, loyalty programs, and AI-powered product recommendations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Folica industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Beauty Retail
- NAICS
- Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beauty & Personal Care Online Retailers (CRAFADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Beauty & Personal Care Omnichannel (CRAFAEAB), Beauty & Personal Care Marketplaces (CRAFABAB)
Keywords
Where Folica is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Folica business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Beauty Box subscription |
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Folica product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Folica is an online specialty retailer that sells hair care, skin care, makeup, fragrance, wellness, men's grooming, and Korean beauty products from more than 660 premium and luxury brands. The platform also operates a recurring Beauty Box subscription and supports cross-border delivery to multiple European markets through the LOOKFANTASTIC storefront.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LF Beauty Plus+: A subscription loyalty program offering exclusive discounts and premier delivery benefits.
Products and services
- Beauty Box Subscription
Companies that use Folica
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Folica technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Folica partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Folica competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Feelunique: UK-based online beauty retailer acquired by Sephora. Closely comparable on premium beauty assortment, e-commerce-led model, and UK/European customer base.
- Dermstore: Online beauty retailer with strong emphasis on clinical, dermatological, and professional skincare brands. Comparable to LOOKFANTASTIC's dermatological edit and SkinCeuticals/La Roche-Posay positioning.
- Cult Beauty: UK-based online-first premium beauty retailer curating hundreds of indie and prestige brands. Closely comparable model to LOOKFANTASTIC in assortment, discovery-led merchandising, and audience.
- Sephora: Global multi-brand prestige beauty retailer with a strong online storefront. Direct competitor across the same product categories (skincare, makeup, fragrance, haircare) and similar target customer.
- Beautylish: Online-first prestige beauty retailer focused on curated indie and prestige brands with content-driven discovery. Closely comparable assortment and editorial-led discovery model.
- Space NK: UK premium beauty retailer combining physical stores with a strong e-commerce site. Competes head-to-head on prestige brand assortment and editorial-led storytelling.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon Beauty: General marketplace with a substantial beauty category and subscription/savings mechanics (Subscribe & Save). Competes on price, selection, and Prime-driven convenience rather than curation.
- Ulta Beauty: Largest US specialty beauty retailer with deep online and offline footprint. Broader assortment (mass + prestige) but directly comparable on multi-brand beauty e-commerce and subscription mechanics.
- Boots: Major UK health and beauty retailer with both physical stores and a large e-commerce site. Overlaps meaningfully on mass and prestige beauty, subscription mechanics, and loyalty (Advantage Card).
- Net-a-Porter: Luxury fashion and beauty online retailer owned by Richemont. Overlaps with LOOKFANTASTIC on premium fragrance and prestige beauty category, although broader portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Folica social profiles
Digital presenceFolica financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Folica leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Folica funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Folica 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 Folica
What does Folica do?
Folica is an online specialty retailer that sells hair care, skin care, makeup, fragrance, wellness, men's grooming, and Korean beauty products from more than 660 premium and luxury brands. The platform also operates a recurring Beauty Box subscription and supports cross-border delivery to multiple European markets through the LOOKFANTASTIC storefront.
Is Folica a public or private company?
Folica is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Folica founded?
Folica was founded in 1999. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Folica based?
Folica is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Folica's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Feelunique, Dermstore, Cult Beauty, Sephora, Beautylish and Space NK. Broad incumbents are Amazon Beauty, Ulta Beauty, Boots and Net-a-Porter.
Does Folica have an API?
No public API is recorded for Folica.
What industry is Folica in?
Folica's product category is Online Beauty Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFADAC, Beauty & Personal Care Online Retailers, with a secondary code of CRAFAEAB, Beauty & Personal Care Omnichannel. Its NAICS code is 456120.