Total Beauty Media

What Total Beauty Media does

Total Beauty Media operates TotalBeauty.com, a digital media platform that publishes beauty and wellness editorial content and aggregates user-generated product reviews for a primarily female consumer audience spanning makeup, skincare, hair, nails, body, fragrance, fitness, diet, and wellness categories. The platform combines expert editorial articles, slideshows and how-to guides, a points-based community forum, member blogs and photo sharing, an annual Beauty Awards program, and a Free Samples lead-generation program. Its product surface extends to a 'Products We Love' section and a shop page populated with affiliate commerce links to third-party retailers such as Amazon and Sephora. The technical footprint is described as a standard content management and community platform with no proprietary AI or machine-learning components disclosed; URL and taxonomy structures (/how-tos/skin-care, /how-tos/hair-care, /diet-health/fitness) indicate category- and tag-based SEO-oriented information architecture rather than a differentiated technology stack.

The company monetizes through a diversified display and sponsored-content advertising business, supplemented by affiliate commissions on purchases routed to retailer partners — disclosed via an affiliate disclosure tied to parent Evolve Media Holdings. There is no consumer-facing paid pricing; revenue is generated on the demand side (advertisers, brand sponsors, affiliate retail partners) rather than from end users. Reach is scaled primarily through SEO-driven organic discovery, email newsletter opt-ins, on-site community engagement loops, and cross-promotion with sister sites The Fashion Spot and Momtastic within the Evolve Media Holdings portfolio.

Total Beauty Media is privately held and operates as a property of Evolve Media Holdings, LLC, with no public ticker. It was founded in 2007, is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and employs 51–100 people. The company raised approximately $16 million across three disclosed funding rounds in 2007–2008 from U.S. Venture Partners and Wallington Investments, and completed two acquisitions (BeautyRiot in 2009 and LimeLife in 2010), with no subsequent funding or M&A activity disclosed in the available source data.

Name

Total Beauty Media

Legal name

Evolve Media Holdings, LLC

Website

https://totalbeauty.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Total Beauty Media operates TotalBeauty.com, a women-focused beauty and wellness publishing platform combining expert editorial content, user-generated product reviews, community forums, and an annual Beauty Awards program, monetized through advertising and affiliate commerce; it is a property of Evolve Media Holdings, LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Beauty and Wellness Media

NAICS

Media Representatives (541840)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Beauty & Grooming Magazines (MPAJAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beauty & Personal Care Marketplaces (CRAFABAB)

Keywords

• Online beauty media
• Beauty product reviews
• Wellness content platform
• Beauty community forums
• Affiliate beauty commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising and affiliate revenue: Total Beauty monetizes through display advertising, sponsored content, and affiliate/partner links. The site discloses that Evolve Media Holdings and its subsidiaries may receive commissions from affiliate and direct partner links for products sold through the platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Total Beauty Media runs TotalBeauty.com, a digital publishing and community platform for women that delivers editorial beauty tips, slideshow-style how-to articles, user-generated and editor-curated product reviews, beauty awards coverage, wellness and lifestyle content, and discussion forums. Its audience-facing offerings are free, with community features (forums, blogs, photo sharing, points-based engagement), a free-samples opt-in program, and an email newsletter. Commerce activity occurs via outbound affiliate links to third-party retailers rather than direct product sales.

Product overview

TotalBeauty.com is a digital media publishing platform providing beauty tips, product reviews, and wellness news content. The platform operates through its core website featuring editorial articles, a user-generated product review system with community ratings, an annual Beauty Awards program, and an e-commerce Shop section. The platform also includes community features such as forums, blogs, and photo sharing. The site covers content across makeup, hair, skin care, body, fitness, diet, and wellness categories. Total Beauty is a property of Evolve Media Holdings, LLC, with sister sites including The Fashion Spot and Momtastic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Total Beauty Awards: Beauty awards program operated by TotalBeauty

Products and services

• TotalBeauty.com Website A digital beauty media platform providing beauty tips, product reviews, and wellness news content across makeup, hair, skin, and body categories, with a community-driven product-rating system and editorial articles.
• Product Reviews System A user-generated and editor-curated product review platform that allows community members to rate and review beauty products across categories including makeup, hair, face, and body, with numerical ratings and reviews.
• Total Beauty Awards An annual awards program recognizing top-performing beauty products across multiple categories, hosted at awards.totalbeauty.com.
• Total Beauty Shop A shop section on TotalBeauty.com featuring curated beauty products with affiliate links pointing to third-party retailers for purchase.
• Community Forums Interactive message boards where community members discuss beauty topics, share tips, and engage in ongoing discussions.
• Community Blogs A user-generated blog platform where community members share beauty experiences, product reviews, and wellness tips.
• Community Photos A photo-sharing section where community members upload and share beauty, fashion, and lifestyle images.
• Free Samples A free-samples program offering free beauty product samples to subscribers who opt in via email.
• Email Newsletter An opt-in email newsletter delivering free samples, exclusive deals, discounts, and expert beauty tips to subscribers.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• The Fashion SpotminorOthersThe Fashion Spot is a sister media property within the Evolve Media Holdings network. It is listed alongside Total Beauty as a sister site, serving a fashion-focused audience and providing cross-promotional traffic to Total Beauty readers.
• MomtasticminorOthersMomtastic is a sister media property within the Evolve Media Holdings network. It is listed alongside Total Beauty as a sister site and follows a similar community-driven content model for a parenting and family audience, providing cross-promotional synergies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Beautylish: Beautylish is a beauty retailer that integrates editorial content, customer reviews, and tutorials alongside a curated product marketplace. It overlaps with Total Beauty's affiliate-shop and review community model, but with first-party retail rather than affiliate revenue.

Direct peers

• Byrdie: Byrdie is a digital beauty editorial platform covering skincare, makeup, hair, and wellness with reviews, tutorials, and shopping guides. It directly competes with Total Beauty for the same audience of women seeking beauty tips and product recommendations, with the same monetization model of display advertising and affiliate commerce.
• MakeupAlley: MakeupAlley is a long-running user-generated beauty product review community with millions of reviews across skincare, makeup, and hair care. It directly mirrors Total Beauty's review-and-rating community model and serves the same product-research intent audience.
• Into The Gloss: Into The Gloss is a beauty editorial platform known for its Top Shelf interviews, product reviews, and skincare guides, now owned by Glossier. It competes with Total Beauty for high-intent beauty product research traffic and brand-sponsored content.
• Refinery29 (Beauty vertical): Refinery29 publishes a major beauty vertical featuring product reviews, tutorials, and trend coverage targeted at millennial and Gen Z women. Its beauty content directly competes with Total Beauty for the same audience, ad budgets, and SEO-driven traffic.
• The Zoe Report: The Zoe Report is a beauty, fashion, and lifestyle digital media brand founded by Rachel Zoe, covering trend-driven editorial and shopping content. It competes with Total Beauty for the same millennial women's lifestyle audience and beauty advertiser budgets.
• Allure: Allure is an iconic beauty magazine and digital beauty editorial brand owned by Condé Nast, covering product reviews, expert advice, and the annual Best of Beauty awards. It competes with Total Beauty on beauty editorial authority, annual awards programs, and beauty advertiser relationships.
• Influenster: Influenster is a product discovery and reviews platform with a strong beauty vertical, offering community reviews, product sampling campaigns (VoxBoxes), and ratings. It competes with Total Beauty for beauty enthusiast engagement, free-sample marketing programs, and advertiser-sponsored sampling initiatives.

Broad incumbents

• Ulta Beauty (Content & Community): Ulta Beauty operates a beauty editorial and reviews platform (The Beauty Hive / Ulta Beauty — the diversity) integrated with its retail business. As a leading specialty beauty retailer, it competes with Total Beauty for both editorial mindshare and the beauty affiliate/sampling economy, capturing consumer attention within its owned ecosystem.
• Sephora (Community & Editorial): Sephora operates a major product reviews community, beauty editorial content, and the Beauty Insider Community alongside its retail business. As a retailer-owned incumbent, it competes with Total Beauty for product-research audiences and directly captures the affiliate commissions Total Beauty would otherwise earn on Sephora sales.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TotalBeauty
• Facebookfacebook.com/totalbeauty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Total Beauty Media