InStyle Magazine

What InStyle Magazine does

InStyle Magazine is a U.S.-based women's lifestyle media brand founded in 1994 and operated as a private subsidiary within the People Inc. media conglomerate. It publishes editorial content spanning fashion, beauty, celebrity news, entertainment, royal family coverage, wellness, and lifestyle topics through a digital-first platform (InStyle.com), email newsletters, social media channels, original video series, and a continuing print magazine distributed via newsstands and subscriptions.

The company's product portfolio includes the core digital publication, seasonal digital issues under the InStyle Now sub-brand, original video series (the Webby Award-winning 'The Intern' and 'The Boss'), editor-curated shopping content (InStyle Picks), and recurring editorial franchises including the Imagemaker Awards, Best Beauty Buys, and Red Carpet Beauty Awards. The underlying technology is a standard digital publishing platform delivering content across web, video, and newsletter formats without disclosed proprietary AI or ML components.

InStyle generates revenue primarily through display advertising, branded-content sponsorships (such as the Nexxus Haircare partnership for 'The Boss'), and digital/print subscriptions, with supplementary sweepstakes and affiliate-commerce programs. The audience is a horizontal consumer segment of women seeking curated fashion, beauty, and celebrity content. The publication is editorially led by Editor-in-Chief and GM Sally Holmes, supported by a structured team across beauty, fashion, and entertainment verticals.

Name

InStyle Magazine

Legal name

InStyle

Website

https://instyle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

InStyle Magazine is a 30-year-old U.S. women's lifestyle media brand under People Inc. that publishes fashion, beauty, celebrity, and entertainment editorial across digital, video, newsletter, and print channels, monetized primarily through advertising, branded-content sponsorships, and subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Lifestyle Media

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

Keywords

• Women's lifestyle publishing
• Fashion and beauty media
• Celebrity editorial content
• Digital magazine publishing
• Entertainment news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: InStyle generates primary revenue through display advertising, branded content, and sponsored editorial partnerships with consumer brands across its digital platform, print magazine, email newsletters, and video content.
2. Digital Subscriptions / Content Access: The publication offers digital magazine issues and premium content that readers can access, including special issues such as the Summer Issue, Spring Fashion and Beauty Issue, and Imagemaker Issues. InStyle also runs sweepstakes and newsletter programs that drive engagement and subscription-based readership.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

InStyle is a digital-first women's lifestyle magazine that publishes editorial content covering fashion, beauty, celebrity news, entertainment, royal family coverage, and lifestyle topics across its website, print magazine, video series, and email newsletters. The publication monetizes its audience through advertising, branded content partnerships, and digital subscriptions, serving as a curated destination for women seeking fashion inspiration, beauty product recommendations, and celebrity style coverage.

Product overview

InStyle Magazine is a digital-first media publishing platform providing comprehensive coverage of celebrity news, beauty tips, fashion advice, lifestyle content, and entertainment through its flagship website. The portfolio consists of its core digital publication (InStyle.com) featuring articles, features, and multimedia content, complemented by branded video series including 'The Boss' (satirical workplace comedy with celebrity guests) and the Webby-winning 'The Intern'. The company operates several sub-brands including the annual 'Best Beauty Buys' awards, 'Imagemakers Awards', and 'Red Carpet Beauty Awards'. Additional offerings include an editorial-curated shopping section ('InStyle Picks'), a celebrity A-Z directory, sweepstakes promotions, and email newsletters. The publication is part of People Inc. and covers categories spanning News, Celebrity, Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle, Wellness, Shopping, Video, and Awards & Events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• InStyle Now: A sub-brand publication featuring current celebrity and fashion coverage.
• InStyle Imagemakers Awards

Products and services

• InStyle Magazine (Digital Edition) InStyle Magazine's primary digital publication offering covering celebrity news, beauty tips, fashion advice, lifestyle content, and entertainment coverage through articles, features, and multimedia content for women interested in fashion, beauty, and celebrity culture.
• InStyle Picks (Shopping Section) A curated shopping section featuring editor-approved product recommendations across beauty, fashion, and lifestyle categories with commerce integration for readers seeking purchase recommendations.
• The Boss (Video Series) A satirical social video series featuring celebrity guests during magazine shoots, with episodes typically 2-3 minutes in length, distributed via YouTube and InStyle.com.
• The Intern (Video Series) A Webby Award-winning satirical social video series following InStyle's office interns through comedic workplace scenarios, distributed across digital and social platforms.
• Best Beauty Buys (Awards) InStyle's annual beauty awards program recognizing the year's most coveted beauty and skincare products across categories including skin care, makeup, hair care, and fragrances.
• Imagemakers Awards InStyle's annual awards recognizing influential figures in beauty, fashion, and entertainment across categories such as makeup artists, hairstylists, fashion designers, and cultural figures.
• Red Carpet Beauty Awards Annual awards recognizing the best beauty looks from red carpet events and award shows, highlighting standout hair and makeup from celebrity appearances.
• Celebrity A-Z Directory A comprehensive alphabetical directory of celebrity profiles and related news coverage, spanning major entertainment figures for reader reference and content discovery.
• Sweepstakes Contest and sweepstakes offerings for reader engagement and participation, used to grow the email subscriber list and drive audience engagement.
• InStyle Now A digital magazine format featuring seasonal issues with celebrity covers, including Imagemakers issues highlighting beauty and fashion industry influencers.
• Newsletters Email newsletter subscriptions delivering curated editorial picks, breaking news alerts, and exclusive content updates to subscribers to drive repeat website visits and engagement.

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

One partnership is on record.

• Nexxus Haircare (KERAPHIX)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInStyle partnered with Nexxus Haircare for its original video series 'The Boss,' featuring Christina Aguilera during a magazine shoot. The sponsored content integrated Nexxus KERAPHIX Haircare products into the behind-the-scenes video narrative, with the brand serving as the exclusive sponsor of the shoot. The collaboration represents a branded content partnership where the brand underwrites original video production in exchange for editorial integration.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vogue: The flagship fashion and lifestyle magazine published by Condé Nast, covering celebrity style, fashion trends, beauty, and culture. Directly competes with InStyle for the same advertising verticals and audience of fashion-conscious women.
• Cosmopolitan: Hearst women's lifestyle magazine covering celebrity news, beauty, fashion, and entertainment for a similar female-skewing audience. Sister title within Hearst that overlaps meaningfully with InStyle's coverage areas.
• Harper's Bazaar: Hearst-owned women's fashion and beauty magazine offering celebrity coverage, red carpet reporting, and luxury fashion editorial. Closely aligned with InStyle in audience, advertiser base, and editorial verticals.
• Allure: Condé Nast beauty-focused publication providing editorial coverage of skincare, makeup, hair, and fragrance. Highly comparable to InStyle's beauty vertical and Best Beauty Buys franchise.
• Elle: Hearst-published global women's magazine covering fashion, beauty, celebrity, and lifestyle. Operates with similar digital-plus-print model and competes directly for advertising dollars in fashion and beauty.
• Marie Claire: Global women's fashion and beauty magazine with a digital-first presence covering celebrity style, beauty products, and luxury fashion. Directly comparable in editorial scope, audience, and advertising verticals.
• Glamour: Condé Nast women's lifestyle publication focused on beauty, fashion, celebrity, and cultural commentary. Targets a comparable audience demographic and monetizes via similar advertising and branded content channels.

Emerging players

• Refinery29: Digital-first women's lifestyle publication covering fashion, beauty, wellness, and entertainment for a millennial and Gen Z audience. Competes for similar advertising dollars and overlaps with InStyle's vertical mix.
• Byrdie: Dotdash Meredith-owned beauty and wellness digital publication covering skincare, makeup, hair, and wellness. Sister brand within the parent company that competes and overlaps meaningfully with InStyle's beauty coverage.
• Who What Wear: Digital-native fashion publication offering trend reporting, shopping recommendations, and styling content. Competes with InStyle for fashion-conscious readers and shares an affiliate-commerce revenue model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InStyle
• Facebookfacebook.com/InStyle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/in-style

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about InStyle Magazine