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“E.L.F. is continuing to shape culture by operating in real time—and by disrupting norms.” — Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer, E.L.F. Beauty
Few brands in the beauty industry have ascended as rapidly—or as boldly—as E.L.F. Beauty. Once a scrappy digital-first upstart selling $1 cosmetics online, E.L.F. has transformed into one of the most culturally explosive, community-powered, omnichannel beauty brands in the world.
Behind this surge is Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer, whose leadership is unlocking new cultural pathways, global expansion, and a marketing engine that truly moves at the speed of culture.
In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Laurie joins Matt Britton to break down how E.L.F. has become a category disruptor—powered by community, purpose, cultural fluency, and creativity without fear.
Tune into the latest episode or read the transcript below to learn more. Here are some top takeaways:
Brands That Shape Culture Start With Community
For E.L.F., brand-building doesn’t begin with a tagline—it begins with the community. Laurie describes the brand’s philosophy simply:
“What our community cares about is what we care about.”
E.L.F.’s growth is fueled by listening deeply to its audience and building products and campaigns around what they ask for—value, clean ingredients, cruelty-free formulas, inclusivity, and a brand voice that feels like a best friend, not a corporation.
Community isn’t a marketing tactic—it’s E.L.F.’s operating system.
From social conversations to product reviews to fan-led trends, consumers power everything:
- Viral launches like Halo Glow Lip Kits
- TikTok-driven product discoveries
- Live events and social-first activations
- Campaign ideas born from real community moments
This is why E.L.F. consistently drives cultural relevance: the brand doesn’t market to consumers—it markets with them.
Entering New Cultural Spaces: E.L.F.’s Boldness Comes From Disrupting Norms
E.L.F.’s category-defying moves—gaming activations, NASCAR sponsorships, Roblox experiences, viral TikTok collaborations, partnerships with Chipotle and Liquid Death—aren’t random.
They’re intentional plays rooted in one principle:
Disrupt norms to captivate new audiences.
If E.L.F.’s community shows up somewhere, the brand shows up too—often long before competitors realize the opportunity. Laurie emphasizes that E.L.F.:
- Joined Twitch before beauty brands viewed gaming as a relevant space
- Expanded into sports culture with NASCAR and The Big Game
- Tapped fandom to intersect beauty with entertainment, comedy, and cultural moments
- Activated in subcultures that blend passion points (makeup × cars, beauty × gaming, etc.)
The result?
A beauty brand that doesn’t look like the rest of the industry—and one that consistently leads the conversation rather than follows it.
A Digital-First Brand That Mastered Omnichannel
E.L.F. was born online, and its digital DNA still drives its speed, scrappiness, and community responsiveness. Long before algorithms and UGC defined modern marketing, E.L.F. was crowdsourcing product feedback and iterating in real time.
Today, E.L.F. blends that digital fluency with powerful retail partnerships, expanding intentionally across:
- Target (its #1 retail partner)
- Ulta
- Sephora Mexico
- Dollar General (supporting beauty deserts)
- Additional global retailers
For E.L.F., accessibility means many things:
- Accessible price
- Accessible distribution
- Accessible representation
- Accessible cultural relevance
A brand that exists for “every eye, lip, and face” must be everywhere those consumers live, shop, and play.
Going Global: A Universal Brand With Local Nuance
Social media has erased borders—and E.L.F.’s global growth reflects that. Though less than 20% of its revenue currently comes from outside the U.S., global demand has skyrocketed because consumers worldwide follow the brand on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
E.L.F.’s international strategy includes:
1. Listening before entering
They spark demand through social, engage local communities, and ensure consumers truly want the brand before launching.
2. Maintaining the core value proposition worldwide
Whether in Italy, Mexico, or the U.S., E.L.F. delivers:
- Clean formulations
- Affordable prices
- Innovation
- Inclusive brand identity
3. Making insight-led product bets
In Italy, E.L.F. launched Power Grip Primer—even though local insights suggested women didn’t use primer.
The result?
It became the #1 product in market.
This is E.L.F.’s approach: community + intuition + cultural insight.
Storytelling at the Speed of Culture
E.L.F.’s content is built around humor, cultural relevance, emotional resonance, and entertainment.
Laurie reminds us:
“Humor helps with recall—audiences are 80% more likely to remember content that’s funny.”
Standout examples include:
Halo Glow’s “not a one-trick pony” campaign
What started as a community insight—that people used the product hundreds of different ways—became a campaign starring a talking horse. Literally.
Liquid Death x E.L.F. “Corpse Paint” campaign
A bizarre, uncomfortable, brilliant moment that redefined “get ready with me” content and demonstrated maximum creative bravery.
A Super Bowl commercial produced in just three weeks
While most beauty brands need 12–18 months to pull off big-game work, E.L.F. executed at lightning speed, showcasing its “creativity under pressure” ethos.
E.L.F. doesn’t simply advertise—it entertains, surprises, and emotionally engages audiences where they already spend their time.
Inside E.L.F.’s Internal Culture: How Bold Ideas Survive (and Thrive)
Most large brands suffocate bold ideas. E.L.F. does the opposite.
Laurie credits their internal framework—High-Performance Teamwork (HPT)—which includes:
- Healthy conflict
- Passionate relationships
- Mutual accountability
- Rapid feedback loops
- Empowerment without ego
- Collaboration between internal teams and external agency partners
E.L.F.'s speed comes from a culture where creativity is protected, feedback is honest, and everyone—from agencies to executives—operates as part of the same “orbit.”
This is how a beauty brand produces a talking horse, a corpse paint GRWM, and a TikTok-dominant product launch—all in the same quarter.
Purpose: Living Inclusivity, Not Performing It
Many brands talk about representation. E.L.F. actually builds systems to drive it.
One example: its campaign “So Many Dicks,” a bold call to diversify corporate boardrooms. E.L.F. highlights inequities—such as more men named Richard on boards than women or people of color—and partners with organizations to prepare diverse candidates for board seats.
E.L.F.’s purpose-driven actions include:
- Committing to double the rate of women and POC added to boards by 2027
- Partnering with NACD, 50/50 Women on Boards, and Latino Corporate Directors Association
- Ensuring its brand purpose (“for every eye, lip, and face”) is reflected internally and externally
Inclusivity isn’t a marketing line—it’s an operational mandate.
Laurie’s Leadership Advice for Aspiring Women in Marketing
Laurie encourages young women to embrace:
1. A fluid career journey
You don’t need to hit arbitrary milestones before making bold moves.
2. The power of curiosity
Ask questions. Explore new spaces. Don’t wait for permission.
3. The reframing of setbacks
A setback isn’t a failure—it's a redirect.
4. The courage to leap
Laurie left a 20-year career at L’Oréal to join a challenger brand. Her advice:
“There’s clarity in the moment when you’re between vines. Go for it.”
Her Mantra: “Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.”
Laurie has carried this quote since childhood, and it continues to guide her through seasons of reinvention, creativity, leadership, and boldness.
Curiosity is the fuel behind her success—and behind E.L.F.’s meteoric rise.
