Its name may sound diminutive, but E.l.f. turned in one of the biggest performances of the year. The mass market beauty company posted its 15th annual quarter of growth in November, with results that significantly outpaced the market. To wit: Mass makeup grew 5 percent for the time period, per Nielsen. E.l.f. grew 27 percent. Skin care was up 15 percent overall. E.l.f. increased its skin care sales by 44 percent. Now the number four ranked color brand in mass, E.l.f.
While makeup was hit hard during the pandemic, MAC suffered the double whammy of a category slowdown and the impact on its 700 freestanding stores worldwide. Which makes it rebound in 2022 all the more remarkable. And rebound it did. In a year in which makeup sales finally reached pre-pandemic levels, with increases in the double digits across categories, MAC was the biggest contributor to makeup growth in both the U.S. and Canada, and one of the largest in Europe.