Kory Marchisotto (e.l.f. Beauty) on Acquiring Rhode, Building a Billion-Dollar Brand and Responding When Campaigns Don’t Land

When Kory Marchisotto joined e.l.f. Beauty, the company had less than 10% brand awareness and roughly $200 million in revenue. Today, e.l.f.’s brands generate approximately $1.8 billion in global consumption—and have become some of the most culturally relevant names in beauty.

In this episode, Kory joins Sammi from the Cannes Lions Festival to explain how she brought the rigor of luxury brand-building to an affordable beauty company designed for the “happy many” rather than the “happy few.” She shares why every major decision at e.l.f. begins with its community, how the company turns comments and cultural signals into campaigns, and the story behind the e.l.f. language that helped create the brand’s cult following.

Kory also takes Sammi inside e.l.f.’s billion-dollar acquisition of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, including the business metrics and shared values that made the partnership stand out. She explains why e.l.f. publicly addressed its first global price increase, how the company maintains premium quality and strict safety standards at accessible prices, and why it continues to enter unexpected spaces like Twitch, Roblox, gaming, sports, and the Super Bowl.

Plus, Kory reveals how her team created a Jennifer Coolidge Super Bowl campaign in less than three weeks, the framework she uses when a marketing campaign doesn’t land, and why e.l.f. has granted $250 million in stock to employees outside the C-suite. Toward the end, she opens up about the deeply personal ambition inspired by her father and shares the simple three-step system e.l.f. uses to move from an idea to execution.

Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram 

Read more about e.l.f. x Rhode, e.l.f. x Twitch, the Super Bowl ad, and So Many Dicks

Here’s What Sammi Covers with Kory:

00:00 Kory Marchisotto’s Social Currency

02:27 What Cannes Taught Kory About Great Creative Work

04:44 How e.l.f. Grew From $200 Million to $1.8 Billion

06:36 Bringing Luxury Brand-Building to Affordable Beauty

09:48 Serving the “Happy Many,” Not the “Happy Few”

10:56 Why Every e.l.f. Idea Starts With the Community

12:53 Finding the Answers Between the Comments

16:44 What Kory Initially Thought of the Name e.l.f.

17:30 How e.l.f. Created Its Own Language

20:18 The F-Bomb That Inspired an e.l.f. Bomb

22:22 Does Hair Still Fit Into Eyes, Lips, Face?

24:29 Inside e.l.f.’s Billion-Dollar Acquisition of Rhode

25:47 Why Rhode’s Growth Was So Rare

27:00 The Dinner That Sealed the Partnership

28:31 Why e.l.f. Publicly Announced Its Price Increase

31:00 How e.l.f. Delivers Prestige Quality Under $10

31:43 What “Clean Beauty” Actually Means at e.l.f.

32:48 Why e.l.f. Entered Twitch and Roblox

33:30 The Brand Ethos Behind Every Marketing Decision

35:36 Creating a Safe Space for Women in Gaming

38:03 Making a Super Bowl Ad in Three Weeks

40:11 Building the Muscle to Move at e.l.f. Speed

41:40 The Cultural Insight Behind an 11-Day Campaign

43:17 What to Do When a Marketing Campaign Misses

44:24 Kory’s Three-Part Crisis Framework

47:25 Why Every e.l.f. Employee Receives Stock

48:00 Operating Like a Startup at a $2 Billion Company

50:48 The Personal Story Behind Kory’s Ambition

53:46 The Accomplishments She Wishes Her Father Could See

54:30 Lightning Round

54:54 The Beauty Trend Kory Would Retire Tomorrow

55:23 Kory’s Favorite e.l.f. Collaboration

57:00 Vision, Alignment, Execution58:19 How Young Is Too Young for Beauty Products?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices