It's a 10

It's a 10 is an American professional haircare brand founded in 2005 in Detroit, Michigan, by stylist Carolyn Aronson and her business partner Scott Scharg, who each put in $40,000 to start the company [11]. The brand is built around a single idea: multitasking formulas that promise, as its tagline puts it, "10 benefits in every bottle." Its first product, the Miracle Leave-In conditioner, launched in 2006 and grew into the company's defining product. It's a 10 remains independent and is run by Aronson, who became sole owner in 2017 [11].

The company describes its guiding concept as "strength in simplicity," and frames its mission around the idea that "feeling good about your hair should be easy." Today the brand operates internationally, sells through professional salons and retailers, and reports a global footprint across more than a hundred countries.

Carolyn Aronson worked for more than two decades as a hairstylist and salon owner before launching It's a 10. By the company's account, she grew frustrated with single-benefit products and confusing claims, and set out to create a line that delivered salon-quality results in one bottle. According to its brand story, the goal was a product range "that was for everyone."

Founding-year sources differ. Wikipedia documents the brand as founded in 2005 in Detroit by Aronson and Scharg, with the Miracle Leave-In following in 2006 [11]. The brand's own site instead carries the phrase "Innovating since 1998" and presents that as its starting point [7]. The earlier date traces to Allianza, the salon Aronson opened in Southfield, Michigan, in 1998 — her own career rather than the It's a 10 company itself, which the editorial record places in 2005 [11].

The Miracle Leave-In, introduced in 2006, became the brand's anchor product and, in the company's words, "an instant cult favorite." In 2017 Aronson bought out Scharg's stake to become the sole owner [11]. The same year, It's a 10 ran a national Super Bowl advertisement, which the company describes as a first for an independent, female-owned haircare brand [9].

The brand later expanded beyond its core line. In 2020 it launched a sister cosmetics brand, Be a 10, and the company says it has since added further lines, including the men's range Rewind It 10 and the FAST haircare line, and that it acquired and rebranded the brand Nisim.

By 2022, trade reporting put annual sales at roughly $500 million, with about 17 million bottles of the Miracle Leave-In sold each year and distribution reaching 117 countries [12]. WWD reported in 2024 that the company had grown into a billion-dollar business [12]. It's a 10 marked 20 years in 2025.

It's a 10 is privately held and, according to the trade press, independently owned by Aronson, who is described as running the largest Hispanic- and female-owned brand in the haircare category [12]. The 2017 buyout of co-founder Scharg consolidated full ownership with Aronson. The brand's sister labels — including the cosmetics line Be a 10 — sit under the same ownership.

The brand positions itself as professional haircare built on simplicity, with multitasking formulas intended to replace several single-purpose products. It states that it aims "to make a difference, not only in our industry, but in the homes of our customers." The company also frames an environment-minded stance, saying it wants "the best for your hair, your environment and your world."

Philanthropy is part of how It's a 10 presents itself. The company says it supports organizations including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Right Action for Women, the breast-cancer initiative founded by actress Christina Applegate, and that it developed the Miracle Whipped Styling Balm specifically for that partnership.

The brand's product range centers on leave-in conditioners and is organized into collections aimed at different hair types and needs, among them Conditioning, Keratin, Silk Express, Volumizing, Blonde, Blow Dry, Scalp and Coily. Alongside the original Miracle Leave-In, the line includes products such as Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin, the Miracle Hair Mask and the Miracle Blow Dry H2O Shield.

The formulas draw on ingredients the company highlights, including keratin, silk proteins and amino acids, panthenol, and botanical extracts such as green tea and sunflower seed extract. It's a 10 is Leaping Bunny certified as cruelty-free and states that it does not test on animals [1].

The Miracle Leave-In has drawn sustained editorial attention. In a 2022 review, PureWow called it a longtime favorite, with its writer describing it as "the one beauty product I would bring with me to a desert island" after using it for six years [13].

Founder recognition has also accumulated around the brand. Aronson appeared on Entrepreneur's 100 Women of Influence in 2022 and, per WWD, was named to Forbes' 50 Over 50 in 2023 as the only haircare figure on that list, followed by Inc.'s Female Founder 250 in 2024 [12]. The brand has worked with a roster of ambassadors, among them Khloé Kardashian as a global brand ambassador, as well as Travis Kelce, DJ Khaled and, for the men's line, rapper Fat Joe [12].

It's a 10 is active. Its product collections are current, its distribution spans more than a hundred countries, and its founder continued to appear in industry press into 2026, including a Retail Brew feature on self-funding the company. The brand remains independent under Aronson's ownership.