Kristin Ess

Kristin Ess is an American haircare brand created by the celebrity hairstylist of the same name and built to sell salon-style products at drugstore prices. It launched exclusively at Target in January 2017 with 15 hair-care and styling items, and is incubated and owned by the brand-development company Maesa. The line has since grown into a multi-channel mass brand sold through Target, Walmart and a string of international retailers, and remains active.

Trade-press coverage consistently dates the haircare brand's debut to 2017 [5], though a business-data aggregator lists the company as founded in 2008 in New York [9] — a figure that most likely reflects the founder's earlier styling career rather than the product line. The brand is unusual within the mass-market hair aisle in being, by its parent company's description, "the only mass haircare brand founded by a female hairstylist."

The brand carries the name of Kristin Ess, a hairstylist known for working with social-media-prominent clients including Lauren Conrad and Lucy Hale [4]. Before the product line, she had founded the website Thebeautydepartment.com and built a sizable following on Instagram.

According to Maesa, the brand began with the idea to "create an affordable collection of luxury haircare and styling products that would give everyone the chance to create modern, perfectly-imperfect hair." The company describes the positioning as combining salon-quality performance, a modern aesthetic and an accessible price point. The product was co-developed with Maesa, a brand incubator founded by Julien Saada and Gregory Mager in 1997 [6]; the haircare line launched exclusively with Target in the United States and was an early success, with one Maesa executive noting it "resonated with consumers at a level we've never expected."

The 2017 launch began with 15 products sold only through Target and target.com. In 2019 the brand expanded internationally into the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Mexico, working with partners such as Well.ca, Feelunique, Priceline, Liverpool and Sephora, and grew its range to roughly 40 stock-keeping units spanning hot tools, scalp care, accessories and styling products. By the brand's second year, industry sources projected its retail sales were approaching $100 million [4].

A further distribution step came in 2023, when the line launched across more than 2,000 Walmart locations and walmart.com. Target continued to carry exclusive accessories under the brand, including The Luxe Hair Stick, The Half Moon Claw Clip and The Luxe Faux Fur Scrunchie.

Kristin Ess is owned by Maesa, the incubator that co-developed it; the brand has described itself as one of Maesa's fastest-growing lines. According to allegations in a 2022 lawsuit filed by the founder, the private-equity firm Bain Capital took a majority stake in Maesa in 2019 [6]. By the company's own legal filing, the brand was at one point expected to generate more than $250 million in annual retail sales and accounted for over half of Maesa's revenues.

The brand sells itself as "affordable luxury" haircare, summarised on its site by the tagline "Created by a stylist, for expert results at your fingertips." Its stated brand values are salon-quality formulas, stylist testing and being female-founded. According to the company, the formulas are lightweight and buildable, intended to be versatile and easy to use across all hair types and textures. Maesa positions the products as delivering "professional results at home."

The company also describes initiatives beyond the product line, including a hair-artistry team of female stylists and a cosmetology scholarship aimed at supporting aspiring female hairstylists facing financial barriers.

The range covers cleansers, conditioners, wet and dry styling products, glosses, styling tools and hair accessories, organised into collections such as Signature, Softening, Tone, Curl, Restore and Scalp. Among the products singled out in trade coverage are the Signature Shampoo and Conditioner, the Weightless Shine Leave-In Conditioner and a Style Reviving Dry Shampoo. An early standout was the Rose Gold Temporary Tint, which according to WWD "far exceeded sales expectations" and briefly sold out after launch [4].

Maesa markets the products as featuring a proprietary "Zip-Up Technology." Per editorial coverage from BeautyMatter, the brand's offerings are vegan and cruelty-free; no formal third-party certification was identified in available sources [5].

The brand was named to BeautyMatter's FUTURE50 list in 2023 [5]. Its parent company also cites a New Beauty award for Best Overnight Hair Mask, alongside features in publications including Elle, People, Byrdie and CEW. A 2019 WWD profile framed the company under the headline "Kristin Ess Is Building a $100 Million Hair Product Empire" [4].

On 22 November 2022, Kristin Ess filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Maesa in the US District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that the incubator had deprived her of creative control and ownership of her brand and restricted her ability to pursue new opportunities [6]. Court filings described a partnership in which she received limited royalties and annual guarantees rather than direct equity, with a promise of 25% of proceeds from a future sale of the brand, contingent on Maesa pursuing an exit above $40 million in sales.

The dispute was resolved amicably in March 2023, roughly four months after it was filed; the parties did not disclose financial or structural terms [7]. The founder said the two sides had decided to "try once more to work things out privately" and that the brand's direction would remain centred on affordable luxury and high performance.

The brand is active. It continues to operate across Target, Walmart and international markets spanning Canada, Europe, Southeast Asia, South Africa and Australia [7]. In April 2024, Maesa appointed Molly Kennedy to lead Kristin Ess Hair [8], and the brand site remains live with current product collections.