Here at eSalon, we don’t just look to each other as co-workers—we’re a team. We laugh, we work super hard, and pranks are liable to happen. And while we’re an incredibly diverse group with different interests, goals, and, well...hairdos, we all share one thing in common: we truly believe in the product. It may sound like a given, but unfortunately that’s not always the case for every company. When you start a new job, it’s refreshing (and in some cases, rare) to find out that everything your company claims about the product is true. For us here at eSalon, that meant finding out that every single color bottle really is customized. That the colorists really are licensed experts. That our hair color formula is truly superior in so many ways. The product—our hair color—excites us, and at the end of the day that’s what matters most.

In celebration of our birthday, we interviewed different employees around the company to find out just how our hair color motivates them, and what their personal highlights have been throughout the years. Check out eSalon’s big-win milestones, and how our stellar product continues to fuel the folks behind the brand.

Summer 2008

Around dessert time, a crazy idea is born: Create totally customized home hair color. Let the research begin.

“It was a completely new world. It was an interesting concept but we were very cautious about it at first. We started asking everyone what they thought—and everyone really thought it was such a great idea. And the more we learned about how color was made and the customization process, we realized we could really do it for everyone. That was really exciting—seeing the difference between the two worlds of home color and salon color and how it could all be changed.”

Francisco Gimenez, CEO and Co-Founder

September 2010

Lots of experiments and dye on our hands later, we craft and ship our 1st hair color bottle.

“It was such a big moment when we had our first 'real' customer—somebody who wasn't directly connected to the company. It wasn't just satisfying to see something we'd worked so hard for come alive, it was also the beginning of something totally new. You couldn't help but get excited.”

Aaron Chan, VP of Technology. Employee since 2010.

April 2013

With things booming in the States, we ship our 1st bottle abroad to the UK and say ta-ta!

“The atmosphere was really buzzing. The office layout at the time was really cool because it was very open and small. I could hear all the interaction around me. I was listening to colorists talking to clients all the time, and I got to hear what they were talking about. It was a real learning experience, being right there in the middle, in the mix. But in the best way—It was like everyone was in the trenches together.”

Julia, Product Manager. Employee since 2013.

September 2014

Our 1 millionth order ships. Together, we keep growing.

“You could definitely sense the growth and camaraderie. There was so much energy in the office. People were collaborative. There was a lot of excitement around thinking of new ideas about how to grow the business. It really was a lot of fun and you’d expect to feel that excitement slow down at some point over the years, but it hasn’t.”

Paige, Digital Marketing Manager. Employee Since 2014.

October 2017

We win “Best Home Hair Color” by Allure magazine for our fourth year in a row. To say we’re “humbled” doesn’t even cut it.

“Everyone was on the edge of their seat because if we won it would be our fourth year in a row getting the award. It would mean that the love and buzz of the product was still there. Everyone was really proud to know that no matter how much the company had evolved, it was the same product people knew and loved continuously.”

Khalilah, Graphic Designer. Employee since 2016.

December 2017

Our 5 millionth order ships and we’re movin’ on up to an office in El Segundo that’s 3X bigger than our previous digs.

“I feel like moving into this office was a really big deal. I’ve watched this company go through so much. And I feel like when we moved into this space we’d really ‘arrived.’ It’s gorgeous. It’s modern. It’s big. We’re all here together under one roof. I feel like it really tied everyone together even more.”

Emily, Product Development Specialist. Employee since 2014.

April 2018

We buddy up with CVS in over 1500 stores nationwide and sell our first Starter Kit. Game changer.

“It was like we made it to the big leagues. Getting that kind of space, right in the middle of the hair color aisle, it was something different— a different kind of milestone. We all worked so hard to see it come to life, so it’s kind of like seeing your child graduate and go off to college. We’re still just at the beginning of that journey. We’re at the next big chapter for the brand.”

Lani, VP of Brand Marketing. Employee since 2014.

And there you have it. It’s been an electrifying ride over the last eight years. We’ve developed a line of premium color-safe products, launched our Color Mastery blog, opened up two Color Studios around California, created a DIY highlighting kit, partnered up with big-timers like CVS and Target, the list goes on and on. But as we continue to grow and expand our reach across the pond and around the world, one thing has always kept our team pushing forward and thinking big with spirits high: hair color that fits you.