Launched: 2019
Key Executives:
2025 Full Year Expected Revenue Range: $75 to $100 million according to industry estimates.
2025 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 964
Primary Category: Color Cosmetics
Other Categories: Tools and Devices
Key Markets: United States, Canada, United Kingdom
Retail Partnerships: Sephora, Cult Beauty, Sephora at Kohl's
Primary Distribution Channel: Prestige
Other Distribution Channels: DTC
Funding Rounds: Venture Capital
Saie was founded in response to a lack of sustainable and clean beauty options that met standards of quality, sustainability, and performance. Saie set a new industry standard with high-performance formulas, sustainable packaging and practices, and a promise to create positive change. Saie’s name comes from our highly engaged community: when they “Saie” it, we create it. Our community, the people, is truly what inspires us the most and we’re committed to standing with them in every way. We have taken big steps forward turning passion for people and the planet into action with impactful one-of-a-kind initiatives like The Every Body Campaign and the Saie Climate Initiative. We’ve consistently put people first, and our passion and action is only mirrored in the same way from our Saie community. As a brand rooted in values, taking action for causes we and our community cares about is the best use of Saie’s platform, to reinforce to our community how important it is to use your voice, especially for causes that directly impact you.
Insights provided by Laney Crowell, Founder + CEO
Key business initiatives for 2025?
Saie’s climate leadership is a key driver of our growth. We’re focused on growing business while decreasing our environmental impact. Saie's Climate Initiative is our commitment to taking direct action to combat climate change with care for the future. This is our way of inspiring a world of care and setting an example for what it looks like to stand behind our beliefs and sustainably operate with a consciousness for our resources, community, and planet. Through a three pronged approach, we have committed to being net zero by eliminating and offsetting emissions by 2039; a partnership with rePurpose Global to recover 5 million pounds of plastic over three years across four countries, five coastlines; establish an all-women board of experts to support, guide, and drive this mission.
Understanding that change starts at home, we also spent the past year looking inward, resulting in our first sustainability report. We believe in staying transparent about our practices, progress, and goals while always being receptive to new ideas. From products developed in conversation with our community to championing causes they care about, we know the most impactful thing we can do is use our platform to make real change. This coming year, we’re expanding across our hero categories like Glowy Super Gel and complexion. As a brand rooted in community values, we look to our community to “saie” what they want to see next and we’re listening to them for our next wave of product innovation.
What are you most proud of having accomplished?
Saie has continued to expand its international footprint at Sephora with our first global brick-and-mortar. Sephora was a key part of our decision making, alongside the shift in market demand. As the premier beauty retailer in the Middle East, we were able to unlock six countries across 40 doors. At time of launch, Saie was the #1 brand on sephora.ae, and the brand continues to break records with rankings at Sephora ME. To continue making a global impact within climate, one of the Saie Climate Initiative’s pillars is a partnership with rePurpose Global to recover 5 million pounds of verified plastic over a three-year commitment across four countries, five coastlines. Along with the plastic collection, we were also the first beauty brand to sign The Climate Pledge. Global recognition also is what has powered Saie to break into the top top 20 in Earned Media Value $25 million. Lastly, this year, Saie turned five years old, and we’ve achieved more than I could have ever imagined when I started my blog all those years ago. Our community has led us to accomplish multiple hero products with Sephora and a future that is so bright. We can’t wait to see what the next five years will bring.
What has been the biggest surprise?
Following a standalone influencer seeding, we had tons of requests come in for our brown train case. By popular demand, we shared with our community that we would be offering it up for purchase. Our original allotment sold out within minutes. I was completely shocked at the cases’ virality, as it had become a symbol of being an “it girl.” We then knew we had to refill and begin a waitlist because of its popularity. We soon had over 12,000 people waiting to get their hands on the next drop. Within the first hour of the case being available the second time, we sold half of the units available, selling 534 units per minute. Our community is constantly growing, and I’m so in awe of what we can accomplish together. We’ve even seen how our global community shows up for Saie as well. We attended Sephora’s Sephoria Middle East Event, the first ever of its kind in the market, where we had over 3,000 people come by our booth to experience Saie.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
Saie was founded in response to a lack of sustainable and clean beauty options that met my standards of quality, sustainability, and performance. We are on a mission to be the most climate-responsible beauty brand, and I take pride in the strides we’ve made. We also would not be anything without our community. We’ve made it clear that community is the engine that inspires us to do what we do and how committed we are to engaging our community through various IRL activations across various key markets. Our story is especially unique, as we were founded on the idea of giving the community what they wanted: “You Saie it, we create it.” And this ethos still drives business forward to today and has even informed our upcoming product launches in 2025. Saie created the playbook on community engagement and transformed what it meant to really have a community that goes beyond the digital landscape of social media. There’s nothing more valuable than having an authentic, engaged community.
Insight on the future of the beauty industry.
As we look to the year ahead, we will continue to see a big wave of consumers choosing cause-driven beauty companies that are putting their dollars towards making impactful change. With the upcoming political transition, it’s more important than ever to continue to champion for the beliefs we hold so dear at Saie, for our community and beyond. We’ll also see more brands finding innovative ways to engage their own communities through apps like TYB, offering incentives for challenges that encourage followers to take action.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Perseverance is everything; 1% is inspiration, 99% perspiration is the truest thing I’ve ever heard.
What is the best mistake you've ever made and what did you learn?
I’ve had the hard lesson of learning that I can’t do everything by myself. Saie began as a small and mighty team, and I was used to being everything to everyone until I began to experience burnout. I realized then that I needed to expand our team so that we could all work together in lockstep and support each other across our business goals.
What advice would you give to someone contemplating launching a beauty brand?
Network. Growing your network is half the battle. You have to treat networking alone as if it’s your full-time job, because those are the people who will hold doors open for you when you least expect it. When I was fundraising I had an excel sheet that listed everyone I spoke to, and everyone I connected with. I asked if there was another person they would suggest I get in touch with, and that’s how I built my network.
If you could change one thing in the beauty industry what would it be?
I want the beauty community to take action for climate change. Women and girls are the most impacted by climate change—an estimated four out of five individuals displaced by the impacts of climate change. Women and girls are the main drivers of the beauty industry, so we should collectively be finding ways to protect and support women everywhere. Saie’s partnership with rePurpose rids us of 5 million pounds of verified plastic across four countries and five coastlines and will convert hard-to-recycle plastics into new amenities like playgrounds, homes, and school supplies to revitalize communities. Historically, with less access to information, mobility, and resources in extreme natural disasters, women and children’s mortality rate is 14x higher than that of men. By working with rePurpose, Saie is actively standing on the sides of those that need it the most. By protecting the unique and beautiful lives of those directly affected by climate change, the partnership with rePurpose will allow for improved waste management infrastructure, benefitting over one million people across the world, while positively impacting the lives of thousands of marginalized waste workers.
