Launch Date: September 2012
Geography: Irvine, CA, US
Founder: Jenn Chiba, Founder + CEO
2025 Full Year Projected Revenue: $2M - $5M
Primary Category: Makeup
Other Categories:
Funding: Self-Funded
Primary Distribution Channel: DTC
Other Distribution Channel: Prestige
Key Retail Partners:
2025 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 2,200
House of Lashes (HOL) was born 13 years ago out of necessity and vision. As an Asian American woman, I couldn’t find lashes that fit my eye shape or spoke to my identity so I created them. With no formal business training, just deep determination, I launched HOL with seed funding from my mother who believed in me before the world did. We became the first to introduce 3D lashes and latex-free lash glue, centering safety, innovation, and inclusivity. At a time when most of the beauty industry followed trends, we defied them—designing products that honored individuality and underrepresented features. Today, “Lashes as unique as YOU” is more than a slogan, it's the soul of everything we do.
Insights: Jenn Chiba, Founder + CEO
Why now and why you?
Because I’ve always built from lived experience, not legacy. While others stayed within the lines, I listened to real customers, solved real problems, and created what didn’t exist. As an Asian American founder, I embody where beauty is heading: diverse, intentional, and visionary.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
We lead with innovation, heart, and purpose. From 3D lashes to latex-free glue, our products didn’t just fill gaps, they set new standards. Our strength lies in doing what wasn’t considered normal and designing with all eye shapes in mind. Our team culture echoes this, centered on compassion, creativity, and the courage to lead differently.
What are you most proud of accomplishing to date?
Speaking at a Harvard Women’s Conference marked a profound full-circle moment for me. But another deeply proud milestone was being asked to join Sephora as our first retail partner. It believed in our brand early on not just because of product, but because of our philosophy. Sephora celebrated our commitment to diversity when others hadn’t caught on yet.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
That not all growth is aligned growth. In the early days, I believed that expansion always equaled success, but I’ve come to understand that growth without alignment can lead you away from your purpose. Bigger isn’t always better if it means compromising your identity or values. I wish someone had told me to pause, listen to my instincts, and evaluate opportunities not just by scale, but by whether they allow me to stay true to myself and my brand. Real growth honors your truth, it doesn't ask you to shrink it.
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
Trust your gut and protect your values fiercely. There will be moments when the noise gets loud, when the pressure to conform is strong, and when opportunities look shiny but feel off. Listen to that inner knowing. Your instincts are wiser than you think. Stay rooted in why you started and let your core values guide every decision. You don’t need to chase what’s trending here to build something timeless. Growth that asks you to abandon your truth isn’t growth worth pursuing.
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
Success means becoming a timeless brand that doesn’t just ride waves but becomes a mainstay in people’s routines and lives. I want HOL to be known not only for innovation, but for lasting quality and emotional connection. Our lashes aren’t just accessories, they're confidence-builders. When someone puts on a pair of our lashes and feels more powerful, more radiant, that external shift often creates a ripple effect internally. In 3-5 years, success means being that rare brand people still trust, still reach for, and still feel seen by. To be both culturally relevant and personally empowering, that's the vision.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
Overhyped: virality and sponsorship culture. There’s too much emphasis on who can create the loudest moment or land the biggest influencer collab often at the expense of substance.
Overlooked: the quiet power of authenticity. Brands with heart, story, and real impact often get overshadowed by short-term visibility plays. The industry needs to look deeper not just at who’s trending, but why they’re worth following.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
We need to dismantle the pay-to-play model. Right now, the spotlight too often goes to whoever can afford it regardless of purpose, innovation, or authenticity. It creates a system where true growth is purchased, not earned. That’s not sustainable, and it’s not fair. The industry needs to make space for diverse, independent founders who are building with intention not just budget. Growth should come from connection and value, not just who spends the most or partners with the biggest names. Let’s recenter integrity and give meaningful voices a real chance to rise.
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
That everyone who encounters HOL feels fully seen, celebrated, and inspired to be themselves unapologetically. That we remain a rare brand not just worn, but felt. I wish for our team to grow in alignment with heart, integrity, and purpose and for our impact to extend far beyond beauty. That HOL becomes a movement, not just a moment—a space where confidence begins on the outside but unlocks something deeper within. And that our work continues to ripple out helping redefine what beauty means and how it’s felt by those who have never seen themselves centered in it before.
