Adore Beauty
| File:Adore Beauty logo.svg | |
| Template:ASX | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder |
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Key people | Sacha Laing (CEO) |
| Website | adorebeauty |
Adore Beauty is a beauty retail company from Australia, established in 1999 by Kate Morris and James Height. Headquartered in Northcote, Melbourne, it is publicly traded on the Australian Securities Exchange.
History
Adore Beauty was launched by Kate Morris, then a 21-year-old business student, alongside James Height. The venture began with an initial investment of A$12,000 provided by Height’s parents and operated out of Morris’s garage. Development of their inaugural website took six months and cost A$8,000. Early inventory featured niche Australian brands such as Baiame and Santalia, with larger names like Bloom joining in 2002 and Clarins entering the lineup in 2006.
By 2010, the company achieved a turnover of $2 million. The year 2014 marked a significant milestone when Adore Beauty became an authorised retailer for Clinique, Bobbi Brown, and Estee Lauder through a partnership with Estee Lauder Companies, pushing revenue beyond $7 million. That same year, Morris was honoured with the Innovation Award for Victoria at the Telstra Women’s Business Awards.
In 2015, Woolworths Limited acquired a 25% shareholding, which propelled the company’s growth by 70% within twelve months. By 2016, Adore Beauty reported annual sales of $16 million, carrying over 150 brands and a product range exceeding 10,000 items including Dermalogica, ghd, Lancôme, Benefit Cosmetics, Aesop, and Kérastase. Its Findation tool had attracted 1.5 million users by that time.
The company initiated expansion into the Chinese market in 2016. In 2017, Morris repurchased Woolworths’ stake to regain full control. Height assumed sole CEO responsibilities in 2018 after previously sharing the role with Morris. Quadrant Private Equity acquired a majority 60% ownership in 2019. Tennealle O'Shannessy took over as CEO in August 2020. Later that year in October, Adore Beauty completed its initial public offering on the ASX, raising $192 million.
Following O’Shannessy’s exit, Tamalin Morton became CEO in January 2023. Founders Morris and Height resigned from their executive positions in May 2023 but continued to serve on the board.
Adore Beauty ventured into physical retail through the June 2024 acquisition of Ikou—a wellness and skincare brand operating three stores in New South Wales—for $25 million. This marked the company’s first entry into brick-and-mortar retail and enhanced its private label revenue streams. Sacha Laing was appointed CEO in July 2024. The firm announced intentions to establish at least twenty Adore Beauty outlets and expand Ikou to between eight and ten locations over three years. The inaugural Adore Beauty physical store opened on 1 February 2025.