Crown Affair

Crown Affair is a prestige hair-care brand offering clean-ingredient formulas and handcrafted tools organized around daily hair "rituals." Its assortment covers air-dry and styling products (texturizing mousse, smoothing air-dry cream, finishing gel), wash-day essentials (hydrating and volumizing shampoos and conditioners), treatments (overnight repair serum, renewal mask, radiance oil, calming scalp serum, cleansing scrub), non-aerosol dry shampoo powder, and tools and accessories such as brushes, combs, clips, silk scrunchies, travel cases and its bestselling microfiber waffle-knit towel. Prices range from roughly $14 for a brush cleaner to $118 for signature brushes, with bundles and sets discounted up to 20%.

The brand positions its products around performance claims, citing clinical backing for items such as the overnight repair serum, smoothing air-dry cream and a radiance oil described as clinically proven to increase shine by 87%, provide 24-hour frizz control and offer heat protection up to 450°F. Onsite diagnostic quizzes (a general hair quiz, an air-dry quiz and a shampoo and conditioner quiz) route shoppers to personalized routines. Crown Affair also runs limited-edition collaborations with other beauty brands, including ILIA and U Beauty, and home-goods collaborations such as a marble cup and coaster set with Anastasio Home.

Operationally, the company combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce, offering free shipping on orders above $75 and pricing in USD and CAD, with prestige retail distribution through Sephora, which it entered in 2022 and where it has continued to expand doors.

Founding story

Founder Dianna Cohen described haircare as a personal daily practice and, after years of conversations in which people described their hair routines as frustrating rather than relaxing, set out to build a hair-care brand combining clean ingredients, effective formulations and handmade tools designed to be used daily. Elaine Choi was introduced to Cohen through a mutual friend and joined as the operator to help launch the brand, arriving about four months before the January 2020 launch.

Business model

Crown Affair sells physical hair-care goods at prestige price points, combining consumable formulas (shampoos, conditioners, leave-in conditioner, mousse, cream, serums, oils, dry shampoo, masks and scalp treatments) with durable tools and accessories (brushes, combs, clips, scrunchies, a microfiber towel, travel cases). Products are sold individually and in discounted bundles, sets and a configurable "Build Your Ritual" offering that provides up to 20% savings, encouraging multi-product baskets and repeat routine purchases. Distribution spans the company's own e-commerce site and wholesale beauty retail.

Revenue comes from product sales of hair-care formulas, tools and accessories through the company's own website and through retail partners such as Sephora, supplemented by bundles, sets, limited-edition collections and collaboration products.

Traction

The company reported approximately $20 million in revenue in the prior year and targeted around $30 million in the following year. It entered Sephora in 2022 and has continued expanding its store count there. Its microfiber towel is described as award-winning and became widely visible after Doja Cat wore it at the 2024 Met Gala. Third-party data lists headcount at 62.

Latest developments

Elaine Choi was promoted from founding president and COO to CEO, setting priorities around large-scale Sephora expansion, doubling down on marketing tactics that tested well, and retaining longtime employees as the business scales. The brand is targeting roughly $30 million in revenue, up from about $20 million the prior year, and has released limited-edition collaborations with ILIA and U Beauty alongside newer products such as the smoothing air-dry cream and overnight repair serum.