From Stylist to Titan: It's a 10 CEO Carolyn Aronson Earns Spot on Inc. Female Founders 500 List

MIAMI, FL – March 10, 2026 – Carolyn Aronson, the entrepreneurial force behind the global beauty empire It's a 10 Enterprises, has been named to Inc.'s prestigious 2026 Female Founders 500 list. The annual honor celebrates the most innovative and resilient women entrepreneurs in the United States, a group that collectively generated approximately $12.3 billion in revenue in 2025, underscoring the immense economic power of women-led businesses.

For Aronson, a former hairstylist who transformed a single product into a multi-brand international powerhouse, the recognition is a milestone in a 20-year journey defined by tenacity, strategic risk-taking, and an unwavering commitment to product performance. Her inclusion places her in an elite cohort of business leaders, with past honorees including trailblazers like Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, and Emma Grede.

"Being named to Inc.'s Female Founders 500 is an incredible honor and a reflection of the passion and dedication of our entire It's a 10 family," said Carolyn Aronson, Founder and CEO of It's a 10 Enterprises. "When I started the company two decades ago, my goal was simple: to create high-performance products that made women feel confident and empowered. Today, seeing our brand reach new audiences around the world while continuing to champion inclusivity and entrepreneurship makes this recognition especially meaningful."

A Two-Decade Journey of Resilience and Growth

This year marks the 20th anniversary of It's a 10 Haircare, a company Aronson, a self-made Latina entrepreneur, built from the ground up. Her journey began not in a boardroom, but behind the salon chair. With over two decades of experience as a stylist and salon owner, Aronson became frustrated with the plethora of haircare products that promised singular benefits, forcing stylists and consumers to cocktail numerous formulas to achieve desired results.

In 2006, she launched the brand's hero product, the Miracle Leave-In, based on a simple yet revolutionary concept: 10 benefits in a single bottle. This "strength in simplicity" philosophy became the brand's cornerstone. Aronson's initial strategy was grassroots; she bypassed traditional advertising and instead put samples directly into the hands of fellow hairstylists, betting that the product's performance would create its own demand. The bet paid off, building a cult following that radiated from salons to a mass consumer base.

The path was not without significant challenges. A pivotal moment came in 2017 when Aronson took on massive debt to buy out her business partner, becoming the sole owner of the company. This bold move solidified her control and vision for the brand, demonstrating a level of resilience that Inc. seeks to recognize in its honorees. Today, she presides over a multi-hundred-million-dollar enterprise without having taken any external funding, a rarity in the competitive beauty space.

Strategic Expansion in a Competitive Market

Aronson's leadership has propelled It's a 10 Enterprises into a formidable player in the global professional haircare market, a sector valued at over $34 billion. While industry giants like L'Oréal and Procter & Gamble dominate, It's a 10 has carved out a significant niche as one of the world's only female-owned professional haircare brands.

The past year has been a testament to the company's aggressive and successful growth strategy. The brand expanded its international footprint by entering 19 new countries, bringing its products to a total of 136 markets worldwide. This global surge highlights the universal appeal of its salon-quality, multifunctional products. The company's digital prowess is also notable, having recently been recognized with Shopify's 1-Million Order Award, a testament to its powerful e-commerce execution and an 86% average year-over-year growth on the platform since 2018.

Further demonstrating a savvy understanding of the market, Aronson has expanded the company's portfolio beyond the flagship brand. It's a 10 Enterprises now includes Be a 10 Cosmetics, EX10SIONS, and several other haircare lines, including the 2024 launch of Cloud, a mass-market venture available in major retailers like Walmart and CVS. This strategic diversification allows the company to reach a broader consumer base while maintaining the professional credibility of its core line.

Redefining Leadership and Engaging a New Generation

As one of the only Latina founders in the professional haircare space, Aronson's success carries a significance that extends beyond balance sheets. She is a visible role model in an industry where Latinas, despite being powerful consumers, are vastly underrepresented in C-suite and leadership positions. Her commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, and representation is woven into the brand's DNA.

This commitment is evident in the company's recent marketing initiatives. Aronson launched the It's a 10 Zone College Tour, one of the largest college beauty activations in the U.S., designed to reach over 500,000 students across 10 campuses. The tour provides immersive brand experiences and educational programming, creating authentic conversations around confidence and self-expression with Gen Z consumers. This initiative is a modern evolution of her original grassroots strategy, aiming to build lifelong brand loyalty by putting products directly into the hands of the next generation.

The Inc. list itself is a powerful statement on the state of female entrepreneurship. The selection process is rigorous, with editors and an advisory board of industry leaders assessing both quantitative metrics like revenue growth and qualitative factors such as social impact and innovation.

"Each year, we are increasingly amazed by the extraordinary leaders on our Inc. Female Founders 500 list," says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. "The honorees on this year's list include innovators in AI, beauty and wellness trendsetters winning devoted fans, and nonprofit leaders making a real impact in their communities. Together, they're showing all of us what trailblazing female leadership looks like."

For Carolyn Aronson, this recognition is another chapter in a story of turning professional expertise into a global brand, proving that a clear mission and visionary leadership can build a lasting legacy. Honorees, including Aronson, will be featured in Inc. magazine's Spring print issue, which hits newsstands on March 17, 2026.