Beyond the Discount: How It's a 10 Uses Its Annual BOGO Blitz to Build an Empire

MIAMI, FL – November 25, 2025 – As the holiday shopping season ignites, It's a 10 Enterprises, the beauty powerhouse founded by Carolyn Aronson, has once again launched its signature Black Friday offensive: a sweeping Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) promotion across its entire portfolio. While consumers rush to fill their carts, a closer look reveals this weeklong event is far more than a simple discount. It’s a masterclass in brand strategy, leveraging a single cult-classic product to fuel the ambitions of a burgeoning beauty conglomerate.

The sale, running through December 1, applies to every item across all five of the company’s brands—from the flagship It's a 10 Haircare to its ventures in cosmetics (Be a 10), extensions (EX10SIONS), and specialized hair treatments (Rewind It 10 and CLOUD Haircare). For a privately held, independent company, it’s an audacious and aggressive move in a market dominated by publicly traded giants.

The Annual Playbook

At first glance, the BOGO offer—effectively a 50% discount—appears to be a direct challenge to competitors during retail's most critical quarter. Key rivals in the professional haircare space are offering far more modest promotions. Olaplex, for instance, is promoting discounts in the 25-30% range, while Living Proof is offering 25% off with a gift-with-purchase incentive. The sheer value proposition from It's a 10 is designed to cut through the noise and capture consumer spending decisively.

However, research into the company’s history reveals this is not a reactive, one-time tactic. It is a consistent, proven annual playbook. The company ran a nearly identical portfolio-wide BOGO sale during the same period in 2024. This consistency suggests the strategy is a core pillar of their Q4 financial plan, a reliable engine for driving massive sales volume and, more importantly, a vehicle for strategic cross-promotion. The stated goal from CEO Carolyn Aronson is to enhance accessibility, but the underlying business objective is clear: use the holiday rush to systematically build a broader empire.

"Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and the holiday season is the perfect time to give back," Aronson stated in the official announcement. This customer-centric messaging masks a shrewd business calculation aimed at leveraging deep brand loyalty to foster new growth.

From Stylist to Strategist

Understanding the strategy requires understanding the founder. Carolyn Aronson’s story is central to the brand's DNA. A self-made entrepreneur of Puerto Rican descent who spent time in foster care, Aronson built her career from the ground up, first as a hairstylist and then a salon owner. This hands-on experience gave her a unique insight into a market gap for effective, multi-benefit products that simplify routines for both stylists and clients.

After a first brand failed, Aronson launched It's a 10 Haircare in 2005 with a single product: the Miracle Leave-In. With over 17 million bottles now sold annually, that one product became the foundation of an enterprise that reportedly generates over $500 million in annual retail sales. In a move that cemented her control and vision, Aronson bought out her business partner in 2017 to become the sole owner of the company, making it one of the largest female- and Latina-owned haircare brands in the world. Her journey from stylist to the head of a global enterprise with distribution in over 125 countries is a powerful narrative of resilience and strategic vision, earning her a spot on Forbes' "50 Over 50" list in 2023.

The Portfolio Gambit

The immense success of the flagship It's a 10 Haircare brand, and particularly its Miracle Leave-In, provides both the capital and the customer base to fuel expansion. The original product enjoys a fiercely loyal following, with thousands of glowing reviews on retail sites like Ulta, where it is a top seller. This brand equity is the company’s most valuable asset, and the BOGO sale is the primary mechanism for transferring its halo effect to the newer, less-established ventures.

While the main haircare line is a household name for many, the other brands in the portfolio—Be a 10 Cosmetics, CLOUD Haircare, and Rewind It 10—have significantly lower market visibility and more mixed public reception. By offering a BOGO deal across brands, the company incentivizes a loyal It's a 10 Haircare customer, who came for their favorite leave-in spray, to try a Be a 10 lipstick or a CLOUD shampoo for free. It’s a classic strategy to lower the barrier to entry and drive trial for new product lines. Every bottle of Miracle Leave-In sold during the promotion becomes a potential gateway to the rest of Aronson's beauty ecosystem.

This gambit is essential for the company's long-term ambitions. To evolve from a successful haircare company into a true multi-category beauty powerhouse, It's a 10 Enterprises must successfully convert its haircare loyalists into cosmetics and extension customers. The annual holiday sale serves as the single largest customer acquisition and conversion event for its emerging brands, funded by the guaranteed success of its hero product. The recent hiring of a new VP of Social Media further signals a dedicated push to build communities around these newer brands and connect with a younger demographic.

The Independent Edge

Operating as a privately held entity in an industry dominated by conglomerates like L'Oréal and Estée Lauder provides It's a 10 with a distinct competitive advantage: agility. Aronson can execute an aggressive, portfolio-wide 50% discount without the quarterly earnings pressure from Wall Street or the bureaucratic hurdles of a multinational corporation. This independence allows her to make bold, long-term strategic bets on brand building, even if it means sacrificing short-term margins.

The annual BOGO blitz is therefore more than just a sales event; it is a declaration of independence and a core part of the company's competitive strategy. It leverages the authentic founder story, deep product loyalty, and operational agility to compete on a scale that would be difficult for smaller indie brands and strategically inefficient for larger conglomerates. The challenge, however, remains significant. The ultimate success of It's a 10 Enterprises hinges on whether the performance of its newer products can live up to the high bar set by the original. For Carolyn Aronson, this annual holiday gambit is a high-stakes investment in transforming a beloved haircare brand into a diversified and enduring beauty dynasty.