• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, March 7, 2025

As corporate DEI initiatives face growing scrutiny, E.L.F. is doubling down, announcing a major partnership with the National Women’s Soccer League as part of its ongoing push for gender equity.

The news is unsurprising at face value, since the company has been steadily building athletic deals with sponsorship of the Billie Jean King Cup, Professional Women’s Hockey League, and Indy 500 driver Katherine Legge.  But renewing the promise to “level the playing field” seems bold at a time when many marketers have shut down any messaging that sounds pro-women.

E.L.F.’s move comes at a time when women’s sports -- despite soaring popularity and rising TV viewership -- are under pressure, facing potential federal spending cuts to education funding.

The company is explicitly tying the soccer sponsorship to a larger goal: increasing the number of women, people of color and the LGBTQ community represented on the boards of companies in all industries. In interviews defending its DEI initiatives against mounting criticism, E.L.F. executives have said diversity is one of the company’s primary competitive advantages.

The deal comes as soccer in the U.S. continues to grow, with average attendance at NWSL games topping 11,000 last year. E.L.F. will be the presenting partner of the NWSL Challenge Cup for the next three seasons, through 2027.

Billie Jean King Enterprises represented E.L.F. in deal negotiations.

E.L.F., with low-cost cosmetics and skincare products, is by far the most beloved brand of Gen Z. In Piper Sandler’s latest ranking of teen brands, 35% named E.L.F., ahead of Rare Beauty, with 10%. Many girls drop out of sports by age 14, and E.L.F. says sponsorships like this encourage girls to stay in athletic programs, which many experts believe will translate to professional success.

“Of the few women who make it to C-Suite, 94% of them played sports,” says Kory Marchisotto, E.L.F.’s CMO, in the announcement. “Access to sports provides leadership and life lessons needed later in life. The next generation can only dream bigger and reach higher if they have a firm starting point. Our partnership with the National Women’s Soccer League is that gateway to opportunities.”

E.L.F. and NWSL are starting the partnership with a “Glow for Glory Contest,” inviting open tryouts in key NWSL markets.

And at a moment when, concerned about being targeted amid the growing backlash against DEI, most companies are refusing to share representation data, E.L.F. continues to highlight its employment numbers, including an employee base that is 74% women, 76% Gen Z and millennial, and 44% diverse. Critics of DEI -- including conservative policymakers, some activist investor groups, and the president -- argue that such initiatives create unfair advantages for women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals at the expense of white men."

E.L.F. also says it one of “only two public companies in the U.S. that have a board of directors with 78 percent women."

That diversity-driven strategy has fueled five consecutive years of growth, making E.L.F. one of the fastest-growing public companies in the U.S.