Anastasia Soare’s brow empire evolved from a Beverly Hills salon technique into a global beauty brand that defined the “Instagram brow” and revolutionized eyebrow products in the 2010s.
The Golden Ratio
Romanian immigrant Anastasia Soare opened her Beverly Hills salon in 1997, developing the “Golden Ratio” eyebrow shaping method based on Fibonacci sequence principles. Her technique—using facial measurements to determine ideal brow placement and arch—became the standard for A-list celebrities seeking perfect brows.
By the early 2010s, Soare’s client list included Oprah, Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, and Naomi Campbell. Her brow expertise earned her the title “Eyebrow Queen” and positioned her brand as the authority on brow perfection.
Product Innovation
Brow Wiz (2011): The ultra-thin mechanical brow pencil became ABH’s first breakout product hit, offering precision and ease unavailable in traditional brow pencils. Beauty enthusiasts praised the fine 1mm tip for creating hair-like strokes, with the product generating cult following.
Dipbrow Pomade (September 2013): This waterproof, long-wearing brow pomade became the defining product of the Instagram brow era. Applied with an angled brush, Dipbrow allowed for bold, defined, filled-in brows that photographed perfectly on social media. The product’s $18 price point and months-long wear made it an instant best-seller.
The pomade launched in 11 shades (expanded to 18+ by 2018) and became so popular that “Dipbrow” entered beauty vocabulary as shorthand for pomade-based brow products.
Instagram Brow Era
Anastasia Beverly Hills capitalized on the thick, sculpted, heavily filled-in brow trend that dominated Instagram and YouTube beauty in 2013-2017. The brand’s products became essential tools for the “full glam” makeup look featuring:
- Carved-out, dramatically arched brows
- Ombre effect (lighter at inner corners, darker at tails)
- Sharp, clean lines
- Visible definition and fullness
Beauty influencers like Jaclyn Hill, Carli Bybel, and Nikkie de Jager featured ABH brow products in nearly every tutorial, driving the brand’s visibility to millions of beauty enthusiasts.
Eyeshadow Expansion
Modern Renaissance Palette (2016): ABH’s pivot to eyeshadow launched with this 14-shade warm-toned palette ($42) that became one of the decade’s best-selling palettes. The buttery mattes and shimmers in pinks, oranges, and berries appealed to the warm makeup trend and sold over 3 million units by 2018.
The success spawned a palette empire:
- Soft Glam (2018)
- Norvina (2018, created by daughter Claudia Soare)
- Subculture (2017, controversial formula)
- Sultry, Carli Bybel collaborations, Jackie Aina collaboration
By 2019, ABH released 20+ eyeshadow palettes, with some critics noting oversaturation and declining formula quality in rapid releases.
Family Business
Daughter Claudia Soare (social media name: Norvina) became ABH’s president and face of the brand’s younger audience. Her involvement brought Gen Z aesthetics and influencer partnerships, though some longtime fans felt the brand lost its focus on brows.
The Soare family maintained majority ownership, resisting acquisition offers that valued the company at $3+ billion by 2019. Anastasia’s estimated net worth exceeded $1 billion, making her one of the wealthiest self-made women in beauty.
Market Challenges
2018-2020: ABH faced increased competition:
- Brow trends shifted toward natural, feathered looks (“soap brows”)
- The dramatic Instagram brow fell out of fashion
- Eyeshadow market saturation from indie and prestige brands
- Questions about product formula consistency
The brand’s sales growth slowed as beauty culture moved away from full glam toward minimalism, skin-focused makeup, and “no-makeup makeup.” ABH attempted to adapt with lighter brow products (Brow Freeze styling wax, 2021) and more wearable eyeshadow palettes.
Legacy
Anastasia Beverly Hills created the modern brow industry, transforming eyebrows from an afterthought to a focal point of makeup routines. The brand’s estimated $340 million annual revenue (2018 peak) proved that a category-focused brand could achieve massive scale.
The #AnastasiaBeverlyHills hashtag accumulated 14+ million Instagram posts, with the brand’s account reaching 24+ million followers by 2023. Despite trend shifts, ABH remained the dominant brow brand in prestige beauty, with Dipbrow Pomade still among Sephora’s top-selling products.
Sources:
- Forbes: “How Anastasia Soare Built A Billion-Dollar Brow Empire” (Mar 2019)
- Sephora sales data (2016-2023)
- Business of Fashion: “The Rise and Reign of ABH” (Jul 2018)
- Instagram analytics (Feb 2026)