Meet the newest product in the Emi Jay universe. While the L.A.-based brand is globally recognized for its fashion-inspired hair accessories (especially its popular claw clips), founder Julianne Goldmark is embarking on a new category: haircare product Angelstick.
Angelstick is a multipurpose balm formulated with ultra-rich, clean and hydrating ingredients, to pair with your favorite Emi Jay products (from clips, scrunchies and headbands) “for a match made in heaven.”
Featuring key ingredients like castor seed oil, sunflower seed wax, candelilla wax, murumuru butter, and vitamin E, Goldmark’s goal was to create a styling product that’s functional (it works as a hand moisturizer and eyebrow tamer too), nourishing, and portable. It’s a styling balm that can be applied directly onto the scalp and hairline to target flyaways.
Goldmark, who was named among Forbes’ 20023 “30 Under 30” list in the Retail & Ecommerce category, has a keen sense for creating elevated haircare products that serve a purpose, and it all ties back to her “why”: helping people express themselves through their hair.
This isn’t Emi Jay’s first foray into a new category. In April 2022, Goldmark launched Emi Jay bamboo paddle brushes, paying homage to her Korean roots in the process.
“I’m half Korean. Growing up my grandma would always take me to the Korean market, and I would go crazy over the bamboo brushes in different sizes, and the ones with little adornments and sparkles. Honestly, that kind of excitement over such a simple, everyday usable item is something that I hope to bring to our customers.”
Thanks to the success of that new category, Emi Jay added three more styling brushes to the roster, including a mini boar bristle hairbrush and a styling brush. What gives them the signature “Emi Jay” touch is the element of design and aesthetic: details such as glitter and tortoise shell, that match the brand’s claw clips.
For Goldmark, it’s about having fun with tools that make one’s routine easier. It’s all about the details that spark joy for the user, while styling their hair.
While the “Emi Jay brand world” is known for glitter and rhinestones, on-trend buttery hues, tortoise shell textures, and elevated details, it wouldn’t be a true universe without the strong focus on community.
“Our community asked for a styling product,” Goldmark shared about Angelstick — which took over two years to create and formulate, to reach the high standard that Emi Jay is known for.
“Our customers had expressed the need for a simple, everyday styling product. I had tried so many similar things on the market — they were either too waxy or too fragrant, or really difficult to wash out of your hair in the shower. We wanted to make something that would support our offerings – that’s how Angelstick was born.”
The strong sense of community can also be felt in events, such as Emi Jay’s pop-up in collaboration with Matilda Djerf, where customers could experience the products IRL. “There’s a sense of sisterhood among Emi Jay wearers,” Goldmark shared. This feeling resonates and permeates in real life, as well as on Instagram.
“The term that I love to use when describing Emi Jay is a ‘brand world’. And by that I mean this holistic branding environment. It’s not even just about the product – it’s creating a feeling. I think that type of community-focused approach is something that happened organically and is something that I don’t think I could have predicted, but it’s been a huge part of what the brand is today.”
Emi Jay was launched by Goldmark in 2009, when she was 14, and quickly emerged as a leader in producing high-quality hair accessories for every girl on the go. Its designs have been worn by tastemakers and celebrities, including Hailey Bieber, Emma Chamberlain, Kim Kardashian, and Sarah Jessica Parker, and in the ultimate ‘pinch me’ moment, the brand was included in Oprah’s “Favorite Things” list four years in a row.
With a rapidly expanding product line and collaborations with Revolve, Sephora, Alo Yoga, Summer Fridays, Frankies Bikinis, Juicy Couture, and more, when it comes to making unique hair essentials, Goldmark never misses the mark.
Emi Jay has grown into a team of 20 people, and hiring key people to focus on the tasks that Goldmark isn’t as strong in, has been among of the founder’s biggest learnings in the past year.
“I’m admittedly a control freak and I want to have my hands in every element of the brand,” Goldmark shared. “But relinquishing that control and hiring people to cover my weaknesses has been something that I’ve been learning and trying to implement, as we’re growing the business.”
While Emi Jay is not pivoting into a haircare brand, it’s taking on the role of “the supportive friend that’ll make your hair look even better.”
“The brand is about effortless accessories and products that make your hair routine just a little bit better,” Goldmark shared. “And I say ‘just a little bit’ because it could be the smallest thing, from simply throwing your clip in your bag for the day, or it can also be about wanting your hair out of your face while you’re at work. But it could also be about using Angelstick to style a sleek, bun. I always say that our brand was created for every moment of your day. That’s so true to who we are.”
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