Launched in 1981 by Essie Weingarten, essie was launched with a selection of amazing nail colors. It has since gained a reputation as a high-quality, reliable nail polish label that caters to women's essentials. 

1981

1981-vegas

vegas baby!

our founder, Essie Weingarten, in pursuit of one goal – “to help women feel special and to give them the perfect manicure,” jets off to Vegas with her first 12 unconventional nail polish colours.  Her originals included ‘blanc,’ ‘bordeaux’ and ‘baby's breath’ – timeless shades still in the collection today.

1982

1982-sealthedeal

seal the deal

essie’s first top coat and base coat launch, with a steady introduction of additional treatments and solutions to follow. 

1983

1983-celebritycrush

our first celebrity crush

celebrated actress, comedian and Tonight Show host Joan Rivers announces she is wearing ‘jelly apple.’


1985

1985-hiptobesquare

it’s hip to be square

the iconic essie square bottle makes its debut, housing some of the most coveted polish shades.

1989

1989-royalblessing-v2

a royal blessing

the Queen of England’s hairdresser sends Essie a letter requesting 'ballet slippers' - the only colour Her Majesty would wear.

1996

1996-firstofmany

first of many

Allure Magazine's first "Best of Beauty Awards" recognizes essie for Best Nail Polish colours.  essie continues to garner prestigious industry, fashion and beauty awards worldwide.

1999

1999-thewholepackage

the whole package

born in the salon and with a professional spa equity, essie expands into a line of essiespa treatments lotions and nail care systems.

2008

2008-partnerup

partner up

essie partners for some unique nail polishes with Universal Studios, J Crew, Rock & Republic, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Judith Ripka.

2011

2011-fitforaprincess

fit for a princess

The classically sheer ‘allure’ polish is chosen for the soon-to-be royal nuptials in the United Kingdom.

2012

2012-worldexpansion

world expansion

essie continues to expand worldwide into retailers and salons, beginning with its launch in Europe.

2013

2013-smallsuitbighit

small suit. big hit.

bikini so teeny’ becomes the number one selling trend nail colour of all time.

2015

2015-ColorfulCollaboration

a colourful collaboration

essie welcomes fashion designer, Rebecca Minkoff as the nail brand’s Global colour Designer.

2016

2016-outofthevault

out of the vault

celebrating 35 years of essie, the brand opens its colour vault by reintroducing six cult favorite shades, including ‘starry starry night.’

2016

2016-twistonaclassic

a twist on a classic

essie introduces its award-winning gel couture collection.  with a full palette of longwear shades, gel couture is an easy 2-step system of colour + top coat for gel-like shine and lust-worthy colour.

2016

2016-namingdepartment

a look on the inside

ever wonder who names your favorite essie shades?  essie introduces “the naming department at essie” YouTube series, giving an inside glimpse into the magic behind our witty polishes.

2017
2017-TLC-v2
essie brings some TLC to the category

essie breaks into the colour + care category with its new TREAT, LOVE & colour shades.  the brand’s first 1-step advanced care system in perfect essie shades strengthens nails in just 1 week.