Oran Holtzman is one of the few entrepreneurs who has been able to combine new ideas, data-driven strategies, and customer-focused approaches in the fast-paced world of beauty and technology. Holtzman is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Oddity Tech Ltd. He has changed the beauty industry by using AI and e-commerce to build a global empire. He went from being a young accountant in Israel to being a billionaire in charge of a company listed on the Nasdaq. This shows his vision, resilience, and ability to shake up traditional markets. This article goes into more detail about Holtzman’s life and career, as well as the rapid growth of Oddity Tech. It looks at how his leadership has changed the beauty industry.
Oran Holtzman was born in Israel, where he spent his early years learning a lot about business and finance. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Business Management from The College of Management Academic Studies. This degree gave him the skills he needed to think analytically and strategically about starting a business. Not much is known about Holtzman’s personal life before he started his own businesses, but his early career as an accountant at EY Israel gave him important financial knowledge and an understanding of how businesses work. This experience would later help them deal with the complicated finances of turning a small business into a global powerhouse.
Holtzman and his sister Shiran Holtzman-Erel started a risky business when they were 29 years old that would change the course of their lives and the beauty industry. The siblings bought Il Makiage, a failing makeup brand that Israeli makeup artist Ilana Harkavi started in 1972, in 2013. The brand was in receivership and had 80 million shekels ($22.5 million) in debt. It was mostly known in the professional makeup world. The Holtzman siblings saw potential where others saw failure for just 12 million shekels ($3.37 million). This set the stage for one of the most amazing turnarounds in the beauty industry.
Oran Holtzman and Shiran Holtzman-Erel started Oddity Tech in 2018, and Il Makiage is its main brand. The company was meant to be a tech-based beauty platform, which is very different from the cosmetics industry, which is mostly made up of stores. Holtzman’s idea was to use AI and data analytics to make shopping for beauty products more personal and easier for each customer. This idea led to the creation of the “PowerMatch” algorithm, an AI-based system that matches customers with complexion products with never-before-seen accuracy. This technology was the key to Oddity’s success because it helped the company stand out in a crowded market.
Oddity Tech switched to a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model under Holtzman’s direction. It only sells online in most markets, except for Israel, where it has 20 physical stores. The company’s digital-first approach changed the game, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people started shopping online much more. Holtzman’s smart move to market Oddity as a tech company instead of a regular cosmetics brand worked for both customers and investors. As Shiran Holtzman-Erel said in a 2020 interview with Calcalist, “We’re a proud retail player in Israel, but in the U.S., we’re 100% online.” Oddity was able to take a bigger share of the global beauty market thanks to this strategic change.
Making a Beauty Empire
Il Makiage is a makeup brand that is known for its high-quality products and new matching technology. SpoiledChild is a skincare and wellness brand that was created to reach a wider audience. Oddity’s brands are known for their personalization and convenience, and they have more than 50 million customers around the world. The company uses AI for more than just matching products; it also uses it for data-driven product development, influencer marketing, and ways to get customers involved. For example, online quizzes not only help customers find the right products, but they also collect useful first-party data that Oddity can use to improve its products all the time.
Holtzman’s smart purchases have made Oddity’s technology even better. The company bought Voyage81, an Israeli startup that works on AI-based computational imaging, for $40 million in 2021. Oddity’s ability to accurately analyze skin tones and match products improved with this purchase. Oddity bought the biotech company Revela for $76 million in 2023. This gave Oddity Labs more resources for research and development. Oddity is at the cutting edge of innovation in the beauty industry because this lab has 20 professionals who use AI to find new molecules for beauty products.
People often say that Holtzman’s style of leadership is unyielding. Calcalist cites a source who says, “He works like crazy, day and night.” This dedication has led to great financial results. In July 2023, Oddity Tech went public on the Nasdaq and raised $423 million at a valuation of $1.97 billion. The company’s stock price went through the roof, reaching a high of $4 billion in early 2025. This showed that Wall Street believed in Holtzman’s vision. Oddity’s net revenue for the third quarter of 2023 was $94 million, a 37% increase from the same time last year. The company expects total revenue for 2023 to be between $493 million and $497 million.
Financial Success and Personal Wealth
Oddity’s success and Oran Holtzman‘s rise to billionaire status are both due in large part to his financial skills. He has sold parts of his stake in the company over the years in a planned way, making a lot of money. He sold $130 million worth of shares in 2022, $100 million before the IPO, and $230 million during the offering. Holtzman sold 5.5 million Class A ordinary shares for $385 million in May 2025. This cut his ownership to 23%, but he still had 75% of the voting rights because of a dual-class share structure. After paying commissions, this sale brought him about $355 million. His remaining stake, worth $900 million, plus the money he made from previous sales, has brought his total wealth from Oddity to about $1.75 billion.
Holtzman keeps a low profile even though he is rich. His wedding in 2024 at the Carmel Forest Spa Resort, where he rented out the whole hotel for 300 guests, was a rare look into his private life. Holtzman, who prefers to keep things private, kept the event, which cost millions, out of the public eye. This way, he can focus on building Oddity without having to worry about what other people think.
Problems and Criticisms
There is no doubt that Holtzman has done great things, but leading hasn’t always been easy for him. The 2025 share sale was meant to make the stock more liquid, but it caused Oddity’s stock price to drop by 14%, which made some investors worry about centralized control. Holtzman’s 23% ownership and majority voting power have led to arguments about governance, with some saying that this kind of control could limit the power of shareholders. Also, some people have said that Oddity’s use of forward-looking statements in its financial reports makes things less certain, since the actual results may not match the predictions.
The beauty business is very competitive, and Oddity has to work hard to stay ahead of the game in AI and personalization. The company’s purchases have made its technology stronger, but adding these new features to its products will take a lot of time and money. Holtzman’s ability to deal with these problems will be very important for Oddity’s continued growth.
The Future of Oddity and Holtzman’s Legacy
Oran Holtzman doesn’t look like he’s going to slow down any time soon. His one-year lock-up agreement after the 2025 share sale shows that he is committed to Oddity’s long-term success. The company is ready to move into new beauty and wellness subcategories, using its AI-driven platform to shake up more traditional markets. Oddity Labs, bolstered by the Revela acquisition, is expected to drive innovation in product development, potentially introducing groundbreaking formulations to the market.
Holtzman’s vision goes beyond just beauty. By making Oddity a technology company, he has made it possible for the company to work in areas other than cosmetics, such as health, wellness, or other consumer-driven fields. Oddity will likely keep changing to meet the needs of its customers because he was able to see how the COVID-19 pandemic would affect e-commerce.
In conclusion, Oran Holtzman‘s rise from a young accountant to a billionaire CEO is a story of vision, hard work, and new ideas. He has changed the beauty business with Oddity Tech by using AI to make a personalized, digital-first experience for millions of customers. His smart business decisions, hard work, and financial knowledge have helped him build a company worth more than $3 billion, and he has a fortune to match. There are still problems to solve, but Holtzman’s history shows that he is well-prepared to lead Oddity into the future, leaving a lasting mark on both technology and beauty. Holtzman’s ability to stay ahead of the curve will decide if Oddity stays a leader in the global market as the industry changes.
