Dive Brief:
- DTC brand Beautycounter has launched Clean Eau De Parfum, its first collection of fragrances, per a company press release.
- The five-unit collection of fragrances includes Miles Away, Sun Spill, Hyper Rose, Second Skin and Pacific Dreams. All are EWG Verified, Leaping Bunny certified and tested as safe for sensitive skin. As part of the brand’s transparent philosophy, all ingredients are listed out.
- The products will be available for purchase on the brand’s website, in its stores and through its team of independent sellers.
Dive Insight:
Beautycounter formulated the new collection starting with a review of each ingredient across 23 health and environmental endpoints.
“Whenever asked for a piece of advice on how to navigate the personal care market, I have always recommended that people shop fragrance-free,” Gregg Renfrew, founder and CEO of Beautycounter, said in a statement. “Many of the most offensive chemicals are found in fragrance. I think it is our right and our responsibility to give people safer solutions that they are confident wearing.”
The fragrance launch comes after Renfrew returned to the CEO role in January of this year.
Launched by Renfrew in 2013, Beautycounter built its brand around a philosophy of transparency of what consumers should know about the ingredients in their beauty products. It promotes its products as clean beauty and lists all ingredients for every product on its website. It also created and lists more than 2,800 questionable or harmful ingredients not used in the company’s product formulations.
Beautycounter parent Counter Brands was acquired in 2021 by private equity firm The Carlyle Group and in 2022 Marc Rey was named as the company’s new CEO. That lasted until May 2023 when he left and the company named Beautycounter’s board director, Mindy Mackenzie, as interim CEO. After a lengthy search, the company decided to bring Renfrew back as CEO in January.
In addition to various leadership changes, Beautycounter has been expanding its distribution channels in order to broaden its base of customers. The brand launched on Ulta Beauty’s website and in 500 Ulta stores in 2023. Beautycounter sells its branded makeup, skin care, bath and body products, and fragrance on its website, at its own stores in Denver and New York City, and through its brand advocates.
Other brands have expanded into fragrance in recent months, including jewelry brand Kendra Scott. According to a Circana report from December, the category saw a boost online during the holiday season, with online fragrance sales doubling the rate of sales in stores.
