There’s been quite a buzz about Beautycounter® over the past month. In fact, the whole showdown has slowed me down a bit. But alas, I find solace in believing and rally in the lemonade phase.
If you’re interested in the full story, this recent Fast Company article is an accurate account and interesting case study in venture capitalism. But for my handful of clients, friends and others asking for the real skinny, I feel compelled to offer the perspective of a brand-new insider with just enough insight to be objective. Here’s my take.
Jumping into joy
In my pursuit of kind, green and (potentially) clean lifestyle options, I stumbled across Beautycounter two years ago seeking skincare products that don’t test on animals. I was awakened to the many facets of clean beauty—first and foremost the abysmally scarce safety regulations in our nation's cosmetic industry.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that formulating personal care without harmful ingredients is not only possible, but effective. A deeper dive into the company’s credo and culture enlightened me to the integrity of Beautycounter’s mission, model, and people.
A year later I decided to join the company as a Brand Advocate. Not because I loved their products—and I do—but in support of a growing movement to improve long-overdue health and safety standards in a market sector approaching $100 billion in the U.S. alone.[1] If I earned a little spending money selling skincare solutions and makeup to people who care about any of it? All the better.
A life-changing left turn
In five short months, I became an evangelist for clean beauty and a Beautycounter loyalist. Who knew in a time where value, purpose and my career end game seemed like the holy grail for me! My upline leader was a longtime friend with whom I reconnected after 25 years (a serendipity story in itself). I felt an authentic sense of belonging to a group of inspiring, ambitious, supportive women who worked hard for their paychecks and the global good. I found hope amidst my rumble with AI. It all combined to break me out of my creative cave and finally launch this blog. Then on May 6th the walls came crumbling down and here we all are, wondering what the heck happened?
Unscathed but not immune
Thanks to my crawl-walk-run approach to business growth, I had very little damage control to deal with immediately following the announcement of Beautycounter shuttering. While indeed I aspired to expand this gig from hobby stage to meaningful income, I still have a day job and other resources to keep the lights on.
But that’s not the case for many of my colleagues. I personally know a few founding members who spent years building teams of 1,000+ consultants, cultivating deep client and industry relationships to promote the brand that invented clean beauty. I’m also aware that countless other women were dependent on the successful careers they built around Beautycounter. There are others’ stories I don’t know well but understand enough to have compassion for the anger and confusion of some who feel betrayed by their fearless leader. We’re all mourning the loss, even if only temporary, as projected by Founder and CEO Gregg Renfrew.
All is not fair in love and (especially) business
While I don’t know Gregg, I know and trust others who know her well. I also know the mechanics of private equity deals from both personal and professional experience.
None of us in this room is privy to what went down at the table. But I truly believe Gregg acted in the best interest of her peeps and the health and safety of all consumers—with limited information (at best) to make a critical decision in a very short timeframe.
At the onset of acquiring the majority share of the Beautycounter brand in April 2021, The Carlyle Group valued the company at $1 Billion. In a mix of other ill-fated management decisions, the firm dismissed Gregg as executive chair in early 2023 and then invited her back as CEO this past February.
Only six weeks later did Gregg (and subsequently the rest of us in the field) learn Carlyle's true motive behind the invitation: She was merely cast as the messenger to deliver Carlyle's carnage. As eloquently stated by a former Beautycounter employee who left the company before the Carlyle takeover,
"There’s a playbook for women being brought into a company under false pretenses when they’re about to shut down. It leaves them in an unpopular position, with a target on their back.”
The irony of agency
What we don’t know is what lies ahead for Beautycounter. I hold out hope for Beautycounter and I pray for Gregg Renfrew. I can’t fathom cleaning up the helluva mess she inherited in a market of a very different color than that of 2013. But if anyone can rally the troops to reinforce the legacy brand and march on to make Beautycounter a heroine on the Hill, Gregg will do so.
The paradox of the Gregg Renfrew story is this: She has set the bar high for herself and her peers. As the pioneer of clean beauty, her mission to put safer personal care products in the hands of everyone resulted in promoting a healthier, more socially conscious planet, as well.
Scaling in my own lane
Meanwhile, my mission hasn’t changed. I will continue my passion pursuit to walk my talk and vet as many clean, green and kind products and services as possible.
As I’ve begun sampling a few other personal care products, however, it’s perplexing. I have yet to find an alternative brand to Beautycounter which, in addition to “clean,” boasts an additional more than a compelling features under one umbrella, including:
Woman-owned
Environmental responsibility
Sustainability-focused
Leaping Bunny-certified (truly cruelty-free)
Rebuilding buoyancy
So there you have it, and I have my work cut out for me. As we all know, no one size fits all; my quest is sure to include lemons and sweetness and surprising finds. I embrace the journey and will share as I go, hopefully with more frequent posts and technological prowess. Beware and stay tuned!