“If you think we are just selling lipstick, you aren’t paying attention”
The clean beauty brand Beautycounter has a mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. Launched in 2013 as a Certified B Corp, it is leading the way to better beauty by putting safety and performance first; setting the cleanest standards in beauty and driving a national movement for improved transparency and accountability in the industry.
Where did Beautycounter’s passion for business with purpose come from?
After watching An Inconvenient Truth (2006 American concert/documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to educate people about global warming), our founder Gregg Renfrew reflected on the profound connections between environmental, public, and human health. She began to make sweeping changes in her life and home, like swapping plastic for glass and using safer cleaning products. When it came to skincare and color cosmetics, she wanted high-performing products that were also safe for her health — but she couldn’t find any products that met her needs. She saw a huge white space in the marketplace, which inspired her to found Beautycounter.
What do you think is the importance of the B Corp movement for business?
It’s increasingly evident that consumers want to align their purchasing decisions with their values. The B Corp certification provides a trusted way to indicate whether companies fit that mold. From a business perspective, the certification encourages continuous improvement and provides resources to support that aspiration.
How do you think that being a B Corp can make a difference in how or what people buy?
Beautycounter hopes that as healthier and more sustainable goods and services become more commonplace, certifications like B Corp will be part of a suite of tools that consumers and organizations can easily interpret and leverage to make values-aligned buying decisions.
Product safety is the cornerstone of Beautycounter’s business, but many of our Consultants, Members, and Clients value our prioritization of people and planet as well. For us, a key factor is that our greatest assets — those people — value the certification and what it represents.
How much does your business look to other B Corps as partners/suppliers?
At our HQ, we source office supplies, snacks, drinks, and other goods from other B Corps as often as we can. Additionally, we try to partner with fellow B Corps on everything from merchandise production to cross-promotional campaigns.
What does the future look like for your business?
There is rapid growth in the clean beauty industry, so the future of Beautycounter is very exciting. We will continue to set the highest standards in the industry, get safer products into the hands of more people, and advance our advocacy efforts. The company was founded as a movement for improved transparency and accountability in the beauty industry, and our certification as a B Corp supports that mission. As clean beauty continues to permeate the mainstream, we also hope to leverage growing interest in responsible sourcing, safer ingredients, and product sustainability to change entire markets, and make clean beauty more accessible for all.
This article has been posted by MaCher to celebrate B Corp Month 2021 and build awareness of companies that meet the highest standard of verified social and environmental performance. For more information about Beautycounter, please click here.