Beautycounter, the US ‘clean’ beauty brand, is set to make a comeback under a new name.
Gregg Renfrew, the founder and CEO who bought back the business out of bankruptcy last year, will relaunch it as Counter on June 25 .
Founded by Renfrew in 2013, the company was acquired for $1bn by private equity giant The Carlyle Group in 2021.
The brand was known for its 'Never List' of 1,800 ingredients banned from its product formulations and was sold by independent sales representatives in a similar model to Avon.
In 2022, Renfrew stood down from the top job and became Executive Chair and Chief Brand Officer.
Under Carlyle Group’s ownership, Beautycounter changed its compensation structure for sales reps and agreed a deal with US beauty retailer Ulta to be stocked in its stores, and sales declined.
In April last year, Beautycounter went into foreclosure, and the rights to the name and other assets were bought by Renfrew.
Now, a message on the beauty counter website reads: “Coming June 25”.
It said that the brand will “show what we are capable of: doing beauty better. Again” and that it had a commitment to “always push forward through the complexity of creating products that are actually clean”.
It continued: “Mission matters most. Period.
“Ours is about health, safety, people, and the planet.
“It’s confidently questioning what we are told we can’t do and generously sharing what we can.
“It is knowing that we can be greater than we are right now.
“As we take steps to establish the definitive standard for clean beauty, we firmly believe that.”
Renfrew said last week at an event revealing the new name, that Counter will launch with upgraded branding and a focus on skin care and make-up and its own retail aimed at women aged over 35, Beauty Independent reported.