Beautycounter: the brand’s mission, products, and where to buy
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I have been watching Beautycounter slowly build up momentum over the past several years. Truth be told I am not a heavy duty makeup wearer. I also like to buy things that are easy and on sale. And, I’m on a budget, don’t judge. Also, I NEVER wash my face….sssshhhhhh, don’t tell. Seriously, this face gets a scrub in the shower with the shampoo suds that are running down my face. #gross. I don’t want to look like death as I walk around town or show up on camera, but you’d never know it by the way I care for face.
The Kellie Kitchen is all about trying to be a little healthier here on my blog and on my Instagram. It has been mostly food, gut health and weight loss that I am talking about I have been feeling the need to address my skin. I’m about to turn 50-YIKES! I have had 3 extensive bouts with skin cancer surgery ON MY FACE and chest…….so I need to pay attention. Our skin is our biggest organ so why am I putting crappy products with potentially hazardous ingredients all over my face and body? I’m a ding dong….
My OLD routine…
My OLD make-up and skin routine came from a random YouTube video I saw one night as I mindlessly scrolled. This woman took herself from grey faced zombie to fresh faced cute girl in less than 5 minutes. This was a system that could work for me. It really was a very quick way for me to pull myself from looking like death to presentable with very little skill or effort. However, some of the products were from all over the world and not cheap.
If ever there was a time that I ran out of the concealer or tinted moisturizer I would panic. I had to scramble to order more online and usually that was at a premium price for rush shipping. Because some of these products were from all over the world it could take up to a few weeks to get them in the mail. In a rush I would run to CVS or Sephora to find replacements. In all honesty I knew every time I bought something from a local store it was going to be added to my cosmetics graveyard.
The colors were never right or the applicator was as cheap as would be expected. Truth be told, I was willing to spend whatever it took to get some good products, but it always felt like I was just throwing money in the trash.
My Makeup Must Haves
- The Dew Skin tinted moisturizer was my first favorite product. I use the #2 for light and medium skin tones.
- Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer
- Foundation (more full coverage than Dew Skin but still natural looking)
- Concealer
- Cream blush and Powder blush
- Cream highlighters and Powder highlighters
- Matte bronzer and Radiant bronzers
- Eye makeup — eyeshadows, brow products, eyeliners, mascara
- Lip products — lipsticks, lip sheers, lip glosses and lip conditioners
I prefer a simple makeup routine to highlight natural beauty and my routine takes five minutes or less. And if you’ve used “natural” makeup before that didn’t cut it in terms of staying power or pigment, trust me when I say Beautycounter makeup is long-lasting and highly pigmented.
In comes the HEALTHY part
After everything I have been through with my diet and health you would think I would pay more attention to what I actually put ON my body, face and hair (que the pensive look). But no…because, AGAIN, I’m a ding dong. My whole life the last 3-5 years has been about getting healthy from the inside out. What the heck was I doing slathering up and piling on with cheap/crappy products on my face and skin?
I spent years trying to feel well through eating better foods and drinking clean water and getting quality sleep. I wake up feeling like Superwoman. Then I emerge from the shower and slather up with less than great products just seemed counter to what I was trying to do for myself.
19 Products…ALMOST EVERY DAY
That’s the number of products this minimalist uses on a daily basis. How is that even possible? Mind you, I’M NOT A PRODUCT PERSON!!! I fashion myself somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to make-up and skin care. However, when I took a hard look at the line up on my dresser I was shocked to count out 19 products used daily. YES, NINETEEN products that I use on my skin, hair and body almost all on a daily basis.
By the way, I have two daughters and a boyfriend so the number of products used amongst us is just staggering! Drawers and bags filled with half used and half empty bottles. Some of the products are FULL and have never even been touched. Only bought those as replacements to have on hand so I wouldn’t have to make a trip to the store as I ran out of the first bottle.
My Intro to BETTER Products
I was first introduced to Beautycounter by my long-time “lake friend”, Kimberley. She had jumped ship from years as an Arbonne devotee. 5 years ago I was moving back to Santa Monica. Kimberley mentioned her new favorite brand was based right in sunny Santa Monica. My head was spinning with divorce and the move and everything, so I said…”that’s nice” and went on my way.
I had used lots of brands – Bobbi Brown, CVS brands, Arbonne, random European brands, Bare Minerals, anything the clown-painted faces at Sephora told me to buy. None that I felt were really that great over the next five years. I continued to slog around Santa Monica looking like a ragged, overworked, half-assed mom. Whatever I could find that was easy, on sale or that wasn’t going to require a cosmetology license to apply was my brand of choice.
I wearily looked in the mirror one day. Along with a mountain of half used crappy products I had amassed in a side drawer. I am definitely of the mindset of GOOD, BETTER, BEST choices for everything in my life. But when the rubber met the road I had been making horrible decisions for my face and skin care. It was time to make a change towards BETTER. Fast forward 5 years (plus a few extra wrinkles) and I was ready to really listen to my friend, “dew faced and fresh skinned” Kimberley.
I had heard of Beautycounter over and over. Every day I pass a school in my neighborhood with a HUGE “Beautycounter sponsorship banner” splayed across the schoolyard fence. Like a message directed at me touting better skincare products. The head quarters were literally in my neighborhood, so it was time I stopped being a ding dong. I needed to take action on all my face, body and hair products. So…..I called Kimberley.
Flawless in Five
Not only was it great catching up with my old friend, Kimberley asked about what was important to me and why I wanted to change to better products. With my tail between my legs I shyly and shamefully mentioned my pathetic ways. Much to my utter surprise I learned about Beautycounter’s Flawless in Five. Holy smokes…this was music to my ears.
Flawless in Five is Beautycounter’s answer to effortlessly bringing my speckled and ashen face to everyday presentable fresh face. 6 products in about 5 minutes could take me into the world with shoulders back and my head held high. Later on I realized I would NEED to add a 7th product (eyeliner) as my pale Irish eyes need a little extra definition.
Flawless in Five Make Up
Effortless Beauty in Five Minutes
INCLUDES SIX SAFER, HIGH-PERFORMING PRODUCTS:
- Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation or Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer
- Touchup Skin Concealer Pen
- Color Define Brow Pencil or Brilliant Brow Gel
- Lengthening or Volumizing Mascara
- Satin Powder Blush
- Lip Gloss
I’m busy, not lazy
Beautycounter was not only going to be my answer to better/safer/healthier products, but they were catering to my busy, no-time and budget conscious ways. I watched a quick video (similar to the zombie to cute girl one from 5 years ago, but with women more my age) and was ready to jump. BETTER+EASY TO APPLY PRODUCTS+MINIMAL EFFORT=WIN, WIN, WIN for this middle aged woman.
Okay, so what is Beautycounter?
In a nutshell, Beautycounter is a clean beauty company. I’m going to go into a lot of detail in this post, but that’s what they are know for. Cleanier, safer, healthier skincare products.
Beautycounter offers high-end skincare, makeup, hair care, body care and men’s products and kids’ products online and through their independent reps. Their products are always free of questionable ingredients so much so that they have called out their 1,500 NEVER ingredients. Beautycounter is leading the charge for the entire beauty industry through advocacy work. Going straight to Washington to fight for better standards and change industry wide.
Beautycounter is registered as a member of an exclusive group of businesses (Certified B-Corp). It is dedicated to using their profits for positive change. (For reference, getting B-Corp certified is very hard so it’s quite impressive when a brand earns that label. Other B-Corp brands you may know are Patagonia, Allbirds and Athleta.)
Supporting many nonprofits and becoming partners with leading scientists to find safer ingredients (many that are plant based) to create better products. This message is at the core of Beautycounter’s practice.
The Beautycounter mission is simple: to get safer products into the hands of everyone.
“One by one, we are leading a movement to a future where all beauty is clean beauty. We are powered by people, and our collective mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone. Formulate, advocate, & educate—that’s our motto for creating products that truly perform while holding ourselves to unparalleled standards of safety. Why? It’s really this simple: beauty should be good for you.”
Founded by Gregg Renfrew in 2013, Beautycounter has continued to grow over the last 6 years. Gregg kept seeing so many of her friends and family go through so many health issues. Over and over it was infertility, cancer, hormone issues. She wondered what was happening. She never thought that the products she was using on herself and kids might be part of the problem. The U.S. is so highly regulated. Or so she thought.
But personal care companies in the U.S. are allowed to — and do — use harmful ingredients. The same ingredients commonly used in the United States are banned or restricted in other countries due to safety concerns,
Launching Beautycounter
Gregg wanted to lead the entire industry to safer products by upping safety standards. Beautycounter bans over 1,500 questionable ingredients (they call it their The Never List™). She has shared that part of her goal was to make products that are extremely high performing. If the products are safer but they don’t work as well as other high-end brands then no one will use them.
She also wanted the brand to help educate people on what we’re putting on our bodies. We don’t know what we don’t know. I also try to educate people on overall health. Education is part of why Gregg set up the company with the consultant business model – more on that below.
Beautycounter also advocates on Capitol Hill (I’ve participate in this advocacy work) for stricter guidelines and more regulations. And they have a full-time employee dedicated to those efforts. Companies are knowingly using harmful chemicals in their products, prioritizing profit over consumers’ health. Beautycounter wants to change the industry so that’s not the norm.