If you’re reading this review, you probably fall into one of the following categories: a person who wants an unbiased opinion on BeautyCounter, a person who wants to know if the BeautyCounter Consultants and products are any good.
I hope that anyone who reads this review will find something useful in it. With that in mind, most of this review is aimed at those interested in learning more about the BeautyCounter business prospect.
What is Beautycounter?
Beautycounter is a cosmetics enterprise that sells its beauty products through relationship networks and online. Gregg Renfrew, the founder, and CEO established it in 2013. Beautycounter is a B Corporation. It creates and sells safe cosmetics, skincare, body, and hair products.
Since 1938, no laws have been enacted in the United States governing what may and cannot be used in cosmetics. That was more than 80 years ago!
Beautycounter utilizes “The Never List,” a list of over 1500 potentially dangerous or questionable chemicals that are never used in their products. Benzalkonium chloride, formaldehyde, hydroquinone, parabens, phthalates, synthetic scent or fragrance, and several more are among the ingredients on Beautycounter’s NeverList.
Also, BeautyCounter is a brand that does not use fragrance in its products. The addition of fragrances to most items is unnecessary. A fragrance additive is loosely described as a mixture of over 3,000 different stock chemical ingredients. Anything from hormone disruptors to allergens can be found in fragrances.
Fragrance formulas are protected by a special classification of trade secrets under federal legislation. We will possibly never know what’s really inside the fragrance in our lotion. This is perfectly legal. The fragrance loophole is a term often used to describe this situation.
Also, Beautycounter is a registered B-Corporation. This means it has committed to be graded annually by the non-profit B Lab. BeautyCounter is dedicated to upholding the best ethical and environmental standards. They also pledge to be open to the public and accountable to the law in their business dealings.
Beautycounter History: Who is Gregg Renfrew?
Gregg Renfrew is an established entrepreneur from the United States. She founded The Wedding List in the United States in 1997, where she partnered with Hindmarch. The Wedding List was then acquired by Martha Stewart in 2001, under the Martha Stewart Living brand.
In 2011, Gregg Renfrew heard that only 30 additives are prohibited in personal-care items in the United States. (For comparison, the EU prohibits 1,400.) She was troubled when she realized that she never entertained the possibility that the materials she used on herself and her children were unsafe.
This concern led her to develop clean and safe products, now evident in her famous brand, Beautycounter and launched the brand in 2013.
She created Beautycounter to transform the beauty industry by offering clean, safe, high-performing skin care and makeup while also fighting to reform the laws that regulate what can and cannot be used in products so that everybody has access to safer beauty.
Beautycounter Quick Facts
Website: https://www.beautycounter.com/
Address: 1733 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401-3223
Phone No.: (888) 701-9899
Founder: Gregg Renfrew
Company Started: 5/7/2012
BBB Rating: A+ (accredited since 9/3/2018)
Beauty Brand Review: Beautycounter Products
Beautycounter products can be summarized in the following categories:
Women’s Skincare Essentials for skin to keep it hydrated, refreshed, and rejuvenated.
- Cleansers
- Moisturizers
- Face oils
- Serums and treatments
- Essence, toners, and mists
- Face masks
- Eye and Lip Care
- Skin Protection
Makeup Clean, safe, and high-performance beauty products.
- Face
- Eyes
- Lips
- Makeup Removers
Bath & Body With soothing, relaxing, and moisturizing formulations that produce glowing results. Made without questionable ingredients.
- Body wash and scrubs
- Moisturizer
- Hand Care
- Haircare
- Sun protection
Men’s Skincare Clean and safe products for men.
- Skincare
- Shaving and beard
- Body
Baby & Kids
- Body wash
- Protective balm
Is Beautycounter an MLM?
Yes, Beautycounter is an MLM organization. For those who don’t know, MLM is a multi-level marketing company. The majority of companies adopt manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, selling, and customer funnel. An MLM bypasses wholesale and retail in favor of direct customer distribution, often through recruits called consultants or distributors.
Consultants make money by selling directly to customers and earning a commission on each sale. They also make money when the company pays them a commission on sales generated by the people they recruit to sell under them. This has little to do with the product itself but rather with the marketing strategy.
Is Beautycounter a Pyramid Scheme?
“A dishonest moneymaking system in which early participants are paid out of money collected from later recruits, with the final recruits bringing money in and receiving none back” is the technical definition of a real Pyramid Scheme. It is against the law.
One time, I asked my friends and acquaintances to describe this particular business model, and the following are some of the responses:
- a business that goes bankrupt when revenue is funneled upwards to the “bigger” people at the top of the chain
- a business that depends on its customers to get in more customers to send money up the chain
- people at the top do not work and depend solely on money from the bottom
These answers reflect a clear lack of knowledge of this kind of scheme. They may be correct at some level, but there is more to those definitions that have been mentioned above. As I have mentioned in my previous reviews, an entity cannot be called a pyramid scheme when they have a strong product line that they strongly promote to the general public. In this regard, Beautycounter is not such a scheme. Their members are not even pressured to meet a monthly quota or else be kicked out. They do have incentives to maintain a certain amount of sales to earn bonuses and freebies.
How Much Does It Cost To Be A Beautycounter Consultant?
Signing up as a Beautycounter consultant costs $29, exclusive of tax. You don’t have to buy any of the starter sets to get started, as they do not require this.
However, you will be tempted to buy products worth $50+ to get extra products. The company is now giving the new consultant a Think Clean Welcome Set as a welcome gift. This gift is worth $44.
As a new consultant, you will need a mentor already knowledgeable of the business. Your mentor can guide you in doing this business. As you continue and progress in this business, you will become a mentor of your downlines.
Also, there is now a $50 sign-up fee. The new digital-only enrollment fee is $50 because Beautycounter wanted to give women the chance to become a consultant at a lower cost. This covers your own website, marketing literature, customer support, extensive training, and marketing on your behalf, such as newsletters, digital advertisements, and so on. Given the high quality of their website and promotional materials, it’s a bargain. (Because I work in digital media, I’m extra picky when it comes to marketing, and they nailed it.)
Beautycounter totes, brochures, posters, and free full-sized products are included with the regular $98 enrollment fee. If you prefer, you can always choose that option.
When you enroll, you can also purchase a starter kit, a collection of best-selling products at a 40% discount off retail price. People are much more likely to purchase something if they can try it first, so those packages are invaluable when you start your company. Since everyone’s skin is different, you’ll want various products to present at get-togethers, let people borrow, and make samples. And even if in-person get-togethers aren’t happening as often now as they once were, they still benefit a lot with any virtual activities you host or just telling people how you use the products.
What’s the difference between a Consultant and a Beautycounter Band of Beauty Member?
The Beautycounter Band of Beauty rewards system is for those passionate about Beautycounter products but who don’t want to become a consultant. It’s a $29 annual membership that includes free delivery on orders above $100, 15% off all sales, and a free product when you sign up.
Is Being A Beautycounter Consultant Worth it?
Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of becoming a Beautycounter consultant.
Pros
- On becoming a Beautycounter Consultant, there will be no punching the clock. There are no fixed working hours (unless you create them). This means a lot to many women. Many women need job flexibility to raise children and take care of a husband.
- You can grow your company and make more money in a month if you want to. You can take a month off if you decide to take a break or have a personal matter to deal with. In the end, only you (for better or worse!) will run the business.
- Consultants of most businesses that use this business model get a discount on the company’s products. Although this isn’t always the case in some MLM companies, the vast majority of customers who sign up for Beautycounter do so because they are a fan of the products and want to save money on what they are already using.
- They have clean, safe, natural, quality products.
- They give information on the materials that go into their products.
Cons
- Everyone can do it, and not everyone is cut out for this type of career. There is no interview process or weeding out since this is not typical work. Anyone can sign up and pay the registration fee. Not everyone is cut out for this work. Not everyone is willing to bring in the initiative. Not everybody is capable of self-responsibility.
- A few rotten apples have tarnished this business industry as a whole. There have been some VERY shady, abusive businesses using the MLM model. Many get turned off when offered this business prospect.
Beautycounter Review on Compensation Plan: How much do Beautycounter Consultants Make?
Here is a general overview of Beautycounter’s Compensation Plan that I have based on their income disclosure. These are the ways you can earn money:
SALES PERCENTAGE
25-35 percent commission on personal purchases to customers and members (bonuses if you sell more each month). I f you only sell one lip gloss in a month, you’ll still make a 25% profit. The minimum commission on any order is 25%.
TEAM COMMISSION
You are not required to build a team. However, it may be an additional source of income. On the first three tiers, you’ll gain 5-9 % with specific business requirements (based on title + New Volume in the month – implying you’re running your own company). As you grow to become a “Leader of Leaders,” you’ll be able to collect 1-3 % override commissions on the generations of leaders below you.
Recommendation
I’m not sure which side of the story you’ve heard. Perhaps you’ve been told that you should be your own manager and enjoy the life of your dreams without being told how to get there. At this point, one should have realized that mastering the art of making successful sales is the only thing standing between you and being a good BeautyCounter.
Recruiting is, of course, one more option. However, only those who already have a sales system are good at recruiting, and they use it to scale an already successful business. Many that struggle to make regular sales turn to recruit out of pure desperation, and they still fail.
Nothing is stopping you from becoming a good BeautyCounter consultant one day if you’re confident in your ability to make steady sales and maybe develop a team that can do the same.
If you’re not sure you can do it, you may want to try something different, such as starting your own online business centered around one brand or product you care about. You should build a company around something you never get tired of dreaming about!