Counter (formerly Beautycounter)

Beautycounter started in 2013 in Santa Monica, California. Founder Gregg Renfrew could not find beauty products she trusted for herself and her family, so she built a company around safer ingredients. It launched with nine products and a list of ingredients it promised never to use. That list, The Never List, became the brand's signature.

For more than a decade, Beautycounter sold mainly through independent Consultants. They held home "socials" and took orders online. The old Direct Sales Aid profile listed an $85 starter kit, up to 35% commission and a $50 yearly business fee. The brand also sold through retail partners. Carlyle Group bought a majority stake in 2021, valuing the company at about $1 billion. In 2023 the line launched at Ulta Beauty.

Then the business fell apart. In April 2024 Beautycounter went into foreclosure, and Renfrew bought back the name and other assets, Cosmetics Business reported in June 2025. On April 18, 2024 the home page carried a letter from her to the community.

“The Beautycounter business that you knew previously has wound down. However, I am excited to share the news that I am creating a new company that will allow us to sell the products you know and love.”

Gregg Renfrew, founder — Beautycounter website (beautycounter.com), April 2024

The relaunch took longer than that letter suggested. Through the summer and fall of 2024 the site said a new company was being built and pointed shoppers to Ulta. In May 2025 Renfrew revealed the new name, Counter, and the brand soft-launched on June 25, 2025. Beauty Independent reported that the range was cut to about 50 products, down from 245. Beautycounter.com now redirects to counter.com.

Advocacy is still part of the pitch. The company says Renfrew testified before Congress and helped push for the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022. Counter is run by G2G Ventures, PBC, a public benefit corporation, from 1739 Berkeley Street in Santa Monica. It sells online and through a seasonal shop in Nantucket, and its site lists a Raleigh shop opening in October 2026.

Counter's sellers are called Brand Partners. You apply from a Counter customer account, and every application is reviewed. Once approved, you get a personal link and share it with people who want cleaner beauty products. When someone shops through your link, you earn commission. The company handles stock and shipping.

How partners earn

• Commission: 40% on a new customer's first order and 20% on orders from returning customers who shop through your link.
• Sales bonuses: an extra 5% when your monthly sales reach $500, and 10% at $1,500.
• Referrals: a one-time $20 product credit for each new Brand Partner you introduce who enrolls.
• Challenges: limited-time incentives, which the company announces to partners.

The partner page lists no enrollment fee and no starter kit. There is also no personal discount: partners shop at full price but can earn through the Total Rewards loyalty program, where the top two tiers give 20% and 25% off personal orders. The company says there is no cap on earnings. It does not publish team commissions or an income disclosure on its public pages, so check the current Brand Partner Agreement before you count on any figure.

“Mission matters most. Period. Ours is about health, safety, people, and the planet.”

Beautycounter website message before the Counter launch, quoted by Cosmetics Business, June 2025

PROS

• No enrollment fee or starter kit is listed, so it costs little to try.
• Strong commission on first orders: 40% on a new customer's first purchase.
• No inventory, parties or order collecting. You share a link and the company ships.
• A well-known ingredient story, The Never List, that customers already recognise from the Beautycounter years.
• A smaller, focused line of about 50 products is easier to learn.

CONS

• Applications must be approved, and spots have been limited.
• Commission drops to 20% on repeat orders, and there is no personal discount for partners.
• No public team or leadership pay plan, so building a team is not the main way to earn.
• The brand is rebuilding after a 2024 shutdown, and former Consultants lost their teams and customer lists.
• Prices are premium, with many serums and creams between $55 and $98.