BeCause Cosmetics

BeCause Cosmetics launched on July 13, 2017, in Utah. Its founder, Andrew McBride, had spent about ten years in direct sales before starting it. Beauty Independent reported that he chose the giving model before he chose the name or the products. The company was based in the Salt Lake Valley, at West Valley City.

The first catalog had about 20 products for eyes, lips and face. In its first year the company invited people to become one of its first 500 sellers. Each seller had a personal web shop on the company's site. In 2022 BeCause moved to a new online store with the tagline “Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Makeup.” It called its sellers Affiliates, paid commissions weekly and kept its 3% giving pledge.

“Before I picked a business name or product offering, I knew I wanted to build a business with philanthropy as part of the strategy.”

Andrew McBride, founder — Beauty Independent, October 3, 2017

McBride told Beauty Independent that he did not want to build a business first and set up a charity for a tax write-off later. “The revenue is not our focus. People are our focus,” he said.

BeCause started as a makeup brand and stayed one at heart. Its packaging was minimal and black, with the BECAUSE wordmark printed down the side.

• Eyes: eyeshadow palettes, mascara, liquid eyeliner, gel liners and an eye primer.
• Lips: lipsticks, lip crayons, glosses and a Velvet Matte Gloss Duo.
• Face: a hydrating foundation, illuminating blush in six shades, setting spray and brushes, including the BeCause Pro Siren brush.
• Skin and body (later years): face wash, moisturizer, foot and hand care and an overnight eye treatment.
• Bundles: themed sets such as the Face Set and the Science of Pretty Bundle.

Prices were moderate. The old Direct Sales Aid profile listed liners and lip pencils from $15 and palettes and contour kits up to $45. The 2024 shop listed a Liquid Eyeliner at $11, the Hydrating Foundation at $29 and the Bright Eyes Shadow Collection at $39 before discounts.

Sellers were first called Ambassadors or Affiliates; by 2022 the company used Affiliates throughout. They sold to friends, at events and through a personal online shop. Customers shopping on the site saw which Affiliate they were buying through.

Starter Kit

In 2017 new sellers joined with a $199 starter kit. The old Direct Sales Aid profile said it held more than two and a half times its price in products, plus business materials and travel bags. Later the company moved to an online application.

Pay and giving

The 2017 plan paid new sellers 20% commission on sales, rising to as much as 35% with sales volume, plus team commissions for sellers who sponsored others. By 2022 the company advertised commissions on an Affiliate's own and customers' orders, paid every Wednesday, along with monthly contests and a store credit called BeCause Cash. The company said it gave 3% of every sale to non-profits and causes chosen by its Affiliates. Its causes page listed Feeding America, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the LOVELOUD Foundation and others.

BeCause Cosmetics never announced a closure in public, and we found no news coverage of its end. Archived copies of its website tell the story. On November 6, 2024, the shop was still open, but most featured products were marked down as closeouts. The eye primer had dropped from $15 to $5 and the foundation from $29 to $12. The footer still read “© 2017-2023 BeCause Cosmetics, LLC.”

By December 13, 2024, the home page had been replaced with a page reading only “Coming Soon,” and the server returned an error to visitors. The same page was still up in January 2025. By March 2025 the site no longer answered, and on October 2, 2026 becausecosmetics.com did not load at all. The company has not said why it went quiet, and it has not returned under a new name that we could find.

Former Affiliates cannot order new stock. Shoppers who liked the brand's mix of makeup and giving can compare live companies on Direct Sales Aid, such as Younique, Mary Kay or Avon.