What Happened to Beautycounter — Is the Company Back?

In May 2024, clean beauty company Beautycounter announced that it was closing temporarily. Owner Gregg Renfrew shocked its many consultants who made money hawking the products to friends and online by providing them very little runway — reportedly mere hours — before operations shut down.

At the time, Beautycounter's site offered only this vague glimpse into the future: "Something new is on the way. We are currently ​working ​to build a new company but don’t worry, we’ll be back later this year with the safer, high-performing products you know and love, as well as some other surprises."

So what happened to Beautycounter? Is the business back in a new iteration? Here's the latest on the popular brand that teased a new beginning, and whether reps and customers are happy about it.

What ended up happening with Beautycounter? It went bankrupt.

But backing up, it's important to note that as of July 2024, Beautycounter's website has not offered any additional updates on the future of the company.

The site only offers its reps and customers information about where to shop their "Beautycounter favorites." Through the end of the month, find products at Ulta stores throughout the U.S. Beyond that, you can shop for products on the Ulta website.

The last update shared on the company's Instagram is also from May, with Gregg saying in part, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. While things have been difficult recently, I am hopeful and confident that, together, we can build something new and impactful. Our work is only beginning."

Now, there's radio silence from Beautycounter, a company that was valued at $1 billion in 2021, per Fast Company.

By April 2024, the entire staff was being fired without severance via a Zoom meeting, per the outlet, which asserts that taking on private capital from Carlyle Group ultimately led to Beautycounter's demise.

Carlyle addressed the downfall of its acquisition in May, saying in a statement, "Over the last three years, Beautycounter experienced significant market and channel headwinds," adding it had infused “additional capital” into the company. “However, the business continued to lose ground.”

Gregg has said she plans to relaunch Beautycounter and has created a new company called G2G.

But many frustrated consultants, or as the company called them, advocates, told Fast Company they would not be willing to rejoin after being hung out to dry so mercilessly.

That said, according to one blogger, Coconuts & Kettlebells, some employees remain on staff, and they are busy "building everything from the ground up, including technology, product selection, and product fulfillment."

Gregg has not announced a specific date for a relaunch, nor has she shared any updates about her progress on her own social media account.

At the time of writing, Gregg's last Instagram post was the same May announcement posted to the company's social media that explained she formed a new company, and that followers could look for a late 2024 "public launch."

Her last words on the matter? "I look forward to serving you in the future."

Many loyal customers and devotees of the brand are likely eager to see what that future will look like.