Counter Review 2026 (Formerly Beautycounter): What Changed and Is It Worth It?

If you’ve been searching for what happened to Beautycounter, you’re not alone. I’ve been using their products for years and was just as confused as everyone else when the brand suddenly went dark in 2024. The good news? Beautycounter is back, but not exactly as you remember it. The company relaunched as Counter in June 2025 with a new name, a streamlined product lineup and a completely different business model.

I’ve been testing clean beauty products for a long time now. A few years ago I started getting serious about cleaning up my skincare and makeup routine after learning about endocrine disruptors and the chemicals lurking in everyday personal care products. Two things I still reach for daily are the Skin Twin Featherweight Foundation and the Clean Swipe Hyaluronic Lip Balm. Both survived the rebrand and are available at counter.com.

This is what’s really annoying about the clean beauty space: finding an unbiased review that isn’t just a sales pitch. Most Beautycounter reviews out there were written by consultants and while they genuinely love the products, you always have to wonder. I liked the products so much about two years ago that I got an affiliate link for them, so in the interest of full transparency, I do earn a small commission if you shop through my link. But this review is my honest experience, both the good and the not-so-great.

Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here.

What Happened to Beautycounter?

Here’s the short version: The Carlyle Group acquired a majority stake in Beautycounter in 2021 for roughly $1 billion. By March 2024, Carlyle wrote off its investment and the company went into administration. It was a pretty shocking collapse for a brand that had been a pioneer in the clean beauty movement.

Founder Gregg Renfrew purchased the rights to the brand name and assets through a foreclosure sale and set about rebuilding from the ground up. The result is Counter, which launched publicly on June 25, 2025. It’s technically a new company, but it carries the DNA of Beautycounter, including many of the same formulations, the same commitment to ingredient transparency, and the same Never List.

Beautycounter vs Counter: What Actually Changed

A lot changed in the transition from Beautycounter to Counter, and most of it is for the better in my opinion. Here’s what you need to know.

The product lineup is way smaller. Beautycounter had around 245 products. Counter launched with just 17 and has expanded to around 50. The reasoning makes sense when you hear it: over 90 percent of Beautycounter’s revenue came from only 50 products anyway. Instead of a sprawling catalog, Counter focused on bringing back the bestsellers and developing a handful of new formulas. Some beloved products are gone (RIP to the Beyond Gloss fans), but the core skincare and standout makeup items made the cut.

No more MLM. This is the biggest change and honestly the one I’m most relieved about. Beautycounter used a multi-level marketing model with over 65,000 independent consultants. Counter ditched that entirely for a direct-to-consumer approach. You buy from counter.com and that’s it. There are brand partners who can earn commissions by sharing products (similar to a standard affiliate model), but there’s no recruiting, no team-building, and no downlines. It’s just a cleaner way to do business.

The ingredient standards got even stricter. Counter’s Never List now bans over 2,800 ingredients, up from the original 1,800. They test both raw materials and finished products for contaminants like heavy metals, and every product is Leaping Bunny certified for cruelty-free production. For context, the FDA currently only restricts 11 chemicals in cosmetics. The EU bans over 1,400. Counter voluntarily avoids over 2,800. That’s the kind of transparency I want from a brand I put on my skin every day.

Why Clean Beauty Matters More Than You Think

If you’re reading this, you probably already care about what goes into your skincare. But it’s worth revisiting why it matters so much. Two of the biggest categories of harmful ingredients in conventional beauty products are parabens and phthalates. Both are endocrine disruptors, meaning they can interfere with your hormones, mimic estrogen, and wreak havoc on everything from your metabolism to your reproductive health.

Counter formulates without parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, chemical sunscreens, formaldehyde, coal tar, PEGs, retinols, and sulfates. When I first switched to Beautycounter years ago, the endocrine disruptor connection was the tipping point for me. Your skin absorbs a significant percentage of what you put on it, and the average woman uses 12 personal care products a day. Those exposures add up. If you want to learn more about what’s actually in your products and how it affects your hormones, check out my article on common endocrine disruptors.

Counter Products I Use and Recommend

I haven’t tried every product in the new Counter lineup, but the two I use daily are ones I can speak to with confidence after extended use.

Skin Twin Featherweight Foundation

This is the product that made me a Beautycounter convert, and it’s still the foundation I reach for when I wear makeup. The Skin Twin Featherweight Foundation is formulated with hyaluronic acid to help smooth and plump skin while providing buildable, breathable coverage. It comes in 27 shades, which is impressive for a clean beauty brand.

What I love about it is how it feels like nothing on my skin. It doesn’t settle into fine lines, doesn’t cake, and lasts all day without a setting powder. It also uses Coco-Caprylate and Jojoba Esters instead of cyclopentasiloxane (a cyclic siloxane that raises environmental concerns), and it’s formulated without BHT, methylparaben, or synthetic fragrance. You can apply it with your fingers or a brush. I use my fingers most days because I’m usually in a rush and it blends out beautifully either way.

Clean Swipe Hyaluronic Lip Balm ($24)

I’m a lip product person and I’ve tried SO. MANY. BRANDS. of clean lip products with varying success. Many of them are just so disappointing because they’re either waxy, flavorless, or don’t actually do anything. The Clean Swipe Hyaluronic Lip Balm is genuinely different. It’s formulated with hyaluronic acid, jojoba and avocado oils, plus mango and murumuru seed butters. It melts onto your lips and actually hydrates instead of just sitting on top.

It comes in four shades (Nada for translucent, plus three tinted options) and has a slight vanilla-peppermint flavor that isn’t overpowering. The formula avoids aluminum powder and cyclic siloxanes. At $24 it’s more than a drugstore lip balm, but it genuinely performs like a lip treatment and I reach for it multiple times a day. Counter also avoids copper powder in their lip products, which is persistent in the environment and can be an endocrine disruptor at high exposure levels.

Natural Deodorant

I’ve also tried their deodorant and over the years I’ve tried many types of natural deodorant with varying success. Many of them are just so disappointing because they don’t work. If you’re new to natural deodorant, there can also be a couple of weeks of “detox” so don’t give up on them right away without a fair trial. Counter’s Clean Deo worked well for me, and if you’re looking for a more comprehensive roundup, check out my article on non-toxic deodorant.

Other Counter Products Worth Knowing About

Based on my research and what I know about the formulations from using Beautycounter for years, here are a few other products in the Counter lineup that stand out.

The All Bright Vitamin C Serum ($89) is the product that comes up in almost every Counter review for good reason. It uses two ultra-stable forms of vitamin C plus turmeric and camu camu for brightening. I used this one when it was still Beautycounter and noticed a real difference in the evenness of my skin tone after a couple of months. If you’ve been frustrated by vitamin C serums that oxidize before you finish the bottle, this one is worth a look.

The Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream ($98) is their heavy-hitting night cream. It uses Bakuchiol as a safer plant-based alternative to retinol, which is especially useful if you’re pregnant or nursing and want anti-aging benefits without the risk. The Overnight Resurfacing Peel is another fan favorite that uses AHAs and BHAs to resurface skin while you sleep.

New additions since the rebrand include the Counterglow Tri-Luronic Hydrating Serum (three forms of hyaluronic acid), the Retinatural+ Advanced Super Serum (three retinol alternatives), and the Hyaluronic Moisture Mist ($48) which works as both a toner and a hydrating mist. Counter has also brought back the Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20, the Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick, and the Think Big Mascara.

Counter Review: Pricing and How to Save

Counter’s pricing is in line with other clean beauty brands, but it’s definitely not drugstore pricing. Here are a few ways to make it more affordable.

Counter offers free shipping on all orders over $50 and 10% off your first order when you spend $100 or more. They also have a Loyalist rewards program (free to join, no membership fee) where you earn $15 in Counter credit for every $200 you spend. That’s actually a better deal than the old Band of Beauty membership which cost $29 a year.

What I Don’t Love About Counter

No review is complete without the downsides, and there are a few worth mentioning.

The product selection is still limited. If you were a Beautycounter loyalist who relied on their full makeup line, you’ll be disappointed. There’s no eyeshadow palette, no powder foundation, and several body care products haven’t returned yet. Counter has said they plan to expand to around 50 products, and they’ve been gradually bringing things back (mascara, brow gel, and cream shadow returned in late 2025), but if you need a full clean beauty makeup routine, you’ll still need to supplement with other brands.

The pricing is on the higher end. An $89 vitamin C serum and a $98 night cream are real investments. The products are high quality, but there are other clean beauty brands offering comparable formulations for less. If budget is a concern, I’d focus on one or two hero products rather than trying to overhaul your entire routine at once.

They only sell through counter.com. No Amazon, no Ulta, no Sephora (at least not yet). That means you can’t swatch foundation shades in person or pick up a quick replacement at the store. Counter has hinted at expanding to retail eventually, but for now it’s online only.

Is Counter Worth It?

If you care about what goes on your skin and you’re willing to pay a premium for transparency, yes. Counter isn’t the only clean beauty brand out there, and they’re not the cheapest. But what sets them apart is the rigor of their ingredient standards (2,800+ banned ingredients), their testing for contaminants and the fact that every product is EWG verified or meets strict safety standards. For someone who’s been on the fragrance-free skincare and non-toxic personal care journey, Counter makes it easy. You don’t have to research every single ingredient because they’ve already done it.

I also appreciate that they dropped the MLM model. It removes a layer of skepticism that always hung over Beautycounter, no matter how good the products were. When someone recommends a Counter product now, you can take it at face value instead of wondering if they’re trying to build their downline.

The Skin Twin Foundation and Hyaluronic Lip Balm remain two products I repurchase without hesitation. If you’re new to clean beauty or looking for your first swap, either one is a great starting point. Have you made the switch to clean beauty products? If not, I would highly recommend giving Counter a try.