Birchbox
Birchbox is a New York-based direct-to-consumer beauty subscription and e-commerce platform serving U.S. consumers with customizable monthly and bi-monthly boxes, a member-only discount market, gift cards, and the ARROW Beauty owned sub-brand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Birchbox does
Birchbox, Inc. operates a direct-to-consumer beauty subscription and e-commerce platform serving U.S. consumers from its New York headquarters. The platform sells two customizable subscription tiers — Birchbox Monthly ($25/box, 5–6 items worth up to $110) and Birchbox Signature ($44+/box, 4 full-size products worth up to $175 delivered bi-monthly) — alongside a Members Market discount portal, Birchbox Gift Cards, the ARROW Beauty owned sub-brand, and the Birchbox Edit editorial magazine. Subscribers complete a Beauty or Grooming Profile quiz that captures skin, hair, and preference attributes used to personalize product recommendations; subscribers can either curate every box from samples and full-sizes or accept an expert-curated default. The commerce stack runs on Shopify with a Next.js/Prismic content front end, and subscription billing is handled through auto-renewing month-to-month or 3-/6-/12-month prepaid terms.
The business model blends recurring subscription revenue with transactional e-commerce, gift card sales, and brand-partner data monetization. Products are sourced from a large portfolio of premium partner brands including Peter Thomas Roth, Kiehl's, Lancôme, Smashbox, OUAI, Haus Labs, Fable & Mane, Davines, Dr. Barbara Sturm, and Kopari. Marketing is content-led (Birchbox Edit, email, SMS, social integrations, interest-based retargeting via hashed-email audiences on Meta) with a member referral program as a bottom-of-funnel lever. The company was founded in 2010, raised over $95 million across multiple venture rounds (Accel, First Round, Viking Global, Walgreens Boots Alliance), acquired European peer JolieBox in 2012, and was itself acquired for $45 million in 2021 after a peak valuation above $500 million; it continues to operate the birchbox.com storefront under the same brand today.
Birchbox firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Birchbox
- Legal name
- Birchbox, Inc.
- Website
- https://birchbox.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Birchbox is a New York-based direct-to-consumer beauty subscription and e-commerce platform serving U.S. consumers with customizable monthly and bi-monthly boxes, a member-only discount market, gift cards, and the ARROW Beauty owned sub-brand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Birchbox industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Beauty Subscription Boxes
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921)
- SIC
- Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional & Local Membership Warehouse Clubs (CRAEADAH)
Keywords
Where Birchbox is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Birchbox business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Monthly Subscription Box: Recurring subscription revenue from monthly customizable beauty boxes (5-6 items per box worth up to $110). Plans include Month-to-Month Rebillable at $25/box, 3-Month Prepaid at $24/box, and 12-Month Prepaid at $22/box, plus a Signature bi-monthly box starting at $44/box. Customers receive sample, deluxe-sample, and full-size options chosen by them or curated.
- Members Market E-commerce Sales: Members receive exclusive access to a Members Market (opens periodically) to shop top beauty brands at steep discounts, generating transactional e-commerce revenue separate from the subscription itself.
- Gift Card Sales: Direct sale of Birchbox Gift Cards in $25, $50, and $100 denominations for gifting purposes, redeemable on the site.
- Advertising and Brand Partner Data Revenue: Aggregate/anonymous Beauty Profile data and traffic data are shared with brand partners and advertising partners (Facebook/Instagram) for interest-based advertising, supporting a secondary data-monetization stream alongside the product business.
- One-Time Product Sales (Birchbox Kits): Individual retail products such as the Birchbox Fresh Summer Glow Essentials Kit ($14.99) are sold à la carte on the storefront.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Membership (Month-to-Month Rebillable) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 3-Month Prepaid Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | 12-Month Prepaid Membership |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Birchbox Signature (Bi-Monthly) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Rebillable Bi-Monthly Membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Rebillable 3-Month Membership (Billed Monthly) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Birchbox Gift Card |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Birchbox Fresh Summer Glow Essentials Kit (one-time) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Birchbox product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Birchbox is a New York-based online beauty subscription e-commerce platform that delivers customizable monthly and bi-monthly boxes of premium samples and full-size products to U.S. consumers, personalized via a Beauty Profile quiz and sourced from a curated portfolio of partner brands. The company also operates the Members Market for member-only discounted brand shopping, the Birchbox Edit editorial magazine, gifting via Birchbox Gift Cards, and the in-house ARROW Beauty sub-brand.
Product overview
Birchbox operates a beauty subscription e-commerce platform built around two customizable subscription tiers — Birchbox Monthly (delivered every month with 5–6 items worth up to $110, including 1 full-size product) and Birchbox Signature (delivered every other month with 4 full-size products worth up to $175). The platform also includes the Members Market for exclusive member discounts, the Birchbox Gift Card for gifting, the Birchbox Edit editorial magazine, and the in-house ARROW Beauty sub-brand. Personalized product recommendations are driven by a Beauty Profile quiz that members complete, with offerings sourced from a curated portfolio of partner brands such as Peter Thomas Roth, OUAI, Haus Labs, Kiehl's, Smashbox, Fable & Mane, Comfort Zone, Dr. Barbara Sturm, Kopari, Dr. Brandt, Davines, and others.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Birchbox Monthly: Customizable monthly beauty subscription box delivering 5-6 items up to $110 in value, with sample, deluxe-sample, and full-size options.
- Birchbox Signature
Products and services
- Birchbox Monthly Customizable monthly beauty subscription delivering 5–6 items worth up to $110 each month, including samples, deluxe samples, and full-size products drawn from a curated set of partner brands; members choose every product or accept expert curation. Targeted at U.S. beauty subscribers.
- Birchbox Signature Bi-monthly luxury beauty subscription delivering 4 full-size products worth up to $175 every other month, fully customizable, starting at $44 per box. Targeted at U.S. beauty subscribers seeking premium full-size product assortment.
- Members Market Exclusive member-only shopping portal offering steep discounts on top beauty brands, opening on scheduled monthly dates for active Birchbox subscribers.
- Birchbox Gift Card Digital Birchbox gift card available in $25, $50, and $100 denominations for purchasing Birchbox products and subscriptions.
- Birchbox Edit Editorial online magazine covering beauty, makeup, hair, skincare, nails, how-to guides, trends, wellness, and home content, with contributor articles, brand interviews, and sustainability features.
- ARROW Beauty Birchbox's owned beauty brand designed for active lifestyles, with products including the Enhance Waterproof Eyeliner + Brightener and Under Eye Brightening Serum, featured in Birchbox's catalog and gift card recommendations.
- Birchbox Fresh Summer Glow Essentials Kit Curated Birchbox-branded beauty essentials kit priced at $14.99, offered as a one-time à la carte purchase on the Birchbox storefront.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5–6 items per monthly box with retail value up to $110 per box
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Birchbox
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Birchbox technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
Birchbox partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Peter Thomas RothflagshipFeatured Birchbox partner brand with logo placement on the homepage and inclusion in The June Edit; offers skin care products such as 'Skin to die for' as part of the monthly box assortment. Relationship is Them to Us — Peter Thomas Roth supplies products to Birchbox for distribution to subscribers.
- Salt & StoneflagshipFeatured premium skincare partner brand on the Monthly Box landing page, surfacing as one of the curated monthly box brand partners. Relationship is Them to Us — Salt & Stone supplies products to Birchbox for inclusion in monthly boxes.
- SkinfixflagshipFeatured premium skincare partner brand on the Monthly Box landing page. Them to Us — Skinfix supplies skincare products to Birchbox for monthly box inclusion.
- Dr. BrandtflagshipFeatured Birchbox partner brand on both the homepage and Monthly Box landing page. Them to Us — Dr. Brandt supplies products to Birchbox for distribution.
- KulfiflagshipFeatured premium Birchbox partner brand on the Monthly Box landing page. Them to Us — Kulfi supplies products to Birchbox for inclusion in monthly boxes.
- Kate SomervilleflagshipFeatured premium skincare Birchbox partner brand on the Monthly Box landing page. Them to Us — Kate Somerville supplies skincare products to Birchbox.
- KosasflagshipFeatured premium Birchbox partner brand on the Monthly Box landing page. Them to Us — Kosas supplies makeup/skincare products to Birchbox for monthly box inclusion.
- Grande CosmeticsflagshipFeatured premium Birchbox partner brand on the Monthly Box landing page. Them to Us — Grande Cosmetics supplies beauty products to Birchbox.
- Kiehl'sflagshipFeatured Birchbox partner brand with homepage logo placement and inclusion in The June Edit (Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream). Them to Us — Kiehl's supplies skincare products to Birchbox.
- LancômeflagshipProduct partner featured in the Monthly Box assortment (Lancôme Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Eye Cream). Them to Us — Lancôme supplies prestige skincare to Birchbox.
- StashercoreBirchbox collaborated and invested with Stasher to spotlight sustainability: every April box is delivered in a reusable silicone Stasher bag to make it easier for subscribers to make sustainably-minded choices at home. Featured in a Birchbox Edit magazine article. Relationship is Mutual — co-branded sustainability initiative.
- Public GoodsminorCollaboration with Public Goods (a sustainable grocery, wellness, and home accessories company) to share '5 Sustainable Beauty and Home Swaps' editorial content, supporting Birchbox's sustainability positioning. Mutual co-marketing partnership.
- MovemeantcoreFor Women's History Month, Birchbox donates a portion of all proceeds to Movemeant, a non-profit that empowers women and girls through physical movement. Co-branded content and editorial interviews featured in Birchbox Edit. Mutual cause-marketing partnership.
- Facebook / Instagram (Meta)coreBirchbox provides hashed email addresses to Facebook/Instagram as advertising partners to enable interest-based advertising and retargeting; data flow is governed by CCPA disclosure and user opt-out choices. Them to Us — Meta provides ad targeting and audience-matching infrastructure.
- American Arbitration AssociationminorBirchbox Terms require that any dispute be submitted to confidential and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its rules, with hearings held at a place chosen by the AAA. The AAA is referenced as the dispute resolution provider; relationship is Them to Us — AAA provides arbitration services to Birchbox.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Birchbox competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FabFitFun: FabFitFun runs a seasonal beauty, wellness, and lifestyle subscription box with editor-curated selections and a members-only edit, competing head-to-head for the same beauty-discovery customer as Birchbox.
- Ipsy: Ipsy operates Glam Bag, a monthly beauty subscription with sample and full-size products, plus its own beauty marketplace (IPSY Shop) — directly overlapping Birchbox's subscription-plus-discount-storefront model.
- BoxyCharm by IPSY: BoxyCharm is a monthly full-size beauty subscription that later merged with Ipsy, offering customizability and member-only shopping that mirrors Birchbox's subscription + market strategy.
- Glossybox: Glossybox is a subscription-based beauty box with international presence (Europe, US), offering monthly curated samples — a direct comparison point for Birchbox's monthly beauty box model with broader geographic reach.
- Allure Beauty Box: Allure Beauty Box is a monthly beauty subscription from Allure magazine offering samples and full-size products selected by Allure editors — a direct editorial-driven competitor to Birchbox.
Broad incumbents
- Sephora (Beauty Insider + Play): Sephora is a global prestige beauty retailer whose Beauty Insider loyalty and previous Play subscription box compete with Birchbox for beauty discovery and sampling, with much broader assortment and reach.
- Ulta Beauty: Ulta Beauty is a large U.S. beauty retailer with a loyalty program and prior subscription offerings, serving as a broad incumbent in beauty discovery and replenishment alongside Birchbox's Members Market.
- Walmart Beauty Box: Walmart Beauty Box is a quarterly subscription of beauty samples tied to a mass-market retailer — a value-positioned competitor to Birchbox that leverages Walmart's massive retail footprint.
- Target Beauty Box: Target Beauty Box is a quarterly subscription of beauty samples tied to Target's retail ecosystem, offering an alternative low-friction discovery mechanism versus Birchbox's monthly model.
Emerging players
- Stitch Fix: Stitch Fix applies a data-driven personalization model to apparel boxes; the comparison lies in subscription-based personalized discovery and the use of rich customer profiles to drive curation, similar in spirit to Birchbox's Beauty Profile quiz.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Birchbox social profiles
Digital presenceBirchbox compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Birchbox financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Birchbox leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Birchbox subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Birchbox funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors21 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Birchbox M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Birchbox
What does Birchbox do?
Birchbox is a New York-based online beauty subscription e-commerce platform that delivers customizable monthly and bi-monthly boxes of premium samples and full-size products to U.S. consumers, personalized via a Beauty Profile quiz and sourced from a curated portfolio of partner brands. The company also operates the Members Market for member-only discounted brand shopping, the Birchbox Edit editorial magazine, gifting via Birchbox Gift Cards, and the in-house ARROW Beauty sub-brand.
Is Birchbox a public or private company?
Birchbox is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently acquired.
When was Birchbox founded?
Birchbox was founded in 2010. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Birchbox based?
Birchbox is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Birchbox make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Monthly Subscription Box is the primary driver. The others are members Market E-commerce Sales, gift Card Sales, advertising and Brand Partner Data Revenue and one-Time Product Sales (Birchbox Kits).
Who are Birchbox's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FabFitFun, Ipsy, BoxyCharm by IPSY, Glossybox and Allure Beauty Box. Broad incumbents are Sephora (Beauty Insider + Play), Ulta Beauty, Walmart Beauty Box and Target Beauty Box. Stitch Fix is listed as an emerging player.
Does Birchbox have an API?
No public API is recorded for Birchbox.
What industry is Birchbox in?
Birchbox's product category is Beauty Subscription Boxes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAEADAH, Regional & Local Membership Warehouse Clubs. Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 5961.