Public Goods
Public Goods is a US-based DTC e-commerce brand (founded 2016) selling clean, sustainably packaged everyday essentials across Bath & Body, Home, and Cleaning, monetized through one-time purchases, autoship subscriptions, a $65/year membership, and a B2B wholesale channel serving 5,000+ hospitality properties.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Public Goods does
Public Goods is a New York-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce company founded in 2016 that sells clean, sustainably packaged everyday essentials across Bath & Body, Home, and Cleaning categories. The product line spans personal care (hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, deodorant, dental and menstrual care), homeware and pantry basics (kitchen, dining, bedroom, food), and household cleaning (dish, laundry, surface cleaners), with most SKUs carrying self-declared clean-ingredient claims (paraben-free, sulfate-free, vegan-friendly) and available in refill sizes. The storefront runs on Shopify with standard payment and identity integrations (Shop Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Google Sign-In) and uses Okendo for AI-generated review summaries and Rivo for loyalty management.
The company operates a tri-channel revenue model. The DTC storefront at publicgoods.com sells individual products on a pay-as-you-go basis; the $65/year membership adds 20% off, free US shipping, and $80 annual credit disbursed quarterly; and autoship subscriptions offer an additional 5-15% off with monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly cadence. A separate B2B wholesale portal (wholesale.publicgoods.com) supplies amenity products to 5,000+ hospitality properties including hotels, vacation rentals, and lodging businesses. Marketing is primarily digital and content-led, with organic social (Facebook, Instagram), email acquisition (10% first-order incentive), a referral/affiliate program through Impact.com, and a Rivo-powered VIP tier loyalty program (Bronze, Silver, Gold).
Public Goods is privately held, headquartered in the United States, and has between 251 and 500 employees. Capital history includes a $15 million growth round led by L Catterton in August 2020, an earlier seed from Yes VC and Listen (2017-2019), and a smaller 2022 round with 500 Global; no revenue, valuation, or membership count is disclosed in the source data. ESG positioning — 475,000 trees planted, 85% plastic-free packaging, 50% less packaging waste than conventional alternatives, plus tree-free paper goods — is central to brand differentiation but is supported by self-declared product-level claims rather than third-party certifications, and editorial validation comes from the New York Times Wirecutter.
Public Goods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Public Goods
- Legal name
- Public Goods
- Website
- http://www.publicgoods.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Public Goods is a US-based DTC e-commerce brand (founded 2016) selling clean, sustainably packaged everyday essentials across Bath & Body, Home, and Cleaning, monetized through one-time purchases, autoship subscriptions, a $65/year membership, and a B2B wholesale channel serving 5,000+ hospitality properties.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Public Goods industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Personal Care & Home Essentials
- NAICS
- All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (459999), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)
- SIC
- Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399), Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Merchandise Variety-Value Mass Merchandisers (CRAGABAH)
Keywords
Where Public Goods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Public Goods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Subscription: Annual membership subscription at $65/year offering 20% discount on all products, free shipping, and $80 annual credit paid quarterly ($20 per quarter). Membership auto-renews annually.
- Individual Product Sales: One-time purchase of individual products across bath & body, home, cleaning, and food categories. Products available in various sizes with refill options. Subscription/autoship available for additional 5% discount.
- Autoship Subscriptions: Autoship/subscription model for recurring delivery of products like cleaning supplies, personal care items with 15% savings. Customers can set delivery frequency (monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Premium Membership - $65/year |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Product Pricing |
| Subscription | Monthly | Autoship Subscription - 15% off |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Public Goods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Public Goods is a direct-to-consumer brand that designs, manufactures, and sells sustainable everyday essentials spanning personal care, household cleaning, pantry, and home/kitchen categories. The company sells its products through an annual membership program priced at $65 per year, which unlocks discounted pricing across the catalog. The catalog is manufactured in the United States and Canada and offered alongside a wholesale channel serving hotels, vacation rentals, and restaurants.
Product overview
Public Goods is an e-commerce platform offering clean versions of everyday essentials across Bath & Body, Home, and Cleaning categories. The product portfolio includes hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, bar soap, facial care, dental care, deodorant, and menstrual products under Bath & Body; kitchenware, dining, bedroom, bathroom, food, and home décor under Home; and dish soap, laundry detergent, surface cleaners, and bathroom cleaners under Cleaning. The company also offers curated Bundles combining complementary products at discounted prices and a Surplus section for clearance items. A membership program at $65/year provides 20% off, free shipping, and an $80 annual credit. A B2B wholesale program serves hospitality and property management businesses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Shampoo
Quantifiable outcome
- 475,000 trees planted through reforestation partnerships
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Public Goods
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Public Goods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Public Goods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Public Goods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Honest Company: The Honest Company sells clean-ingredient personal care, household, and baby products through DTC and retail channels. It directly overlaps Public Goods on clean beauty, cleaning, and household essentials with a similar sustainability narrative.
- Blueland: Blueland offers eco-friendly cleaning and personal care products in tablet and refill formats via DTC. It competes directly with Public Goods' cleaning line on sustainability, refill design, and concentrated-formulation messaging.
- Grove Collaborative: Grove Collaborative is a leading DTC and B2B retailer of sustainable household, cleaning, and personal care essentials, offering a comparable product breadth, membership-style pricing, and eco-friendly brand positioning to Public Goods.
Broad incumbents
- Seventh Generation: Seventh Generation (owned by Unilever) is a major established brand in eco-friendly household cleaning and paper products with deep retail distribution. It competes with Public Goods across cleaning and tree-free paper categories at scale.
- Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day: Mrs. Meyer's (owned by SC Johnson) is a broad-incumbent clean household brand selling cleaning, laundry, and personal care products. It overlaps directly with Public Goods on plant-derived cleaning and personal care SKUs.
- Method Products: Method (part of SC Johnson's People Against Dirty portfolio) is an established eco-friendly cleaning, laundry, and hand soap brand. It overlaps with Public Goods' cleaning and bath categories with broader mass-market distribution.
- Costco: Costco is a major membership-based warehouse retailer that competes with Public Goods on value pricing of household and personal care essentials and on the membership-savings proposition, though with a vastly broader assortment.
Emerging players
- Branch Basics: Branch Basics is a smaller DTC brand focused on non-toxic, concentrated cleaning and household essentials. It targets the same clean-conscious consumer as Public Goods but with a narrower, deeper catalog.
- Who Gives a Crap: Who Gives a Crap sells sustainable tree-free or recycled household paper products (toilet paper, paper towels) via DTC. It overlaps with Public Goods' Tree Free Paper Goods line on sustainability-led paper retailing.
Others
- Chewy: Chewy is a large US-based e-commerce retailer for pet products. While not directly competitive, it is a useful DTC operations benchmark given its scale in subscription, autoship, and direct-to-home replenishment—mechanics Public Goods also relies on.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Public Goods social profiles
Digital presencePublic Goods compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Public Goods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Public Goods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Public Goods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors12 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Public Goods M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Public Goods
What does Public Goods do?
Public Goods is a direct-to-consumer brand that designs, manufactures, and sells sustainable everyday essentials spanning personal care, household cleaning, pantry, and home/kitchen categories. The company sells its products through an annual membership program priced at $65 per year, which unlocks discounted pricing across the catalog. The catalog is manufactured in the United States and Canada and offered alongside a wholesale channel serving hotels, vacation rentals, and restaurants.
Is Public Goods a public or private company?
Public Goods is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Public Goods founded?
Public Goods was founded in 2016. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Public Goods based?
Public Goods is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Public Goods make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscription is the primary driver. The others are individual Product Sales and autoship Subscriptions.
Who are Public Goods's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Honest Company, Blueland and Grove Collaborative. Broad incumbents are Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, Method Products and Costco. Emerging players are Branch Basics and Who Gives a Crap. Chewy is listed as an others.
Does Public Goods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Public Goods.
What industry is Public Goods in?
Public Goods's product category is Sustainable Personal Care & Home Essentials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAGABAH, General Merchandise Variety-Value Mass Merchandisers. Its NAICS code is 459999 and its SIC code is 5399.