Common Heir

What Common Heir does

Common Heir is a direct-to-consumer clean beauty brand founded in 2020 by Angela Ubias and Cary Lin in Santa Monica, California. The company develops and sells premium skincare products — primarily single-dose biodegradable capsule serums built around stable active derivatives including 10% THD (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) Vitamin C, 0.2% retinyl linoleate retinol, and a 2% ceramide NP complex with desert botanicals. The core technical differentiator is a plant-based biodegradable capsule delivery system (OECD-compliant) that protects actives from oxidation, extending potency to 18 months versus the 3-4 month degradation typical of bottled serums. Products are clinically tested on diverse skin tones, a positioning choice that targets consumers with melanated or sensitive skin who have historically been underserved by traditional beauty brands.

Name

Common Heir

Website

https://commonheir.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Common Heir is a DTC clean beauty brand selling premium single-dose biodegradable capsule serums (Vitamin C, Retinol, Ceramide) and accessories, targeting inclusive beauty and sustainability-conscious consumers via its e-commerce site and retail partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer Skincare Sales: Common Heir generates revenue through direct product sales via its e-commerce website (commonheir.com). Products include serums (Vitamin C, Retinol, Ceramide), gift sets, duos, trios, accessories, and candles. All products are priced as one-time purchases with no subscription required, though repeat purchase is implicit for ongoing skincare routines.
2. Retail/Distribution Revenue: Post-funding expansion into retail presence, building on early partnership with Credo Beauty. Future revenue stream through brick-and-mortar retail partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Common Heir is a clean, sustainable beauty brand that formulates and sells prestige facial serums (Vitamin C, Retinol, and Ceramide Barrier Boost) along with branded accessories such as the Gua Sha Facial Sculptor and limited-edition candles, packaged in plant-based, biodegradable single-dose capsules. Products are sold direct-to-consumer via the commonheir.com e-commerce store (with no subscription) and through retail partner Credo Beauty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vitamin C Serum A facial serum delivering brightening and protective benefits using 10% THD (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) oil-soluble Vitamin C in biodegradable single-dose capsules; clinical results report 87% of users saw smoother, visibly brighter skin.
• Retinol Serum A skin-renewing serum using 0.2% retinyl linoleate (stabilized retinol derivative) with nourishing botanicals in biodegradable single-dose capsules; People Magazine named it 'Best Firming Retinol' (2023), with 88% reporting firmer skin after 6 weeks and 96% recommending it to a friend.
• Ceramide Barrier Boost Serum A barrier-repair serum using 2% Ceramide NP complex combined with desert botanicals in single-dose biodegradable capsules; 100% of users reported it felt gentle and soothing, with 91% feeling moisturized immediately.
• Gua Sha Facial Sculptor A brushed gold stainless steel facial sculpting tool inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine, designed for lymphatic drainage, circulation stimulation, collagen promotion, and tension release.
• & Everything Nice Winter Candle A 12 oz limited-edition winter candle with 65-70 hour burn time, with a distinctive scent personally designed by co-founder Angela Ubias.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% saw smoother, visibly brighter skin with Vitamin C Serum
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ocean Blue ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2022Environmental nonprofit partnership for ocean conservation. Common Heir donates $1 from every email signup, equivalent to removing one pound of micro-plastics from the ocean. Partnership has removed over 5,000 pounds of microplastics to date.
• Credo BeautycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Early retail partner that took a bet on Common Heir before the brand even officially launched. Credo is a leading clean beauty retailer, providing initial retail credibility and distribution for the brand.
• HeydayminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Referenced as one of Common Heir's biggest cheerleaders, though specific partnership details are not disclosed.
• 1% for the PlanetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Environmental membership organization requiring members to donate 1% of annual sales to approved environmental nonprofits. Common Heir participates alongside Ocean Blue Project partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Drunk Elephant: Prestige clean/biocompatible skincare brand with a focus on active-ingredient serums (Vitamin C, retinol, peptides). Directly comparable to Common Heir on positioning, premium pricing, and direct-to-consumer-plus-retail (Sephora) go-to-market, though at a much larger scale (acquired by Shiseido).
• Tata Harper: Luxury clean skincare brand selling premium serums and skincare rituals via DTC and select retail (Credo, Sephora). Highly comparable to Common Heir on prestige pricing, non-toxic formulation positioning, and sustainability/green credentials.
• Herbivore Botanicals: Clean, naturally-derived skincare brand with Instagrammable packaging and a similar active-ingredient serum portfolio (Vitamin C, retinol alternatives, bakuchiol). Comparable on clean beauty positioning, DTC-first model, and millennial/Gen-Z target consumer.
• Osea: Plant-based, sustainable skincare and body-care brand based in California with strong clean-beauty positioning and DTC-plus-retail distribution (Sephora, Credo). Comparable to Common Heir on California roots, sustainability messaging, and ocean-conservation partnerships.
• Tower 28 Beauty: Clean, vegan beauty brand from Los Angeles targeting sensitive skin and previously underserved consumers. Closely comparable on inclusive clean-beauty positioning, LA origin, DTC-plus-retail model (Sephora), and similar founder-stage scale.
• Codex Beauty: Science-led, sustainably packaged clean skincare brand with a clinical actives focus and biodegradable/eco packaging claims. Comparable to Common Heir on biotech-adjacent clean beauty positioning, sustainability narrative, and premium DTC distribution.
• Indie Lee: Clean, sustainably sourced skincare brand with a focus on ingredient transparency and DTC-plus-retail distribution. Comparable to Common Heir on clean-beauty ethos, similar price band, and founder-led brand story.

Broad incumbents

• Beautycounter: Large-scale clean beauty brand with broad skincare portfolio and consulting-driven distribution model. Comparable to Common Heir on 'clean' positioning and sustainability advocacy but operates at significantly greater scale with a much larger SKU set.
• The Ordinary (DECIEM): Clinical actives brand with Vitamin C, retinol, and ceramide serums at disruptive price points. Comparable to Common Heir on active-ingredient serum portfolio but at mass-prestige pricing ($7-$30) rather than the $88 premium tier.
• Tatcha: Prestige skincare brand with ritual-driven positioning and heritage/Japanese-beauty narrative. Comparable to Common Heir on premium ritual framing (Morning/Evening Ritual gift sets), though Tatcha operates at much larger scale (Unilever-owned) with broader retail presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/commonheir
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/commonheir

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Common Heir