By Humankind
By Humankind is a New York-based direct-to-consumer personal care brand founded in 2018 that sells refillable products using molded pulp packaging to reduce single-use plastic waste for sustainability-focused consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What By Humankind does
By Humankind is a direct-to-consumer personal care company founded in 2018 in New York City. The company develops refillable personal care products designed to reduce single-use plastic waste in consumers' daily routines, with its core sustainability differentiator being the use of molded pulp packaging across its product line. By Humankind is positioned within the broader refillable and sustainable beauty segment alongside brands such as Lush Cosmetics, Garnier, Seed Phytonutrients, and The Body Shop, which have similarly adopted molded pulp packaging in response to consumer demand for eco-friendly alternatives. The company was co-founded by Brian Bushell, who serves as CEO, and raised a $4,000,000 seed round in December 2018 led by Lerer Hippeau with participation from BoxGroup, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Red Sea Ventures, Supernode Ventures, and SV Angel.
The company's go-to-market motion was historically direct-to-consumer via its Shopify e-commerce store, targeting sustainability-focused consumers seeking reduced environmental impact from personal care purchases. Pricing details were not publicly disclosed, and the product range centers on refillable personal care items packaged in molded pulp rather than conventional single-use plastic. The company operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and has not recorded any additional funding rounds since the 2018 seed. As of the most recent data, the byhumankind.com Shopify store is currently unavailable, which signals either a temporary operational disruption or a more significant issue with the company's commercial viability. No subsequent product launches, partnerships, distribution expansions, or corporate transactions have been disclosed beyond the original seed financing and leadership structure.
By Humankind firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- By Humankind
- Website
- https://byhumankind.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- By Humankind is a New York-based direct-to-consumer personal care brand founded in 2018 that sells refillable products using molded pulp packaging to reduce single-use plastic waste for sustainability-focused consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
By Humankind industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Personal Care
- NAICS
- Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing (325611), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)
- SIC
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Cosmetic Packaging (Refillable, PCR, Mono-material, Reusable) (IMALAJAM)
Keywords
Where By Humankind is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
By Humankind business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
By Humankind product offering
Product offeringCore offering
By Humankind designs and sells refillable personal care products packaged in molded pulp to reduce single-use plastic waste. Operating as a direct-to-consumer brand, the company offers sustainable personal care alternatives within the refillable beauty and personal care market, competing alongside brands such as Lush Cosmetics, Garnier, Seed Phytonutrients, and The Body Shop.
Product overview
By Humankind is a direct-to-consumer personal care brand specializing in refillable products. The company focuses on sustainable personal care solutions, utilizing molded pulp packaging for their product lines. Based on industry sources, By Humankind is positioned within the growing refillable beauty and personal care market, competing alongside brands like Lush Cosmetics, Garnier, Seed Phytonutrients, and The Body Shop in the molded pulp packaging adoption trend.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Refillable Personal Care Products Sustainable refillable personal care items packaged in molded pulp, designed to reduce single-use plastic waste in consumers' daily routines and to appeal to eco-conscious buyers.
Companies that use By Humankind
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
By Humankind technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
By Humankind partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
By Humankind competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Seed Phytonutrients: Direct-to-consumer natural personal care brand that uses molded pulp and paper-based packaging for hair and body care. Closely comparable to By Humankind in sustainable personal care positioning and refillable packaging strategy.
- Plaine Products: Refillable personal care brand offering hair and body products in returnable aluminum bottles. Similar DTC, sustainability-led, refill-based business model targeting eco-conscious consumers.
- Ethique: Solid bar personal care brand that eliminates plastic packaging. Comparable mission-driven, plastic-free personal care model with global DTC and retail distribution.
Broad incumbents
- Lush Cosmetics: Large global cosmetics and personal care brand known for naked (packaging-free) products and refillables. Operates in the same eco-conscious personal care category but at substantially larger scale.
- The Body Shop: Established personal care retailer with refill stations and sustainability positioning. Comparable as a much larger incumbent in refillable personal care retail.
- Garnier: Mass-market personal care brand under L'Oréal that has launched refillable and molded pulp packaging initiatives. A scaled competitor investing heavily in the same sustainability trend.
Emerging players
- Meow Meow Tweet: Small-batch organic personal care brand with refillable and plastic-free packaging. Comparable niche, sustainability-led positioning targeting similar consumer segments.
- Cleancult: Refillable household and personal care brand using paper-based milk-jug style packaging. Comparable sustainability-driven refill model, though more weighted toward household cleaning.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
By Humankind social profiles
Digital presenceBy Humankind financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
By Humankind leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
By Humankind funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
By Humankind 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 By Humankind
What does By Humankind do?
By Humankind designs and sells refillable personal care products packaged in molded pulp to reduce single-use plastic waste. Operating as a direct-to-consumer brand, the company offers sustainable personal care alternatives within the refillable beauty and personal care market, competing alongside brands such as Lush Cosmetics, Garnier, Seed Phytonutrients, and The Body Shop.
Is By Humankind a public or private company?
By Humankind is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently closed.
When was By Humankind founded?
By Humankind was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is By Humankind based?
By Humankind is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are By Humankind's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Seed Phytonutrients, Plaine Products and Ethique. Broad incumbents are Lush Cosmetics, The Body Shop and Garnier. Emerging players are Meow Meow Tweet and Cleancult.
Does By Humankind have an API?
No public API is recorded for By Humankind.
What industry is By Humankind in?
By Humankind's product category is Sustainable Personal Care. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAJAM, Sustainable Cosmetic Packaging (Refillable, PCR, Mono-material, Reusable). Its NAICS code is 325611 and its SIC code is 2844.