Cult Beauty

What Cult Beauty does

Cult Beauty is a UK-based direct-to-consumer online beauty retailer operating as a subsidiary of THG (The Hut Group), a publicly traded London-listed e-commerce conglomerate. Founded in 2007 and co-led by Alexia Inge and Jessica DeLuca, the company sells skincare, makeup, fragrance, haircare, and body care products from hundreds of established and emerging brands through its website (cultbeauty.co.uk) and mobile application. The platform differentiates through curated brand edits, exclusive launches (Cult-only brands such as PATRICK TA, Saie, KRAVE BEAUTY, and True Botanicals), trend forecasting content, and AI-powered personalization via the Skin Concierge (powered by Renude technology) and the Discover Your Scent fragrance quiz. Sub-brands include Cult Status (tiered loyalty programme with Gold and Silver membership), Cult Beauty Edits (curated beauty boxes with perceived-value pricing such as the Chasing The Sun Edit worth over £210 for £42), Cult Conscious (ethical/sustainable filtering), and Cult Communities (values-driven brand curation).

The company generates revenue primarily through one-time product sales at retail pricing, gift cards, and curated edit boxes, with promotional levers including 15% off first orders, seasonal sales up to 40%, and tiered loyalty benefits. Distribution leverages THG's e-commerce infrastructure with international shipping across eight European countries (UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy) and Click & Collect across 8,500+ UK collection points, supported by standard (£3.95), next-day (£5.95), and eco delivery options. The 2026 partnership with The Trade Desk extends the business model into retail media monetization by integrating event-level commerce data into the Kokai media-buying platform, enabling closed-loop attribution and audience activation across CTV and digital audio. The legal entity THG Beauty Limited is FCA-regulated as an Introducer Appointed Representative, operating with 251-500 employees.

Name

Cult Beauty

Legal name

THG Beauty Limited

Website

https://cultbeauty.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cult Beauty is a UK-based direct-to-consumer online beauty retailer and subsidiary of THG, selling skincare, makeup, fragrance, haircare, and body care from hundreds of brands to millions of European consumers via curated edits, exclusive launches, AI-powered personalization, and a tiered loyalty programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Beauty E-commerce

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Prestige Beauty & Luxury Cosmetics Distribution (CRAOAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Fragrance & Beauty (Designer/Luxe) (CRAKAFAH), Makeup Palettes & Sets (Curated Palettes, Gift Sets, Multi-use Kits) (CRABACAF), Clean/Organic/Natural Makeup (Positioning-based Color Cosmetics) (CRABACAJ)

Keywords

• Online beauty retail
• Beauty e-commerce
• Premium beauty brands
• Skincare retail
• Fragrance retail

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Cult Beauty generates revenue through direct e-commerce sales of beauty products including skincare, makeup, haircare, fragrance, and body care. The platform curates products from multiple brands and sells directly to consumers at retail prices.
2. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available for purchase, allowing customers to gift beauty products
3. Curated Beauty Boxes/Edits: Subscription-style curated beauty boxes and gift sets (e.g., Chasing The Sun Edit, Sunny Escapes Edit, Scalp to Sole Edit) sold as one-time purchases with perceived value discounts

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cult Beauty is an online beauty retailer that curates and sells skincare, makeup, fragrance, haircare, and body care products from hundreds of established and emerging brands. The platform offers AI-powered personalization tools including a skin analysis concierge (powered by Renude) and a fragrance quiz, alongside curated beauty edit boxes, digital gift cards, and the tiered Cult Status loyalty programme.

Product overview

Cult Beauty operates as an e-commerce platform offering a wide range of beauty products across five core categories: skincare, makeup, fragrance, haircare, and bodycare. The platform features hundreds of third-party brands alongside curated proprietary offerings. Key proprietary products include the AI-powered Skin Concierge and Discover Your Scent tools for personalized recommendations, Cult Status loyalty program for customer retention, and Cult Beauty Edits (curated beauty boxes) such as the Chasing The Sun Edit and Scalp to Sole Edit. The platform also features sustainability filtering through Cult Conscious and various discovery tools including fragrance layering guides. Delivery options include standard, next-day, eco delivery, and click & collect services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cult Beauty Edits: Curated beauty box collections featuring multiple products at discounted bundle pricing, such as the Chasing The Sun Edit, Sunny Escapes Edit, and Scalp to Sole Edit.
• Cult Status
• Cult Conscious
• Cult Communities

Products and services

• Cult Beauty Online Retail Store
• Cult Beauty Edits
• Cult Beauty Gift Cards
• Cult Status Loyalty Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Mother's Day fragrance bundle offers £180 value (retail worth £220) for £40 purchase price
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Trade DeskcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 February 2026THG Beauty Media (parent company of Cult Beauty) partnered with The Trade Desk to provide advertisers with self-serve access to retail audience data from Cult Beauty and LOOKFANTASTIC. The partnership integrates THG Beauty Media's event-level commerce data into The Trade Desk's Kokai media-buying platform, enabling advertisers to build custom audience segments and measure campaign performance tied to actual sales with closed-loop attribution. Activation is available across omnichannel formats including connected TV and digital audio.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Space NK: Space NK is a UK-based prestige multi-brand beauty retailer with a curated assortment, premium positioning, and physical+online presence that overlaps directly with Cult Beauty's value proposition and target customer.
• LOOKFANTASTIC: LOOKFANTASTIC is Cult Beauty's sister site under THG Beauty and the most direct comparable — both are prestige multi-brand beauty e-commerce platforms targeting similar UK/EU consumers with overlapping brand rosters, similar AI tools, and shared logistics infrastructure.
• Feelunique: Feelunique is a UK/Europe-based prestige multi-brand online beauty retailer with a similar assortment, target customer, and value proposition, making it one of the closest direct comparables to Cult Beauty.
• Beautylish: Beautylish is a US-based prestige multi-brand beauty e-commerce retailer with a discovery-and-exclusives-led model, similar AI tools (Foundation Finder, Color Match), and Cult Beauty-style curated brand edits.
• Harrods Beauty: Harrods Beauty is a UK-based premium beauty retailer offering an overlapping prestige brand assortment, exclusive launches, and luxury service positioning that competes with Cult Beauty for the high-spend beauty consumer.
• Liberty London Beauty: Liberty London's beauty hall is a UK-based prestige multi-brand beauty destination combining a curated assortment with exclusive brand launches — directly comparable to Cult Beauty on positioning, audience, and brand portfolio.

Emerging players

• Glossier: Glossier is a digitally native beauty brand with strong DTC e-commerce, community-led marketing, and editorial content — a partial peer that demonstrates the modern digitally native beauty retail playbook Cult Beauty emulates through its editorial and Cult Communities approach.

Broad incumbents

• Sephora: Sephora is the global prestige multi-brand beauty leader with a strong omnichannel model including growing UK presence; it competes for the same prestige brand relationships, prestige consumers, and discovery-led discovery experiences as Cult Beauty.
• Boots Beauty: Boots is the UK's largest health and beauty retailer with a substantial prestige and mass beauty online business; it competes for the same UK beauty consumer wallet and offers an alternative discovery and fulfillment channel.
• Net-a-Porter Beauty: Net-a-Porter operates a prestige beauty section as part of its luxury fashion e-commerce platform, serving an overlapping affluent consumer with a similar premium brand assortment and editorial-led content marketing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cultbeauty
• Facebookfacebook.com/cultbeauty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cult-beauty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 Cult Beauty