UpCircle
UpCircle Beauty is a UK-based direct-to-consumer skincare, haircare, and fragrance brand that formulates products from upcycled food and agricultural waste, selling globally through its own regional e-commerce sites, subscription programs, and stockists to sustainability-focused consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
UpCircle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UpCircle
- Legal name
- UpCircle Beauty
- Website
- https://upcirclebeauty.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- UpCircle Beauty is a UK-based direct-to-consumer skincare, haircare, and fragrance brand that formulates products from upcycled food and agricultural waste, selling globally through its own regional e-commerce sites, subscription programs, and stockists to sustainability-focused consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UpCircle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Natural and Sustainable Skincare
- NAICS
- Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)
- SIC
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dermocosmetics & Medical-Grade Skincare (CRABAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sensitive Skin & Barrier Repair (CRABAAAG)
Keywords
Where UpCircle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
UpCircle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: One-time purchases of skincare, haircare, body care, and accessory products through e-commerce platform with prices ranging from £7.49 to £291.99 per item.
- Subscription/Recurring Revenue: Subscribe & Save program offering 15% discount on regular deliveries with flexibility to skip, pause, or cancel anytime. Subscription options include 45, 60, and 90-day delivery cycles.
- Bundled Product Sales: Customizable bundle builder allowing customers to combine products with tiered discounts: 5% off 3 products, increasing by 5% for each additional product up to 30% off 8+ products.
- Corporate Gifting: Corporate gifting program for business customers seeking sustainable gift options for employees or clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Subscribe & Save - 15% off regular deliveries |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | One-time Purchase - Full price products |
| Hybrid | Pay-as-you-go | Bundle Discounts - Up to 30% off |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
UpCircle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UpCircle manufactures and sells a range of skincare, haircare, body care, and beauty products whose hero ingredients are upcycled from agri-food by-products such as used coffee grounds, chai spices, and fruit peels. Products are formulated to vegan and dermatologically tested standards and packaged with an emphasis on refillable and recyclable materials, then sold primarily through its own DTC e-commerce store with a secondary B2B corporate gifting channel.
Product overview
UpCircle Beauty is a direct-to-consumer skincare and haircare brand offering a comprehensive portfolio of over 90 products across facial skincare (cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, SPF), body care (scrubs, creams, oils, bath products), haircare (shampoos, conditioners, serums), fragrances, and zero-waste accessories. The company differentiates through its use of upcycled ingredients derived from food and agricultural waste, transforming materials like coffee grounds, fruit peels, and chai spices into effective skincare formulations. The product line includes bestsellers such as the Eye Cream with Hyaluronic Acid + Coffee, Peptide Serum with Custard Apple + Blood Orange, and Face Moisturiser with Vitamin E, complemented by curated bundles (Best-Sellers Bundle, Ageing Gracefully Bundle, Sensitive Skin Bundle) and personalization tools including a Skin Quiz and Bundle Builder. All products are certified vegan, cruelty-free, B-Corp certified, and packaged plastic-free.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Flaura: Eau De Parfum fragrance brand offering floral scents such as Flaura Eau De Parfum at £45.00.
- Santelle
Products and services
- Upcycled Skincare Range Day-to-day facial skincare products developed with upcycled ingredients from coffee, chai spices, and fruit peels; targeted at consumers seeking vegan and dermatologically tested formulations with sustainable packaging.
- Upcycled Haircare Range Shampoos, conditioners, and treatments formulated with upcycled ingredients, sold to consumers seeking natural haircare routines.
- Upcycled Body Care Range Body washes, scrubs, and lotions featuring upcycled ingredients; positioned for consumers wanting refillable and natural-format body care.
- Corporate Gifting Program Customizable, branded upcycled beauty gift sets sold to businesses for client, employee, and event gifting, leveraging the brand's sustainability credentials.
Companies that use UpCircle
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
UpCircle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
UpCircle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ShopifycoreE-commerce platform powering the UpCircle online store. Provides the technical infrastructure for product listings, checkout, and order management.
- Stockists/RetailerscoreAuthorized retail partners selling UpCircle products through physical store locations. Company operates a 'Become A Stockist' program.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
UpCircle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tata Harper: Direct peer — natural, farm-grown luxury skincare brand with similar positioning around clean ingredients, sustainability, and premium DTC. Comparable product categories (serums, moisturizers, masks) and similar price architecture (£20–£60+).
- Ren Clean Skincare: Direct peer — UK-born clean beauty brand with overlapping skincare categories, refillable packaging, and a sustainability-led brand story. Both target the same conscious-consumer segment in the UK and EU.
- The Ordinary (DECIEM): Direct peer — affordable, ingredient-focused skincare sold via DTC and major retailers. Overlaps on serums, moisturizers and toners; competes on price tier below UpCircle.
- Drunk Elephant: Direct peer — clean, biocompatible skincare brand with similar product categories and strong retail/wholesale distribution. Now owned by Shiseido, giving it larger marketing and distribution muscle than UpCircle.
- Herbivore Botanicals: Direct peer — natural, plant-based skincare brand with similar DTC-led model, comparable price points, and a sustainability/ingredient-driven brand narrative.
- OSEA Malibu: Direct peer — natural, vegan skincare and body care brand with strong sustainability positioning, overlapping product categories (body scrubs, oils, moisturizers) and DTC-first distribution.
- Biossance: Direct peer — sustainable clean beauty brand built around a novel ingredient (squalane from sugarcane). Shares UpCircle's positioning of using a sustainable, differentiated ingredient platform and similar skincare categories.
- Tropic Skincare: Direct peer — UK-based natural skincare brand with similar product breadth, sustainability positioning, and a multi-channel model spanning DTC, ambassadors and retail.
Emerging players
- Prose: Emerging player — personalized haircare brand with strong DTC, quiz-driven personalization, and subscription mechanics overlapping with UpCircle's haircare and skin quiz. Less directly competitive on upcycled story.
Broad incumbents
- Sephora Collection / Sephora (retail buyer): Broad incumbent — global beauty retailer whose Clean+Planet Positive program increasingly stocks sustainable indie brands. Comparable as a distribution channel and as a competitive incumbent shaping shelf space and consumer expectations in the same category.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
UpCircle social profiles
Digital presenceUpCircle compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
UpCircle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UpCircle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
UpCircle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UpCircle 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 UpCircle
What does UpCircle do?
UpCircle manufactures and sells a range of skincare, haircare, body care, and beauty products whose hero ingredients are upcycled from agri-food by-products such as used coffee grounds, chai spices, and fruit peels. Products are formulated to vegan and dermatologically tested standards and packaged with an emphasis on refillable and recyclable materials, then sold primarily through its own DTC e-commerce store with a secondary B2B corporate gifting channel.
Is UpCircle a public or private company?
UpCircle is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was UpCircle founded?
UpCircle was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is UpCircle based?
UpCircle is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does UpCircle make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are subscription/Recurring Revenue, bundled Product Sales and corporate Gifting.
Who are UpCircle's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tata Harper, Ren Clean Skincare, The Ordinary (DECIEM), Drunk Elephant, Herbivore Botanicals, OSEA Malibu, Biossance and Tropic Skincare. Prose is listed as an emerging player. Sephora Collection / Sephora (retail buyer) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does UpCircle have an API?
No public API is recorded for UpCircle.
What industry is UpCircle in?
UpCircle's product category is Natural and Sustainable Skincare. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRABAAAF, Dermocosmetics & Medical-Grade Skincare, with a secondary code of CRABAAAG, Sensitive Skin & Barrier Repair. Its NAICS code is 456 and its SIC code is 2844.