Kindred Black

What Kindred Black does

Kindred Black is a privately held, founder-owned direct-to-consumer eco-luxury beauty and lifestyle brand operating exclusively through its own e-commerce storefront at kindredblack.com. Founded in 2015 by Alice Kindred Wells and Jennifer Black Francis, the company sells a curated portfolio of artisan skincare, botanical perfumery, natural makeup, candles, beauty tools, sexual wellness items, and curio/talismans. Its flagship 'Slow Beauty' line is a plastic-free collection housed in individually handblown glass vessels sealed with cork and wax, drawing on ancient Greek and Roman oil-and-wine traditions. Core face oils and serums are priced $95-$265, candles up to $625, and collaborations reach $2,400.

The company's differentiation is built on artisan supply chain and brand narrative rather than proprietary technology. Glass bottles are produced by a network of independent artisans across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — including long-term partners Ignite Studios (Chicago) and Studio Xaquixe (Oaxaca) — while ingredients are sourced from small farmers and women-owned collectives (e.g., Moroccan argan, Andes gardenia via enfleurage). In 2023 the brand introduced an aluminum refill program covering ~75% of the collection, with subscribers receiving 10% off on 6/12/16/20-week cadences. Distribution is DTC only, with US free shipping over $150 and international shipping arranged by email; there is no brick-and-mortar retail. Marketing relies on earned editorial coverage (Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, T Magazine, Wallpaper*, Elle, Fast Company, among others), organic Instagram, the 'Journal' blog, and email newsletter, with no disclosed paid advertising.

The business is bootstrapped with no external institutional capital, no headcount disclosed, and no revenue or funding data publicly available. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales, a small recurring refill subscription layer, and online gift cards, supported by artist collaborations that extend the assortment into adjacent luxury categories (fine jewelry, home objects, aromatherapy).

Name

Kindred Black

Legal name

Kindred Black

Website

https://kindredblack.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Skincare and Botanical Perfumery

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural & Clean Fragrance (CRABADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clean/Organic/Natural Makeup (Positioning-based Color Cosmetics) (CRABACAJ), Lip Makeup (Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Lip Liner, Lip Stain, Lip Balm-Tint) (CRABACAC), Natural Personal Care & Clean Beauty Retail (within Health Food Stores) (CRAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Artisan skincare products
• Botanical perfumery
• Eco-luxury beauty
• Natural cosmetics
• Handblown glass vessels

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Product Sales: The primary revenue stream is direct-to-consumer sales of artisan skincare, cosmetics, and botanical perfumes through the Kindred Black e-commerce website. Products are sold as one-time purchases at fixed prices. Categories include face oils, serums, body oils, perfumes, candles, makeup, beauty tools, hair products, and sexual wellness items.
2. Refill Subscriptions: Aluminum refill bottles available via subscription (10% discount) delivered every 6, 12, 16, or 20 weeks. Subscribers can adjust, skip, pause, or cancel at any time. Refill subscriptions represent a recurring revenue component from the refill program.
3. Gift Cards: Online gift cards available for purchase, providing another revenue stream and customer acquisition channel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kindred Black is an eco-luxury direct-to-consumer brand selling small-batch artisan skincare, cosmetics, botanical perfumes, and home fragrance products through its own online storefront. Its flagship Slow Beauty line features plastic-free formulations housed in handblown glass bottles sealed with cork and wax, and the company runs an aluminum-bottle refill subscription program covering roughly 75% of the collection.

Product overview

Kindred Black is an online eco-luxury lifestyle destination founded in 2015 by Alice Kindred Wells and Jennifer Black Francis. The company offers a unified portfolio of products organized around its flagship Slow Beauty line — a historically rooted, plastic-free artisan skincare, cosmetics, and botanical perfume collection housed in hand-blown glass vessels sealed with cork and wax. The Slow Beauty line includes face oils and serums (Rose Dew Facial Serum, Dew Facial Serum, Prickly Pear Seed Facial Oil, French Plum Face Oil, Hebe Night Oil, Perficere Facial Nutrient Serum, Lumière Spot Treatment), body oils (Chamomile Unguentation Oil, Agua de Jamaica Body Oil, Sleeping Beauty), hair oils (The Hair of Nine Mummies, Hinoki Yuzu Hair Oil), eye and lip treatments, natural makeup, and masks. Adjacent to Slow Beauty, the Scent As Talisman home fragrance collection offers hand-blown candles (The Orb of Divinity, The Arcana, The Talisman), incense, and snuffers. The broader Curio assortment includes beauty tools, talismans, and one-of-a-kind home treasures. The company also maintains a Collaborations line with partner artists and a Refill Program enabling aluminum bottle refills for ~75% of products. Free shipping is offered on orders of $150+.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Slow Beauty: A historically rooted line of plastic-free artisan skin and body care inspired by centuries of simple, wholesome remedies and treatments from the earth.

Products and services

• Slow Beauty Collection A historically rooted line of plastic-free artisan skin and body care inspired by centuries of simple, wholesome remedies from the earth, featuring face oils, serums, body oils, hair oils, and targeted treatments packaged in handblown glass vessels.
• Scent / Perfumes Small batch perfumes handmade with rare ingredients using ancient artistry, offered in oils, solids, balms, and unguents blended with precious ingredients sourced from farmers and herbalists around the world.
• Candles (Scent As Talisman)
• Sexual Wellness Plant-based massage oils, hand-blown glass and solid stone sex toys, and erotic perfumes including products like The Gamine of Greenwich Village, The Brancusi, and The Marquis.
• Natural Makeup Natural lip colors, cheek flushes, and eye pigments including Devil's Playground, Night Venom, Fire Dawn, Aker Fassi Lip and Cheek Flush, Strawberry Moon, Moonshine, Icy Silence, and Sun Glitter Eye Pigment.
• Collaborations Special edition products created with partner artists and designers including The Mancala Board (Kindred Black x Don't Let Disco), KB X Justine Menard (Sun, Moon, Lys, The Altar of Three), Annika Inez x Kindred Black (Drift Collar and Cuff), and J. Hannah (Drink Deep, Psyche and The Tutelary Vessel Necklace).
• Refill Program Sustainability program offering infinitely recyclable aluminum refill bottles for the Slow Beauty line, with subscribers receiving a 10% discount and automatic delivery every 6, 12, 16, or 20 weeks.
• Gift Cards Online gift cards available for purchase, allowing customers to give the gift of eco-luxury artisan beauty products.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Justine MenardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAromatherapy oil collaboration featuring three signature blends — Sun (energetic creativity), Moon (intuition and awakening), and Lys (balance) — plus a bundled 'Altar of Three' set. The collaboration represents a curated, limited-edition product line within the aromatherapy category, developed in partnership with artisan aromatherapist Justine Menard.
• Annika InezminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewelry collaboration featuring the 'Drift Collar' necklace and 'Drift Cuff' bracelet. These pieces are positioned as personal adornment objects and talismans, priced at $1,145 and above, reflecting high-value, limited-edition artisan jewelry.
• J. HannahminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewelry and perfumery collaboration including 'Drink Deep, Psyche' perfume oil and 'The Tutelary Vessel Necklace' ($1,150). These pieces blend the brand's perfumery expertise with artisan jewelry design, targeting the curio and talisman product category.
• Don't Let DiscominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerObject collaboration producing 'The Mancala Board' at $2,400, the highest-priced product in the collaborations category. The piece represents the brand's curio and unusual finds category, combining functional object design with artisan craftsmanship.
• Ignite Studios (Chicago)coreOthersPrimary glass artisan partner for handblown bottles. The studio has worked with Kindred Black for seven of its ten years. Ignite Studios produces the majority of the handblown glass vessels used in the Slow Beauty line, representing the brand's core packaging differentiation.
• Studio Xaquixe (Oaxaca, Mexico)coreOthersRevolutionary glass studio in Oaxaca, Mexico that creates bottles using glass collected from restaurants and neighbors for their craft. Has collaborated with Kindred Black for seven of its ten years. Represents the brand's commitment to sustainable and community-oriented artisan production.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Maya Chia: Small-batch, premium botanical skincare brand focused on single-ingredient hero oils and serums. Niche overlap with Kindred Black's Slow Beauty face oils in product philosophy and customer base, though smaller in scale.
• Herbivore Botanicals: Natural-ingredient skincare and wellness brand at a similar premium-but-accessible price tier. While broader in distribution and product range, it targets the same naturally-minded luxury-adjacent consumer as Kindred Black.
• D.S. & Durga: Niche artisanal fragrance and home scent house with editorial credibility and premium pricing. Comparable to Kindred Black's botanical perfume and Scent As Talisman candle lines in category and target buyer.
• F. Miller Skincare: Small-batch, eco-luxury botanical skincare brand using naturally sourced ingredients and minimalist packaging. Closely mirrors Kindred Black's Slow Beauty ethos, premium pricing, and refillable direction.

Direct peers

• Tata Harper: Premium clean beauty brand offering farm-grown, refillable skincare at price points similar to Kindred Black's Slow Beauty line. Both compete for affluent eco-luxury consumers via direct-to-consumer channels with sustainability-led packaging.
• Saie: Clean beauty brand with a refillable product line and premium positioning. Both Saie and Kindred Black target sustainability-driven affluent shoppers, though Saie's portfolio is broader (makeup-led) versus Kindred Black's skincare-and-perfumery focus.
• Codex Labs: Sustainability-led clean skincare brand combining biotech and natural ingredients at premium prices. Both compete for eco-conscious premium skincare buyers via DTC with refillable and sustainable packaging principles.
• Loli Beauty: Refillable, clean beauty brand explicitly built around reusable glass packaging and zero-waste ethos. Highly comparable to Kindred Black's refill program and hand-blown glass differentiation in target customer and GTM.
• Vintner's Daughter: Premium botanical facial oils and serums priced in the $100–$300 range, comparable to Kindred Black's Slow Beauty face oil tier. Both brands compete in the small-batch, multi-ingredient natural luxury skincare segment.

Broad incumbents

• Drunk Elephant: Established clean beauty brand (acquired by Shiseido) offering a broad portfolio of biocompatible skincare. Comparable in clean-beauty positioning but operates at significantly larger scale with multi-channel retail distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kindredblack
• Xx.com/kindredblack
• Facebookfacebook.com/kindredblack
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kindred-black

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Kindred Black