What SBTRCT skincare does

SBTRCT Skincare is a UK-based, direct-to-consumer beauty brand founded in 2020 that designs and sells plastic-free, waterless solid skincare products - including cleansers, exfoliators, balms, the world's first solid retinoid (Rejuvenating Night Balm with 2% Granactive Retinoid) and the world's first solid Vitamin C serum (Vitamin C Booster). The core technology thesis is formulation IP: solid-state products containing less than 0.5% water (vs up to 85% in traditional formats), packaged in domestically compostable cartons, films, and tamper-seal labels certified to EN13432 and OK Compost Home, enabling 2x product duration per unit. Manufacturing is UK-based, and the brand is certified cruelty-free (Leaping Bunny), vegan (The Vegan Society), and B Corp, with supply-chain claims independently verified through the Provenance transparency platform.

The business operates as a single-channel Shopify e-commerce storefront (sbtrct.co.uk) shipping only within the UK, monetising through one-time purchases (£14-£78 range across SKUs, bundles, and Discovery Sets), a subscribe-and-save refill program offering 20% off at 2-3 month cadence, and digital gift cards (£10-£100). Customer acquisition is content-led via owned blog, podcast features (Outspoken Beauty), and review-driven social proof (558 reviews averaging 4.9/5 with 99% recommendation rate). The brand is distributed across four primary segments: environmentally-conscious consumers, sensitive-skin sufferers, frequent travellers, and gift buyers, with Discovery Sets explicitly positioned as low-friction entry products for solid-skincare first-timers.

Operationally the company remains lean (1-10 employees) and bootstrapped or grant-funded (Innovate UK acknowledgement), with no disclosed VC rounds, no international distribution, and no published revenue. Strategic priorities evident in the data are SKU depth (bundles, fragrance-free variants, body care, accessory ecosystem), certification/credibility stacking, and category-defining formulation innovation rather than geographic or channel expansion.

Name

SBTRCT skincare

Legal name

SBTRCT Skincare

Website

https://sbtrct.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SBTRCT Skincare is a UK-based direct-to-consumer beauty brand founded in 2020 selling plastic-free, waterless solid vegan skincare (cleansers, balms, retinoid, Vitamin C) via its Shopify store to environmentally conscious UK consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Skincare

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic & Clean Skincare (CRABAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Personal Care Wipes & On-the-Go Hygiene (Non-medical) (CRADANAJ)

Keywords

• Solid skincare bars
• Vegan facial care
• Plastic-free cosmetics
• Zero-waste beauty
• Natural skincare products

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales (One-time): One-time purchases of skincare products and accessories through e-commerce store. Products sold as starter kits (with accessories) or refills. Individual products range from £14 to £40.
2. Subscription/Refill Program: Subscribe-and-save model offering 20% discount on regular deliveries every 2-3 months. Provides recurring revenue and customer retention through refill program. Starter kit customers receive accessories with initial order, subsequent shipments are refills only.
3. Digital Gift Cards: E-gift cards sold in denominations of £10, £25, £50, and £100. Delivered via email and redeemable on the entire SBTRCT range.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SBTRCT manufactures and sells plastic-free, waterless, solid vegan skincare products — including facial cleansers, exfoliators, moisturising balms, body cleansers, and targeted treatments such as a solid retinoid night balm and a solid Vitamin C serum — directly to UK consumers through its own e-commerce store, with bundles, travel-sized Discovery Sets, accessories (bamboo pots, diatomite dishes), and a 20%-off subscription/refill programme. All products are packaged in domestically compostable materials certified under EN13432 and OK Compost Home, and the brand is certified vegan, cruelty-free, and a B Corp.

Product overview

SBTRCT skincare offers a portfolio of plastic-free, waterless, solid skincare products manufactured in the UK. The core product line includes cleansers (Gentle Foaming Cleanser, Fragrance Free Gentle Foaming Cleanser, Makeup Melt, Daily Body Cleanse), exfoliators (Clarifying Facial Exfoliator), moisturisers and balms (Moisturising Facial Balm, Fragrance Free Moisturising Facial Balm), and targeted treatments (Rejuvenating Night Balm with 2% Granactive Retinoid, Vitamin C Booster). The company pioneered the world's first solid retinoid and solid Vitamin C serum. Products are sold individually, as bundles (Night and Day Bundle, Switch to Solid, Double Cleanse Bundle, Glow Up Bundle), and as Discovery Sets for travel/first-timers. Accessories include bamboo pots for moisturisers, diatomite dishes for cleansers, ceramic dishes, and travel bags. All products are vegan, cruelty-free certified, dermatologically approved, and packaged in domestically compostable materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gentle Foaming Cleanser

Quantifiable outcome

• Products last twice as long as traditional formulations on average, providing better cost-per-use value
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Provenance®coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Provenance® to provide transparent, third-party verified environmental impact claims. Uses Provenance's blockchain-based transparency technology to connect claims to real supply chain data and evidence. Interactive 'Proof Point' icons on product pages validate claims including domestically compostable packaging, plastic-free skincare, cruelty-free, and vegan certifications.
• B Lab / B CorpcoreOthersCertified B Corp status verified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement. Meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability as assessed across employees, customers, community, and environment.
• Cruelty Free InternationalcoreOthersAll SBTRCT skincare formulations are certified as Cruelty Free by Cruelty Free International (the Leaping Bunny), ensuring no animal testing at any stage of production.
• The Vegan SocietycoreOthersAll SBTRCT products are certified by The Vegan Society as vegan skincare, suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
• Frank WaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable partnership where SBTRCT donates 20% of sales to Frank Water, a charity working to provide safe water and sanitation to communities in need. Blog content features Frank Water partnership and mission alignment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Ordinary (DECIEM): Estée Lauder-owned science-led skincare brand with transparent ingredient pricing. Comparable DTC-first skincare category overlap and ingredient-transparency ethos, though operates with liquid serums at much larger scale.
• Beautycounter: US-based clean beauty brand positioned on ingredient safety and advocacy-led marketing. Comparable clean-beauty target consumer and premium positioning to SBTRCT, though operates at larger scale with multi-channel (consultant + DTC) GTM.
• Drunk Elephant: Shiseido-owned clean/biocompatible skincare brand with strong DTC and Sephora distribution. Comparable premium clean skincare positioning to SBTRCT; broader incumbent scale, broader channel mix, and liquid-only product architecture.
• REN Clean Skincare: UK-origin clean skincare brand (now owned by Unilever) positioned on bioactives and clean formulation principles. Overlaps with SBTRCT on clean/conscious skincare consumer and retail positioning, though operates at much larger scale and broader product set.

Direct peers

• Lush Cosmetics: UK-based personal care brand anchored in solid bar formats, naked packaging, and anti-plastic positioning. Closest direct peer to SBTRCT: same geography, same solid/waterless philosophy, same sustainability-led GTM, broader category reach (bath, body, hair, skincare).
• Byoma: UK-based skincare brand positioned on barrier health and accessible clean formulation. Comparable geography and target demographic (Gen Z / millennial clean skincare), though primarily liquid formulations versus SBTRCT's solid format.
• Tata Harper: US-based premium natural skincare brand with non-toxic, farm-to-face positioning and high-AOV hero products. Comparable clean/natural skincare positioning to SBTRCT, though liquid formulations and broader spa/retail distribution.
• Ethique: New Zealand-based B Corp that pioneered solid bar personal care (hair, body, skincare) with plastic-free packaging. Directly comparable waterless solid technology platform and sustainability-first brand positioning to SBTRCT.
• Tropic Skincare: UK-based natural and vegan skincare brand with multi-channel (DTC + consultants + retail) GTM and clean formulation focus. Comparable target customer, geography, and category breadth with SBTRCT, though operates at larger scale.
• UpCircle Beauty: UK-based DTC skincare brand with circular-economy/upcycled ingredients and a sustainability-led value proposition. Comparable size, geography, GTM (DTC + select retail), and natural/clean skincare category overlap with SBTRCT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sbtrct-skincare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 SBTRCT skincare