Birchbox is back to shipping monthly beauty boxes after its assets were acquired by Retention Brands in May.
The company’s website, FAQ page and now-active social media channels indicate that June and July beauty boxes for subscribers have been sent. Shipments for July’s boxes were to be shipped out by early August, according to its FAQ page. The company expects to “return to a standard shipping cadence by September.”
Prices have increased for the company’s subscription service, according to an Aug. 14 Facebook comment from Birchbox, which said that existing Ace-level membership prices were bumped up from $10 to $15 a month. The June box was available only to existing members, though new customers are now able to sign up for subscription plans. New customers are able to sign up for refillable plans such as a $20 monthly membership, a prepaid three-month option at $19 per box and a prepaid annual membership at $17 per box.
“This price update allows us to continue to seek out products from the newest disrupters in the beauty industry, as well as the luxury brands we have all consistently come to adore,” Birchbox said in a Facebook comment. “It will help offset the increase transportation and labor costs, while continuing to ensure an elevated selection of beauty products are curated every month.”
Birchbox’s FAQ page also touches on its sudden pause in operations last year when the company was under the ownership of FemTec Health.
“Birchbox was facing a host of challenges last Fall, leading to a need by the previous ownership to very suddenly and unexpectedly pause operations, and engage in the sale of the business through a formal restructuring process,” the FAQ page says. “As long time admirers of Birchbox, we are very excited to announce we have acquired the business through this process, and we could not be more honored or excited to relaunch operations.”
Under FemTec Health, Birchbox paused sending out monthly boxes and posted on Instagram in November that it was facing “unprecedented setbacks.” Comments on the company’s social media pages and Better Business Bureau complaints indicated that customers had not received some boxes that were paid for.
Under its new ownership, Birchbox said on its FAQ page that any “owed subscription boxes and shop orders are expected to ship in mid to late June through early July, as we re-start operations at the fulfillment center.”
FemTec Health in 2021 acquired the beauty box company — which operates an online shop and monthly membership box containing beauty products of varying sizes — for upwards of $45 million. Along with pausing shipments to customers last year, the company racked up complaints from vendors who alleged they were left unpaid.
FemTec Health sold Birchbox’s assets to Retention Brands in May as it started winding down its business, additionally selling remaining assets from FemTec Health and Longmont Acquisition Corporation to Awesome Health. FemTec Health creditors were provided an avenue to submit claims for money owed.
