Negative-option subscriptions aren’t anything new: just ask any former member of Columbia House. Subscribers sign up for a service, and then receive something every month unless they specifically opt out. It’s become a popular model in fashion recently, and that includes the cosmetics subscription box from Julep, a company probably best known for its nail polishes. Today, the state of Washington announced that the company settled charges that its negative-option marketing for cosmetics boxes was deceptive. [More]
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Beauty Box Julep Must Donate Toiletries To Settle Lawsuit Over Shady Negative-Option Marketing
By 9.6.16
Julep Subscribers Mad After Receiving Almost-Expired Sunscreen Lipstick; Will Get Refunds
By 7.8.16
Sun-loving subscribers to the Julep beauty products service were psyched to see they could get lipstick with SPF 30 sunscreen protection. That is, until they opened their orders and found that the sunscreen would only be effective for a few more weeks. [More]
Birchbox Subscribers Are Upset About Changes To Review Points Program
By 6.15.16
The appeal of the subscription box Birchbox isn’t just getting a box full of personal-care goodies in the mail every month: it’s also reviewing the samples that you receive to earn points toward buying full-size versions of those goodies. Now a change to that system is proving very controversial, and some customers want to quit the service because of it. [More]
Popularity Of Subscription Boxes Means Rethinking How E-Commerce Logistics Work
By 5.17.16
Subscription boxes are a hot retail category, but the business has a problem, especially when it comes to beauty product boxes. While other companies in e-commerce are super-focused on efficiency and logistics, boxes that change their inventory every month and often let users add on to or customize their selections are a logistical nightmare and often have to be hand-packed. [More]
Sephora Launching A Beauty Sample Subscription Box Service
By 8.7.15
If you’re a makeup fan whose favorite part of ordering online from Sephora is the product samples, here’s some good news: the retailer is finally joining the beauty subscription box trend popularized by Birchbox and followed by many other companies. The cosmetics-loving public’s thirst for sample boxes is apparently unquenchable. [More]
Birchbox Wants Customers To Help Decide Where Next Stores Will Be
By 7.15.15
Birchbox, the company to blame for the current subscription beauty box trend, opened a retail store last year in Manhattan, where shoppers can create their own boxes in person and shop for other beauty products. Now the company wants to expand, and wants customers to tell them where to build their next store. [More]
Birchbox Leads People To Buy More Beauty Products Elsewhere, Too
By 6.10.15
The purpose of beauty sample boxes isn’t just to throw a bunch of small items in a box and collect subscription fees. It’s to promote brands and specific products among customers who are interested in fancy beauty products. Yet recent market research shows that subscribers to BirchBox go on to buy more products overall from companies that aren’t BirchBox. [More]
Which Beauty Subscription Boxes Are Actually Worth The Monthly Fee?
By 4.23.15 — Updated: 5.23.17
Monthly subscription boxes are currently a hot category in retail: vendors exist that can send you curated selections of everything from pet treats to razors to healthy snacks to butt wipes. One popular subcategory of these boxes are beauty sample boxes, which send you trial-size versions of beauty products to enjoy, and perhaps buy full-sized versions later on. Beauty brands and consumers both love these boxes…but which ones offer the best value for your subscription fee? [More]
