Beauty Heroes Review: A First-Hand Look at This Top Clean Beauty Subscription
As a devout clean beauty user for over a decade, I‘ve tried my share of natural beauty boxes. But none compare to the consistent value and discovery I‘ve found with Beauty Heroes. If ethical skincare and cosmetics are your passion, this in-depth review will showcase why their subscription is worth your investment.
At A Glance: What Beauty Heroes Provides
Beauty Heroes is an online clean beauty marketplace with a popular subscription box service. Members receive a monthly Discovery kit highlighting one hero skincare or cosmetic product and deluxe samples from a featured natural brand.
- Online Shop: Curated selection of over 50 sustainable beauty brands
- Subscription Box Plans: Month-to-month, 3, 6 and 12 month options
- Monthly Discovery Box: Full size hero product & 2-5 deluxe samples from one featured brand, worth $100+ in value
- Member Savings: 15% discount on all online purchases
Keep reading for the full Beauty Heroes review…
Beauty Heroes Founder &Company Background
Beauty Heroes launched in 2014 under founder Jeannie Jarnot. She drew from 15 years of experience directing luxury spas to create a clean beauty shop and subscription service.
The goal? Introduce conscious consumers to ethical brands creating powerful, high-performing natural products. Provide transparency into their sourcing and production methods. And make these items easy to access without high retail markups.
Over 8 years later, the company has served over 100,000 members. They maintain strict standards for brands eligible to participate in their Discovery boxes or shop. Every item must meet guidelines for:
- Cruelty-free development and production
- Responsible packaging and recycling programs
- Safe, natural ingredients without harsh additives
- Ethical manufacturing and fair labor practices
Brands unable to provide details on meeting criteria are turned away. This vetting gives tremendous peace of mind to ingredient-conscious beauty buyers like myself!
To further their mission of responsibility, Beauty Heroes sponsors monthly beach cleanups and provides environmental education. Their goal? Enable "beauty you can trust delivered one hero product at a time.”
How The Beauty Heroes Subscription Works
The foundation of Beauty Heroes is their subscription Discovery boxes. Each month, members receive a kit focused on one hero skincare or beauty product from an artisan brand. You also get 2-5 deluxe samples for a complete skincare or makeup routine.
Photo: Example Beauty Heroes Discovery Box Contents
Boxes showcase natural, handmade products not easily found elsewhere. Past Discovery kits have featured facial oils, overnight masks, mineral foundations, lip treatments, face washes, and much more.
Every item aligns with Beauty Heroes’ strict standards for ethical and natural production. Brands are almost always cruelty-free, and most products are also vegan (or contain ethically-sourced beeswax).
Each month’s featured brand also comes with an in-depth blog review. Get the backstory on that month’s hero and sample items regarding:
- Key ingredients and benefits
- Brand‘s ethical sourcing policies
- Product manufacturing processes
- Company founders and inspirations
- Exclusive savings on full size purchases
Think of these posts as your spoilers, revealing next month‘s Discovery products before boxes even ship!
Beauty Heroes Subscription Options
Beauty Heroes offers several subscription plan levels for discovery boxes:
| Plan | Price | Cost Per Month |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $59/mo | $59 |
| 3 Month | $138 upfront | $46 |
| 6 Month | $252 upfront | $42 |
| Yearly | $480 upfront | $40 |
All subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled beforehand. There‘s no ability to pause, skip or reschedule individual months.
My Tip: Start with a 3 or 6 month plan first. This lets you experience multiple brand boxes at a nice discount to gauge if the variety and products suit you before longer commitments.
What‘s In Each Beauty Heroes Box?
Every month’s Discovery box contains:
- One full size Hero Product from featured brand
- 2-5 deluxe samples
- Printed info cards on each item
- Brand reveal/spoiler email for next month
Hero items typically retail around $85-$125 for sought after clean beauty brands. With 4+ deluxe samples valued around $30, you receive $100+ in natural cosmetics and skincare each month.
Although there are no product customization options, the mixes provide complete routines. For example, an oil-based skincare brand box could include:
- Hero Product: Antioxidant Facial Oil (full size)
- Deluxe Samples: Gel Cleanser, Essence Toner, Overnight Cream
I appreciate getting ALL the steps necessary to properly use and assess new hero items. And Beauty Heroes saves me research time finding compatible companion products.
You can also reference the monthly blog review for best practices on integrating box items into your existing routines. These provide excellent guidance to maximize their benefits.
Additional Member Perks & Policies
Aside from fantastic discovery boxes, Beauty Heroes spoils their members with extra perks:
Perk #1: 15% off the entire online shop with zero exclusions. This discount applies to all brands year-round, from tried favorites like Osea and Salt by Hendrix to new discoveries waiting in my virtual cart!
Even without boxes, the savings quickly offset a basic $59 monthly subscription. You won‘t find deals like this from Sephora or department stores carrying the same natural products.
Perk #2: Beauty Heroes also grants early access to limited edition items before wait lists open to the public. Around the holidays, keep an eye out for special releases like gift sets and handmade advent calendars.
Perk #3: Flash sales, bonus gifts-with-purchase and seasonal promo codes also come subscribers‘ way first.
Following Beauty Heroes on social media is wise to catch first dibs on short term deals before they sell out!
What Customers Love (And Don’t) In Beauty Heroes Reviews
Searching independent review sites offers great insight into real experiences with the Beauty Heroes membership and Discovery boxes. Here‘s an overview of common feedback:
The Good
- Exposure to incredible brands not available elsewhere
- Trying expensive clean beauty products first without huge investment
- Excellent sample sizes (often full retail sizes)
- cardboard inserts explaining product use instructions
- Mostly vegan and always cruelty-free selections
- Arrives early each month, well packaged
The Could Be Better
- Difficulty skipping or customizing monthly boxes
- Disappointment when favorite brands repeat too soon
- Small text heavy print on info inserts
- No choice over hero categories or shades
- Can‘t swap items with friends
Let‘s expand on a few key positives and negatives…
Biggest Raves: The brand exposure and savings compared to full size luxury green beauty purchases. Tryingrgb signature products from brands like Evan Healy, Lil Fox, Ursa Major—with discounts—is game changing.
Monthly boxes effectively remove the risk from testing super premium products. Even one use shows if they‘ll work for your skin type or preferences versus dropping $100+ blindly.
Many shoppers feel BEAUTY HEROES actually undersells the monetary value received in boxes. But restraint ensures first timers don‘t feel overwhelmed.
Top Complaints: Lack of box customization and ability to opt-out of months. Beauty Heroes operates high volume box production. Customization isn’t possible logistically (but would be a dream!)
Comments sometimes share disappointment when beloved brands reappear too soon. However with over 50+ green beauty companies on the platform now, repeats within 6-12 months seem reasonable.
Beauty Heroes Return Policy
Beauty Heroes offers worry free returns on online shop purchases but not Discovery boxes. All sales are considered final given the savings and exclusive brands provided.
I strongly advise reviewing spoilers for brands you’ve tried unsuccessfully before boxes ship. You can also contact customer service beforehand with any product ingredient questions.
For online orders, US shoppers can return unwanted items within 30 days for store credit, less a $10 processing fee. International shoppers cannot initiate returns.
How Does Beauty Heroes Compare to Green Beauty Box Alternatives?
In the clean beauty world, subscription boxes from Detox Market and Laurel Whole Plant Organics rate as top competitors. How does Beauty Heroes stack up? Let‘s compare core features across the brands:
| Beauty Heroes | Laurel | Detox Market | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box Frequency | Monthly | Bi-Monthly | Monthly |
| Brands Per Box | 1 Focused Brand | 4-6 Mix | 4-6 Mix |
| Sample Sizes | 1 Full / 2-4 Deluxe | Mix of Full & Deluxe | Mix of Full & Deluxe |
| Avg. Value/Box | $100+ | $80-100+ | $100+ |
| Shipping Status | Free | Free | Free |
| Sub Costs | $40-59/mo | $40-55/bi-mo | $58-150/mo |
| Shop Discounts | 15% boxes 10% new members |
$10 for Reviews | Tier Program Sales |
While all three services showcase fabulous ethical beauty brands not found at Sephora or Ulta, Beauty Heroes comes out ahead based on a few key advantages:
- Limited editions and early access gifts unavailable elsewhere
- Lower month-to-month costs with high per box value
- Guaranteed 15% discount for unlimited beauty purchases
- Focus on 1-2 brands monthly facilitates targeted routines
- Excellent editorial content and brand spotlights
Yes – the inability to skip months is a downside. But the above perks outweigh rare off months where hero products don‘t suit my needs.
Detox Market (an investor in Beauty Heroes) offers more customization freedom. Yet I find myself less satisfied trying 6 unrelated items each month versus curated selections from Beauty Heroes showcasing formulas meant to work together seamlessly.
Beauty Heroes Customer Service Experience
In over a year as a Beauty Heroes member, I’ve had three customer service contacts. All regarding online shop orders rather than my subscription.
Inquiries submitted online through their site contact form were answered within one business day in all cases. This response time is incredible compared to other retailers!
Their brand attention to sustainable materials also impresses. Once I received a leaking face oil and feared losing the precious contents. Their team promptly dispatched a replacement while encouraging me to reuse the original bottle. I now continually refill this glass pump container with my favorite antioxidant oil blends. #winning
Is Beauty Heroes Ultimately Worth The Investment?
For green beauty product junkies like myself, Beauty Heroes earns my highest recommendation. Consistently delighting boxes filled with pre-vetted natural cosmetics and skincare suit both skincare newbies and experts.
While each month varies, the mixes facilitate trying high cost clean beauty brands without huge up front investment. Before falling for True Botanical‘s $110 vitamin C serum, testing a deluxe sample showed my skin went nuts for it!
Compared to physical stores with markups as high as 8x over cost, Beauty Heroes saves me 30-50% or more discovering the same ethical brands. That 15% subscriber discount also encourages further direct online purchases minus fancy packaging and shelves.
Yes – the lack of customization means an occasional miss. Yet their community forum allows swapping items with other trusting members when needs arise!
If exploring the very best in green beauty suits your style, commit to a 3-month trial. See the joy these conscious products bring without crimping your wallet!
