Minding the Gap, Filling the Gap
Clean Beauty was the Disruption,
Regenerative/ Nature First Beauty is the Evolution
The recent shuttering of REN Clean Skincare and Juice Beauty raised eyebrows—but for those watching the beauty industry closely, it wasn’t exactly a surprise. These two names helped define the early clean beauty movement, yet their closures mark something more structural than unfortunate missteps.
The landscape changed. They didn’t.
“Clean” used to mean something. Where REN and Juice Beauty once stood out for their ingredient transparency and safety-first ethos, today those qualities are widely expected. Brands that once felt ahead of the curve are now simply part of the pack.
In the meantime, the market evolved around them. Brands on one end pushed accessibility, like Versed, The Ordinary or CeraVe. On the other hand, high-end players like Dr. Barbara Sturm and Augustinus Bader built prestige and efficacy into their pricing. REN and Juice found themselves stuck somewhere in the middle—with fewer ways to stand out, and little room to move.
The Essentials. The Breakdown. Here are the metrics, the framework, and the path forward. Read on, here
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