Allure Beauty Concepts Joins Credo Qualified Clean Beauty Program
Clean beauty retailer Credo is on a mission to lift the veil on beauty’s historically secretive contract manufacturing sector.
“A lot of consumers think these [clean beauty] brands are in the back of their office, stirring their products and filling them, but that’s not how the industry works at all,” Christina Ross, head of science and impact at Credo Beauty, told Glossy. “We have this huge, billion-dollar contract manufacturing industry, and they own so much of the [beauty] industry.”
For many years, Credo’s consumers were focused on the safety and environmental impact of packaging, but that has shifted recently, said Ross. “We’re getting a lot of questions and interest on how a product is made, where the individual ingredients are coming from, and what that means from both a safety and sustainability standpoint,” she said. This includes daily inquiries from current and prospective Credo brands asking for CM recommendations.
Beauty brands rarely have their own manufacturing facilities today. Instead, brands rely on contract manufacturers that can formulate, manufacture, scale, fill and distribute the majority of the products they sell. Oftentimes, CMs own the formulas they make, handle all regulatory requirements and, although audited by the FDA in some cases, are not required to share audit reports with their beauty brand clients. And a brand may work with several CMs for various products.
Ross estimates there to be around 1,000 beauty contract manufacturers operating in the U.S. today.
“The beauty industry may be the head, but the contract manufacturing industry is the neck, and they can turn the direction of how the industry goes because they [control] how ingredients are purchased, who’s purchasing it, what amount and at what price,” Ross said. Often, they also dictate ingredient and formula trends, set wages and labor standards, and control certifications, like those that denote responsible sourcing or attempt to filter out child labor.
“We wanted to take the rigor of our Credo Clean Standard and bring it upstream to address this big picture [in an effort] to open the conversation, and the playbook, around this contract manufacturing behemoth,” Ross said.
Credo Beauty was launched in 2014 and currently has 16 stores in the U.S. The retailer published the first iteration of its Credo Clean Standards 10 years ago and has since evolved it to reflect the latest science around product and packaging safety.
Announced Monday, Credo Qualified is a certification program run by the retailer in hopes of uniting the industry around elevated, transparent manufacturing standards.
Credo launched with just one CM, California-based Allure Beauty Concepts, and hopes to build a small stable of certified CMs soon.
“This is a very powerful validation for the work we have been doing at ABC,” Tom Mooy, CEO of Allure Beauty Concepts, told Glossy. “It reinforces our position in the marketplace to the brands that we are doing business with, and to brands that we would like to do business with, as a trusted, transparent partner with the capability to deliver products at the highest standards of clean beauty.”
For example, ABC’s two manufacturing facilities in California and Arizona run on green energy, use LED lighting and prioritize sustainable practices. Its internal team manages all formulation and testing in-house; is compliant with all applicable federal, state and international regulatory standards; and differentiates its business as a leader in transparency.
“It’s important validation for us that also gives us confidence [as a leader in the CM world],” said Mooy.
Allure Beauty Concepts has been in business for more than three decades and manufactures products for around 100 brands at any given time. It has a sales team that drives this business, but it anticipates more inbound requests after this program launches.
In terms of fees, the Credo Qualified program comes with a one-time $3,500 application fee, which includes guidance for making supply chain changes, and a $1,500 annual license fee.
It is only offered to U.S. businesses at launch. Acceptance is largely based on a lengthy, rigorous survey that asks for information and data around environmental impact, sourcing practices, labor standards, ingredient safety, testing practices, waste management and more things that have historically been considered trade secrets. Beyond contract manufacturers, Credo is also courting raw material suppliers, packaging suppliers and testing laboratories to seek certification.
It’s part of Credo’s larger initiative toward demystifying and evolving the beauty supply chain. For example, Credo is also the co-founder of Pact Collective, the empty packaging takeback recycling program that launched in 2021 and is currently employed by top retailers like Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Nordstrom. In 2024, the company also announced the formation of New Matter, a closed-loop manufacturing initiative that turns recycled products into new packaging.
Also announced Monday, the retailer has formed a “clean beauty council” to further guide its goals and standards. This is an informal, volunteer position made up of thought leaders Credo admires. In many cases, they have already been providing informal guidance on their specialties to Credo execs.
The council includes cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline, laboratory expert Rania Ibrahuim, PhD, sustainability expert Maggie Spicer, esq., environmental justice expert Lariah Edwards, PhD, dermatologist Heather Rogers, M.D., fragrance expert Jim Yannella, packaging expert Brandon Frank, and beauty and AI innovation Hejab Malik.
“The evolution of clean beauty has obviously really taken hold over the past 10-15 years, but there has been this greenwashing element [that’s confused and frustrated consumers].” said Ross. “It’s programs like this, and experts like this, that help Credo put a stamp in some ways [on what we’re doing in the industry].”