Birchbox Monthly

Birchbox Monthly delivers a personalized selection of 5-6 beauty products tailored to your unique profile. Each box includes a mix of samples, deluxe sizes, and at least one full-size product, with a total value up to $110. Customize your box each month and discover new favorites from top beauty brands.

Birchbox pioneered the beauty subscription box concept when it launched in 2010, fundamentally changing how people discover cosmetics, skincare, and haircare products. Before Birchbox, trying new beauty products meant purchasing full-size items blind or collecting tiny department store samples. Birchbox created a third option: curated discovery-sized products delivered monthly, personalized to your beauty profile, at a fraction of retail cost. Fifteen years later, their Monthly box remains a refined way to explore premium and indie beauty brands.

The personalization algorithm has been refined over 15 years and millions of subscribers. When you complete your beauty profile (skin type, hair concerns, color preferences, product categories of interest), Birchbox matches you with appropriate products. The algorithm improves over time as you rate items, creating increasingly accurate curation. Long-term subscribers report that boxes become remarkably well-matched to their preferences after 6-12 months of feedback.

Pricing Plans

Birchbox offers three subscription options with savings for longer commitments:

Plan	Total Cost	Per Box	Savings	Best For
Monthly	$25/month	$25.00	Baseline	Flexibility, trying the service
3-Month	$72 prepaid	$24.00	Save $3 (4%)	Short commitment
12-Month	$264 prepaid	$22.00	Save $36 (12%)	Best value, committed subscribers

Pricing Notes:

• Free shipping on all subscription boxes in the US
• Loyalty points earned on every box and purchase (redeemable for full-size products)
• Skip months or cancel monthly plans anytime
• Prepaid plans are non-refundable
• First box promotions frequently available

The 12-month plan saves $36 annually, essentially providing one free box over the year. Combined with loyalty points (typically $5-10 worth per month), long-term subscribers effectively reduce cost to $15-17/box.

What’s Included

Every Birchbox Monthly delivery contains carefully curated beauty products:

5-6 Products Per Box: Each month includes a mix of sample sizes (try before committing), deluxe samples (multiple uses, 2-4 week supply), and guaranteed full-size products. The variety lets you test products without commitment while building a collection of full-size favorites.

1 Full-Size Product Guaranteed: Unlike early Birchbox years (all samples), current boxes guarantee at least one full-size item worth $10-30. This addition significantly improved perceived value and subscriber satisfaction.

Up to $110 Retail Value: While mostly samples, the total retail value of products (if purchased individually) reaches $50-110 per box. Actual usable value depends on whether products suit your needs and preferences.

Product Categories: Boxes span skincare (serums, moisturizers, masks), makeup (lipsticks, mascaras, eyeshadows), haircare (styling products, treatments, tools), fragrance samples, and occasionally wellness items (supplements, self-care products).

Personalized Selection: Items match your beauty profile covering skin type (dry, oily, combination, sensitive), hair type (straight, wavy, curly, textured), color preferences (bold vs. neutral makeup), and product priorities (anti-aging, acne, hydration).

Brand Mix: Expect established prestige brands (Benefit, Kiehl’s, Oribe, Amika), emerging indie favorites, and K-beauty/international brands. Birchbox balances familiar names with discovery opportunities.

How It Works

Birchbox’s monthly cycle combines personalization with discovery:

1. Create Beauty Profile: Sign up and complete a detailed profile covering skin type, skin tone, hair type, hair color, age, beauty concerns, color preferences, and product categories you’re interested in exploring. This takes 5-10 minutes and creates your baseline matching algorithm.

2. Monthly Curation: Around mid-month, Birchbox prepares your personalized box based on your profile, past ratings, and current product inventory. The algorithm balances giving you products suited to your needs with introducing new categories or brands.

3. Customization Window: Before boxes ship, Birchbox often offers customization options - choose one or more products from a curated selection (2-4 choices typically). Long-term subscribers and annual members get more/earlier customization access. If you don’t customize, Birchbox selects for you.

4. Shipping: Boxes ship early in the month, typically arriving within 5-10 business days. You receive tracking notifications via email. Packaging is compact, colorful, and designed to protect products during transit.

5. Unboxing and Testing: Try each product over the month. Samples provide 3-7 uses typically (enough to determine if a product suits you). Full-size items become part of your regular routine or gifted if not suited.

6. Rating Products: Log into your Birchbox account and rate each product 1-5 stars with optional comments. Ratings directly improve future box personalization - the algorithm learns you hate coconut-scented products or love matte lipsticks.

7. Earn Loyalty Points: Receive 10 points per product review (50-60 points per box), plus bonus points for purchases. Points convert to dollars for shopping in Birchbox’s online store ($10 = 100 points).

8. Shop Full-Sizes: Discover a product you love? Purchase full-size versions through Birchbox at member pricing (often 20-30% off retail) using loyalty points to offset cost.

9. Manage Subscription: Skip months when you’ve accumulated too many products, pause during travel seasons, update your beauty profile as preferences change, or cancel without fees (monthly plans).

Who It’s For

Best For:

• Beauty Explorers: Those who love trying new products before full-size commitment
• Routine Refreshers: People bored with current beauty routine seeking new favorites
• Budget-Conscious: Want premium products without $30-50 per-item retail prices
• Indecisive Shoppers: Paralyzed by choices at Sephora/Ulta, prefer expert curation
• Sample Lovers: Enjoy travel-size products for gym bags, purses, and trips
• Gift Givers: Monthly subscription makes thoughtful ongoing present
• Brand Discoverers: Want exposure to indie and emerging beauty brands
• Loyalty Point Enthusiasts: Those who’ll use points to shop full-sizes

Not Ideal For:

• Full-Size Only: If samples frustrate you and you only want full products, this isn’t the fit
• Specific Product Needs: Those who know exactly which brands/products they want (just buy directly)
• Sensitive Skin Severe Cases: Limited ability to filter for very specific ingredient needs
• Makeup Minimalists: If you wear the same 3 products daily, variety adds no value
• Impatient Types: Personalization takes 3-6 months to dial in accurately
• Zero Waste Advocates: Sample sizes create packaging waste despite recyclable efforts

CRITICAL WARNING: Birchbox has an F rating from BBB with 34 of 37 complaints going unanswered. Since being acquired by FemTec Health in 2021, the company has experienced significant operational issues including website outages, unfulfilled orders, and unresponsive customer service. Multiple customers report waiting months for boxes they paid for. The 3.5/5 Trustpilot rating (1,037 reviews) is split between loyal long-term subscribers and recent complaints about service failures. Exercise extreme caution before subscribing. Positive reviews emphasize discovery, value, and the full-size guarantee. Complaints typically cite samples being too small, repeat products for long-term subscribers (a statistical inevitability with monthly curation), or receiving products outside stated preferences (usually early in subscription before algorithm learns).

Birchbox works best for beauty enthusiasts in the “exploration phase” - not complete beginners with zero products, and not established routines unwilling to change. The sweet spot is someone who enjoys beauty but wants expert curation to navigate the overwhelming number of new product launches each year.