Rumors about Beekman 1802 shutting down have been circulating on shopping forums and social media for a while now. If you’ve seen those conversations and started to worry, the short answer is: there’s no reason to panic.
The brand is still operating, still selling products, and still expanding into new markets. What actually happened was a major investment deal — and somewhere along the way, people confused that with a business closing its doors.
This article breaks down what the $92 million ownership change actually means, where the closure rumors came from, and what the brand’s sales data says about its current direction.
Beekman 1802 Is Not Going Out Of Business
Let’s be direct about this upfront. Beekman 1802 is not closing. There are no bankruptcy filings, no announcements from major retailers pulling the brand from shelves, and no official shutdown statements from the company.
The brand’s website is active. Its partnership with Ulta Beauty continues to grow. The company recently announced it is expanding internationally. None of that is consistent with a business that is winding down.
The confusion started in late 2021, when news broke that a majority stake in the company had been sold. That’s where the story gets misread — and it’s worth taking a closer look at what that deal actually involved.
What the $92 Million Eurazeo Deal Actually Means
In December 2021, European investment firm Eurazeo acquired a controlling majority stake in Beekman 1802. The deal was valued at $92 million, with Eurazeo investing $62 million. Co-investors included Cohesive Capital Partners and the Cherng Family Trust.
This is a standard move in the consumer goods and beauty industry. A growing brand brings in outside investors to fund larger distribution, marketing, and international expansion. The business doesn’t close — it scales.
Think of it like a neighborhood bakery that sells a majority stake to an investor so it can open locations in three new cities. Customers walk by and hear “the owner sold,” and some start to worry. But the bakery is still open, still baking, and now has more resources to grow. That’s essentially what happened here.
The founders of Beekman 1802, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, have remained publicly involved with the brand. Forum users on HSN’s community page have noted that the founders were kept on as “storytellers” and continue to represent the brand publicly. They no longer hold majority ownership, but they are still the recognizable faces of the company.
Selling a stake to growth investors is not the same as abandoning a business. It’s a financing strategy, not an exit.
Where the “Going Out Of Business” Rumors Came From
It’s worth understanding why so many people drew the wrong conclusion, because the confusion isn’t entirely without logic.
The Sale Was Misread as a Warning Sign
On HSN and QVC community forums, loyal customers noticed that Beekman 1802 had been “sold.” For shoppers who had built a connection with the founders and followed the brand for years, news of a majority stake sale felt unsettling. It sparked questions about whether the brand they knew would still exist.
Reddit threads in r/QVC_Snark echoed similar concerns, with some users speculating that the founders were now contractually obligated to appear on-air even though they no longer owned the company. While the exact terms of any such arrangement aren’t publicly known, this kind of post-acquisition setup is fairly common in the industry.
Discount Pages Were Mistaken for Liquidation
Beekman 1802’s website has a “Final Sale” page and a “Steals (50% Off+)” section. To someone already suspicious about the brand’s future, seeing deeply discounted products can look like a going-out-of-business clearance.
In practice, these sections are standard retail strategy. Brands regularly discount seasonal items, outgoing scents, or older packaging to clear inventory and make room for new product lines. That’s not liquidation — it’s normal SKU management.
A Channel Shift Felt Like a Retreat
For customers who primarily discovered Beekman 1802 through HSN or QVC, a reduced presence on those networks could feel like the brand was pulling back. In reality, the brand shifted more of its focus toward Ulta Beauty, both in-store and online. That’s a channel strategy change, not a sign of trouble.
Sales Data and Retail Expansion Since the Acquisition
If Beekman 1802 were struggling, the numbers would reflect that. They don’t.
According to Digital Commerce 360, Beekman 1802’s holiday sales — covering November 1 through December 31, 2023 — grew 22% year-over-year. Q4 2023 overall grew 25% year-over-year. That level of growth is not something a brand in financial distress produces.
A significant portion of that growth is tied to the brand’s expanded relationship with Ulta Beauty. The partnership has brought Beekman 1802 to a much wider audience and supported new customer acquisition at scale.
Beyond the U.S., the brand announced on its official Instagram account that it is “officially going international,” with a specific expansion into Ulta Beauty Mexico. Entering a new international market requires meaningful investment, planning, and retail coordination. Companies preparing to shut down don’t pursue that kind of expansion.
For additional context on how brands navigate ownership changes and growth strategies, LiveBizMag covers these kinds of business developments across industries.
What To Make of Quality Concerns
Some long-time Beekman 1802 customers have shared that products feel different since the acquisition. These concerns appear on HSN community boards and in social media comments, and they’re worth acknowledging.
What’s important to note is that these are subjective perceptions, not confirmed formulation defects. When a brand scales up manufacturing following a major investment, minor changes in texture, scent, or consistency can occur even when clinical performance remains unchanged.
That said, it’s fair for customers to notice and talk about those changes. The distinction here is between “a product feels different to me” and “the brand is failing.” Those are two separate conversations.
There’s no publicly available evidence of confirmed, systematic quality failures at Beekman 1802. What exists is a set of individual user opinions — which, while valid as feedback, don’t constitute proof of a brand in decline.
How To Tell If a Brand Is Actually Closing
If you ever want to evaluate whether a brand is genuinely at risk of closing, there are clearer signals to look for:
- Official announcements of closure or bankruptcy filings
- Products being pulled from major retail partners without explanation
- Website going dark or orders no longer processing
- No new product releases over an extended period
- Explicit liquidation language — not just a “sale” section, but messaging like “everything must go”
None of those signals apply to Beekman 1802 right now. The website is active, Ulta Beauty continues to carry the brand, new products are being released, and international markets are being entered.
If a product you loved is no longer available, it’s more likely a discontinued SKU than a sign of impending closure. That’s a normal part of how consumer brands manage their product lines over time.
The Bottom Line
Beekman 1802 is not going out of business. The $92 million Eurazeo acquisition in 2021 was a growth investment, not a shutdown signal. The brand has since posted double-digit sales growth, deepened its partnership with Ulta Beauty, and moved into international markets.
The rumors largely came from consumers who saw the word “sold” and drew an understandable but inaccurate conclusion. Add in some discounted products on the website and fewer TV network appearances, and it’s easy to see how the narrative took shape.
But the evidence points clearly in the other direction. Beekman 1802 is operating, growing, and expanding — which is exactly what a brand backed by serious investment capital is supposed to do.
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