Burt’s Bees confirms that its global headquarters remain in Durham, North Carolina, and that it continues to operate under The Clorox Company. 6

Origins in Maine

The origins of Burt’s Bees date to the early 1980s, when Burt Shavitz, a beekeeper based in rural Maine, met Roxanne Quimby, an artist pursuing a back-to-the-land lifestyle. Shavitz sold honey locally and had accumulated significant surplus beeswax from his apiary operations. 2

Quimby began experimenting with this excess beeswax, using traditional recipes to create products such as candles. These items were initially sold at local craft fairs. The name “Burt’s Bees” was derived from identification labels that Shavitz had originally placed on his beehives. 3

1984: Establishment of the brand

Burt’s Bees regards 1984 as its official founding year. Early commercial activity focused on beeswax candles and simple goods crafted from natural materials. 4

Unlike conventional cosmetics companies of the era, the business did not launch with corporate infrastructure, large-scale laboratories, or advertising campaigns. Instead, it emerged organically from a small-scale rural operation. Its early identity was intrinsically linked to beekeeping, handmade production, simplicity, and nature.

Rise of the lip balm

The product that ultimately transformed Burt’s Bees into a major consumer brand was its Beeswax Lip Balm, introduced in 1991. Originally packaged in small terracotta pots, the product helped establish the distinctive natural and artisanal image associated with the brand. 5

Lip balm subsequently became the brand’s signature offering and remains one of its most recognisable products globally.

Burt Shavitz

Burt Shavitz (1935–2015) was a beekeeper, photographer, and businessman whose likeness became inseparable from the Burt’s Bees brand identity.

Before taking up beekeeping, Shavitz worked as a photographer in New York. He eventually relocated to Maine, where he became known locally as the “Bee Man.” His apiary supplied the beeswax that formed the foundation of the business. 6

His bearded visage and outdoorsman persona later became central elements of Burt’s Bees packaging and visual branding.

Roxanne Quimby

Roxanne Quimby is an artist, entrepreneur, and conservationist who played a pivotal role in transforming Shavitz’s small beekeeping venture into a widely recognised consumer brand.

Quimby was instrumental in developing products, packaging, sales strategies, and the company’s broader philosophy. She was particularly influential in aligning the brand’s commercial success with environmental conservation. 7

Corporate histories describe Quimby as a primary force behind both the development of Burt’s Bees and its enduring conservation-oriented ethos. 8

During the late 1980s and 1990s, Burt’s Bees expanded beyond candles and lip products into a comprehensive range of personal care items.

The company eventually relocated its operations from Maine to North Carolina, evolving into a larger personal care enterprise. The current headquarters are situated in Durham, North Carolina, within a repurposed tobacco warehouse.

Growth was driven by increasing consumer demand for products characterised by:

• Natural ingredients
• Simple formulations
• Environmental responsibility
• Plant- and bee-derived components
• Cruelty-free and nature-oriented beauty standards
• Alternatives to conventional cosmetics

This market positioning established Burt’s Bees as one of the most prominent American brands associated with natural personal care.

A significant milestone occurred in 2007 when The Clorox Company acquired Burt’s Bees.

Clorox announced the acquisition as part of a strategic expansion into the growing natural personal care sector. At the time, Burt’s Bees was already considered a leading brand in the U.S. natural personal care category. 9

The transaction was notable because Clorox was a large mainstream consumer products corporation, whereas Burt’s Bees had built its reputation on a comparatively small-scale, environmentally conscious identity.

Despite becoming part of a major corporation, Burt’s Bees maintains that its founding principles and environmental values remain central to its operations. 10

While famous for lip balm, Burt’s Bees has developed into a broad-spectrum personal care brand.

Lip care

This category is most closely associated with the brand. Offerings include:

• Beeswax Lip Balm
• Tinted Lip Balm
• Moisturising lip balms
• Overnight lip treatments
• Specialty and flavoured lip balms

The classic Beeswax Lip Balm remains a defining product for the company.

Skincare

Burt’s Bees produces a variety of skincare products, including:

• Facial cleansers
• Moisturisers
• Facial oils
• Scrubs
• Targeted treatments
• Toners
• Eye-care products

The company emphasises ingredients derived from nature and formulations designed to support the skin barrier. 11

Body care

The body care range comprises products such as:

• Hand creams
• Body lotions
• Body washes
• Hand salves
• Foot-care products

Baby care

Burt’s Bees also offers a Baby product line featuring personal care and skincare items specifically formulated for infants and children.

Hair care

The portfolio includes hair-related products such as shampoos, conditioners, and other hair care formulations.

A defining characteristic of Burt’s Bees is its effort to connect personal care with nature.

The brand articulates its philosophy through concepts such as “Born Different,” “Seriously Good Stuff,” and “For Nature. For All.” 12

Its core philosophy can be summarised as:

Use ingredients from nature while respecting the natural world from which they come.

This approach stems directly from the founders’ worldview, particularly Quimby’s belief that humans should respect and preserve the natural environment. 13

Burt’s Bees prioritises ingredients sourced from nature and frequently utilises materials associated with its heritage, including:

• Beeswax
• Honey
• Botanical extracts
• Plant oils
• Fruit extracts
• Herbs
• Shea butter
• Aloe
• Peppermint and other essential oils

The company states that its products are formulated without parabens, phthalates, petrolatum, or SLS, although individual formulations vary and consumers are advised to check specific ingredient lists. 14

It is important to note that “natural” does not imply that every ingredient in every Burt’s Bees product is literally natural or organic. Formulations differ across the range, making the ingredient list the definitive source for any particular item.

Burt’s Bees has cultivated one of the most recognisable visual identities in the personal care industry.

Packaging typically features:

• Earth tones
• Yellow and gold accents
• Botanical imagery
• Bee and honeycomb motifs
• Kraft-paper-inspired textures
• Simple typography
• Images of Burt Shavitz

The portrait of Burt Shavitz’s bearded face became especially significant. Rather than employing the glamorous models typical of beauty advertising, the company used the image of its beekeeping founder to communicate authenticity and an unconventional approach to beauty. 15

This strategy fostered an identity grounded in ruggedness, authenticity, simplicity, and nature.

Environmental responsibility is integral to the Burt’s Bees brand identity rather than merely a product feature.

The company states that it uses recycled materials where possible, designs packaging with recyclability in mind, and operates owned facilities using renewable electricity.

Furthermore, the company reports that its manufacturing facility and offices have sent zero waste to landfill since 2010, emphasising waste reduction, composting, and water reclamation initiatives. 7

This environmental positioning is closely linked to Roxanne Quimby’s extensive conservation work.

A unique aspect of Burt’s Bees’ corporate history is the connection between the brand and large-scale land conservation.

Quimby utilised wealth generated from Burt’s Bees to purchase and protect land in Maine. In 2016, she donated approximately 87,000 acres of Maine woodland to the U.S. government. This land became part of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Consequently, the brand’s environmental legacy extends beyond recyclable packaging or botanical ingredients; one of its founders became a major private land conservationist.

Burt’s Bees occupies a distinct position in the beauty market, situated between traditional mass-market personal care and premium, eco-conscious beauty.

Its products are generally more accessible than luxury skincare while maintaining a strong natural and environmentally conscious identity.

Marketing efforts tend to emphasise:

• Authenticity
• Nature
• Wellness
• Simplicity
• Responsible sourcing
• Environmentalism
• Everyday self-care

The result is a brand recognised not only for its product offerings but also for the values it represents.

Several factors explain the enduring success of Burt’s Bees.

Distinctive origin story

The narrative of a beekeeper and artist creating products from surplus beeswax in rural Maine is highly memorable and authentic.

Hero product

The Beeswax Lip Balm provided an inexpensive, recognisable entry point that introduced countless consumers to the brand.

Strong differentiation

At a time when much beauty marketing emphasised glamour and artificial perfection, Burt’s Bees presented itself as natural, rustic, and authentic.

Environmental values

The brand successfully connected its products to broader concepts of conservation and sustainability.

Visual identity

Yellow packaging, beeswax imagery, and the portrait of Burt Shavitz made products immediately identifiable on shelves.

Consistent core identity

Although the product range has expanded significantly, beeswax, botanicals, nature, and environmental responsibility remain central to the brand’s identity.

As of 2026, Burt’s Bees remains part of The Clorox Company and operates as a major personal care brand with headquarters in Durham, North Carolina.

The brand has evolved considerably from its beginnings as a small Maine beeswax business, now offering a broad portfolio spanning skincare, lip care, body care, hair care, and baby products.

Nevertheless, its fundamental narrative persists: nature-inspired personal care with an emphasis on responsible business and environmental stewardship.

Burt’s Bees is an American natural personal care brand founded in Maine in 1984 by beekeeper Burt Shavitz and artist Roxanne Quimby. Beginning with beeswax candles and later becoming famous for its Beeswax Lip Balm, the company grew from a small rural operation into a major personal care brand offering lip, skincare, body, hair, and baby products. Its identity is built around nature-derived ingredients, simple and recognisable packaging, environmental responsibility, and the unconventional story of its founders. The company was acquired by The Clorox Company in 2007 but continues to present itself as a nature-focused brand. Today, Burt’s Bees is particularly recognised for its iconic beeswax lip balm and for combining mainstream accessibility with natural and sustainability-oriented branding.

1. Burt’s Bees
2. SEC
3. Burt’s Bees
4. Roxanne’s Bees: Our Co-Founder’s Story | Burt’s Bees
5. Burt Shavitz
6. Burt’s Bees
7. Frequently Asked Questions | Burt’s Bees
8. Celebrating 40 years of Burt’s Bees with a look back to 1984 | The Clorox Company
9. Burt Shavitz dies at 80; founder of Burt’s Bees natural cosmetics firm – Los Angeles Times
10. Our Story | Burt’s Bees
11. Burt’s Bees
12. Roxanne’s Bees: Our Co-Founder’s Story | Burt’s Bees
13. About Us | Burt’s Bees Australia
14. Burt’s Bees
15. About Us | Burt’s Bees