Founder of Burt's Bees
Burt's Bees was co-founded by Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby in 1984 in Maine. The brand started as a small maker of beeswax candles and natural personal care products. Today it is one of the most recognized natural skincare and lip care brands in the United States. Burt Shavitz, a former beekeeper, provided the original beeswax and beekeeping knowledge that shaped the company's early products. Roxanne Quimby, an artist and entrepreneur, helped scale the business from local markets to a national brand. The company's origin story is frequently cited in business case studies and profiles on Forbes and similar outlets.
The brand is now owned by the household products giant Clorox Company, which acquired Burt's Bees in 2007. The acquisition price was reported at roughly $925 million, according to public filings and financial news reports. Under Clorox, Burt's Bees has expanded into categories such as body care, oral care, and household cleaning. The brand emphasizes natural ingredients, recyclable packaging, and sustainability messaging. Burt Shavitz left the company in the late 1990s and later lived a quiet life in Maine, where he remained associated with beekeeping until his death in 2015.
Burt's Bees Revenue and Market Position
Burt's Bees generates hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue as part of the Clorox portfolio. Exact revenue figures are not broken out separately in Clorox's public filings, but the brand is considered one of Clorox's largest and fastest-growing divisions. Burt's Bees competes with other natural and clean beauty brands such as The Honest Company, Dr. Bronner's, and Tom's of Maine. The natural personal care market has grown steadily as consumers seek safer, plant-based, and sustainably sourced products. Burt's Bees benefits from strong retail distribution in drugstores, supermarkets, and online marketplaces.
The brand's product lines include lip balms, moisturizers, cleansers, toothpaste, and sunscreen. Burt's Bees is known for its iconic yellow tin lip balm, which has become a cultural staple in the U.S. The company markets itself as a natural alternative to conventional personal care brands. Burt's Bees products are widely available in the United States, Canada, and other international markets. The brand has maintained a loyal customer base by emphasizing simple, nature-inspired formulations and transparent ingredient lists.
Burt Shavitz's Net Worth and Legacy
Burt Shavitz's personal net worth was modest compared to the brand's overall valuation, largely because he sold his stake in the company decades before the Clorox acquisition. He earned income from beekeeping and small-scale product sales in the early years of Burt's Bees. After leaving the company, Shavitz lived a private life and did not participate in the brand's later financial growth. His legacy is tied to the original beeswax-based products and the rural Maine aesthetic that defined the brand's early identity.
Roxanne Quimby, the other co-founder, built significant personal wealth through the growth of Burt's Bees and later through real estate and philanthropy in Maine. She founded the Quimby Family Foundation, which supports conservation and cultural projects in the state. Burt's Bees remains a case study in how a small natural products company can scale into a globally recognized brand. The brand continues to be referenced in discussions of sustainable business, clean beauty, and consumer packaged goods. Current financial data and company background are available through Clorox investor relations and trusted business news sources.
Burt's Bees Ownership and Corporate Structure
Burt's Bees operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Clorox Company, which is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CLX. Clorox reports Burt's Bees as part of its