EcoTools

EcoTools is a United States beauty-tools brand specialising in makeup brushes, sponges and bath accessories made from recycled and renewable materials. It was launched in 2007 by Paris Presents, an Illinois beauty-accessory company, as the result of an internal initiative to make the firm's products and daily operations more earth-friendly [5]. Positioned at drugstore prices and sold through mass-market and specialty retailers, the brand built its identity around vegan, cruelty-free tools rather than cosmetics themselves.

The brand remains active. Its direct-to-consumer site carries a 2026 copyright and current product lines, and it continues to be distributed across mass merchants, drug stores and specialty beauty retailers in the United States and other markets.

EcoTools was created in 2007 as a sustainability-minded line within Paris Presents, Incorporated, a beauty-accessory maker headquartered in Gurnee, Illinois. The two founding years sometimes attached to the brand reflect this parent relationship: Paris Presents itself was founded in 1947 and has operated for more than seventy years, whereas the EcoTools brand specifically dates to 2007, marking its tenth anniversary in 2017 [4][5]. The individual founders of the EcoTools line are not identified in available sources.

From the outset the line concentrated on beauty tools — brushes, sponges and bath items — positioned as affordable everyday products with an environmental angle, distinguishing it from brands selling colour cosmetics or skincare formulas.

In January 2017 EcoTools was relaunched to coincide with its tenth anniversary. Trade press reported that the refresh moved the range toward a higher-end, more natural look, introducing bamboo handles described as similar to those used by prestige brands, while the brushes continued to sell for as little as four dollars at mass retailers such as Walgreens, CVS and Ulta [5].

In 2018 the brand's parent changed hands. Yellow Wood Partners, a Boston-based private-equity firm, agreed to acquire Paris Presents from EagleTree Capital and combined it with its Freeman Beauty portfolio company [4]. Within the Paris Presents group, EcoTools has been described as one of several flagship brands alongside Real Techniques and Body Benefits by Body Image [4].

EcoTools is owned by Paris Presents, Incorporated, which acts as the parent for several beauty brands, including Real Techniques and Body Benefits by Body Image. Paris Presents has described itself as a provider of branded cosmetic and bath accessories distributed across mass merchants, drug stores, specialty beauty retailers and online channels. Following the 2018 transaction, the company sits within the holdings of Yellow Wood Partners, which acquired it from EagleTree Capital and merged it with Freeman Beauty [4].

EcoTools presents itself as a brand suited to "today's mindful, wellness-oriented lifestyles," with a tagline describing it as "a beauty brand that just feels right" [1]. According to the company, its products are intended to be effective while remaining vegan, cruelty-free and made from recycled and renewable materials. It frames its approach around three stated pillars: quality and affordability, environmental responsibility, and ethical standards such as vegan formulations and cruelty-free certification.

The range centres on makeup brushes and brush sets for the face, cheeks and eyes; blenders and puffs; and bath accessories such as sponges, loofahs, bath brushes and shower gloves. The line has since expanded to include hair brushes under a Better Brush collection, tool cleansers and a self-tan line called Good Tan.

Materials are central to how the products are described. The company says its brushes use cruelty-free bristles together with recycled aluminium and renewable bamboo, while its sponges use EcoFoam, a sugarcane-based foam the brand describes as USDA-certified bio-based material [3]. Packaging, according to the company, has been reduced in plastic by 88 percent through recycled PET, with paper components made from post-consumer recycled material and described as biodegradable. EcoTools states that its products are vegan, fully cruelty-free and PETA-certified, and that they are not subject to animal testing regardless of the market in which they are sold [3]. Manufacturing takes place primarily in Asia, with suppliers the brand says are held to standards covering ethics, quality and fair labour.

EcoTools and its parent have featured in trade and business press. A 2017 CosmeticsDesign article covered the relaunch and anniversary and noted the Gurnee-based parentage and low retail pricing [5]. Earlier, in 2014, Crain's Chicago Business profiled Paris Presents under the headline "Brush strokes," describing how the company grew quickly by selling mass-market makeup brushes as the parent of EcoTools and Real Techniques [6].

The brand is active. Its direct-to-consumer website carries a "© EcoTools Beauty 2026" copyright and actively merchandised collections, including newer lines such as Good Tan and the Better Brush range. It remains owned by Paris Presents and broadly distributed through mass, drug and specialty retail in the United States, with availability extending to additional markets including the Nordics.