From small rituals to global impact: Raymond Cloosterman on building a billion brand with purpose 

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Conversation with Raymond Cloosterman, CEO & Founder, Rituals

In just 25 years, Rituals has grown from a basement start-up in Amsterdam into a global business with 1,500 standalone stores and a presence in 33 countries. In 2025, the company reported revenues of nearly €2.5 billion and an EBITDA of around €550 million, placing it among the fastest-growing brands in the global beauty industry.

Yet for Raymond Cloosterman, it has never been solely about products. “It was never just a product idea,” as he puts it.

Today, Rituals has committed to allocating part of its profits to supporting the mental wellbeing of millions of young people, just one element of a broader ambition to create meaningful, positive impact.

In connection with a major relaunch, we met Raymond Cloosterman in Amsterdam for a conversation about the journey, the responsibility, and what continues to drive him today.

"... it was never just a product idea"

Raymond Cloosterman, CEO & Founder, Rituals

"Happiness and wellbeing are not found in one big life change. They are created through small rituals that you repeat every day"

Raymond, Looking back, can you remember the vision you dreamed of for Rituals when you started 25 years ago?

“Yes, I still remember it very clearly, because it was never just a product idea. It was a belief about how people want to live. I wanted to build a brand that could help people slow down and rediscover meaning in the smallest moments of their day.

I was lucky enough to travel a lot because of my previous job, and I was inspired by ancient Asian traditions, but what stayed with me most was something universal. Happiness and wellbeing are not found in one big life change. They are created through small rituals that you repeat every day.

From the start, I wanted Rituals to be a complete world of experience. The fragrance, the texture, the design and the service had to work together. A store should feel like stepping out of the rush and into a calmer space, even if you only have a few minutes. And I wanted it to be accessible. Premium in experience, but not exclusive in attitude.

If you ask me what the vision was in one sentence, it is still the same today. We are not here to sell you beauty. We are here to make you feel good. We call it feelgood luxury.”

How important is it for you to preserve some form of the original start up spirit at Rituals?

“It is absolutely essential, I believe that spirit is what keeps a company alive. We should protect this culture at any sake. When you are small, you are naturally close to the customer. You listen more carefully, you move faster, and you feel every detail. When you grow, you risk replacing that with distance and routine. So, preserving the start-up spirit is really about protecting a mindset. It means staying curious and never assuming you have it all figured out.

For me, it also means keeping the business connected to the store floor. That is where the magic happens. It is where you see what customers respond to, and what they expect, where you feel the energy of the teams, and where you notice immediately when something is not good enough. It is also why innovation matters so much. Not innovation as a buzzword, innovation is a habit. If you keep creating, improving and refining, you stay relevant. If you stop, you become predictable. The goal is to grow but to keep the start-up mentality and culture. You can build structure and discipline, but you should never lose the hunger and the creativity that made the brand special in the first place.”

"Building meaningful connections instead of just following the latest trends"

What has been your most important leadership principle over the years?

“Stay true to your brand’s philosophy and lead with purpose. Leadership isn’t just about growth or profit, but about building something meaningful and consistent. A few key ideas behind this principle. I believe in sticking to the core vision of Rituals, transforming everyday routines into meaningful moments, rather than chasing short-term market trends.

Also, strong company culture and values are central. Leadership is creating an environment where people feel connected to the mission. Lastly, Rituals isn’t just selling products, it’s selling an experience and a mindset. That requires to think beyond transactions, to build a brand with a soul, not just a business.”

Where do you continuously find the drive and energy to lead Rituals at the forefront of the industry?

“My energy comes from our purpose, building a brand that adds meaning to people’s daily lives. As long as we keep evolving, innovating, and staying true to that mission, the drive comes naturally.

I also get energy from learning and from the responsibility that comes with scale. When you become a bigger player, you no longer have the ‘luxury’ of saying, “We are too small to make a difference.” You have power and you have the ability to help move standards in the industry in the right direction. For me, sustainability becomes very concrete there.

It is the daily work of making better choices in packaging, reducing unnecessary materials, improving recyclability, increasing our refill collection, and constantly challenging ourselves to do more with less, without compromising on the experience our customers expect. These are not headline moments. They are thousands of decisions that, at our size, add up to real impact.

That is also why Profit Pledge matters to me. It is a commitment to link performance to positive impact, and to make sure that as we grow, we also give back and contribute in a meaningful way. It creates a deeper kind of motivation, because it connects ambition with values. It reminds us that leadership today is not only about staying ahead commercially. It is about using your success to help push things forward, and proving that growth and positive impact can, and should, go hand in hand.”

"If we succeed, the milestone will not be a number"

What do you see as Rituals next major milestone?

“It is about deepening what Rituals stands for and how we show up in people’s lives. We have proven that the concept can scale internationally. Now the opportunity is to make the wellbeing experience even more meaningful, even more consistent, and even more human, everywhere. To raise the bar and to become the most well-known wellbeing brand in the world.

That means continuing to elevate the store experience, because experience is our true product. It also means continuing to innovate in a way that feels relevant, so that small routines and rituals stay easy to integrate into daily life, and not something that only exists in a perfect world. And it means building the company responsibly, so that our growth comes with clear commitments and measurable progress. If we succeed, the milestone will not be a number.

It will be that Rituals becomes even more trusted and even more loved as a brand that genuinely helps people feel better in everyday life.”