Cosmetics giant Rituals confirms data breach of customer membership records

The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits SF on April 30. Tickets are going fast. Register now. Save up to $680 on your Disrupt 2026 pass. Ends 11:59 p.m. PT tonight. REGISTER NOW. TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIApps EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest Cosmetics giant Rituals confirms data breach of customer membership records Zack Whittaker 8:38 AM PDT · April 22, 2026 Netherlands-based cosmetics giant Rituals has confirmed a data breach affecting customers’ personal information after hackers stole reams of data from its membership database. The company disclosed the breach on Wednesday, according to an email sent to customers that TechCrunch has viewed and verified.  Rituals said it identified an “unauthorized download” of members’ data in April that contained customers’ full name, date of birth, gender, postal and email address, and phone number as well as their preferred Rituals store, and account type. When reached by TechCrunch, Rituals spokesperson Eline van Malssen said the hacker stole membership data about customers in Europe and the United Kingdom. TechCrunch has learned that some customers notified by Rituals are based in the United States. The spokesperson confirmed the incident also affects some U.S. customers. Rituals did not describe the nature of the cyberattack and the company said its investigation was underway to understand how the data breach happened.  The cosmetics giant is the latest retailer to have customer membership data stolen in the past year, following a string of intrusions at U.K. grocery and shopping chains Co-op and Marks & Spencer, among others. Customer records can be attractive targets for hackers who steal the data and extort the company for a ransom in exchange for not publishing the information online. When reached with questions about the incident, a Rituals spokesperson declined to comment on whether the company received any communication from the hackers, to share a more precise timeline of the breach, or to provide the exact number of affected members, citing unspecified “security reasons.” According to its website, Rituals has over 41 million customers in its membership database. The retail giant made €2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion) in revenue in 2025. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Zack Whittaker Security Editor Zack Whittaker is the security editor at TechCrunch. He also authors the weekly cybersecurity newsletter, this week in security. He can be reached via encrypted message at zackwhittaker.1337 on Signal. You can also contact him by email, or to verify outreach, at zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com. April 30 San Francisco, CA StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Get in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited. Most Popular Unauthorized group has gained access to Anthropic’s exclusive cyber tool Mythos, report claims Lucas Ropek Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO, John Ternus taking over Amanda Silberling Connie Loizos Blue Origin’s New Glenn put a customer satellite in the wrong orbit during its third launch Sean O'Kane Palantir posts mini-manifesto denouncing inclusivity and ‘regressive’ cultures Anthony Ha ‘Tokenmaxxing’ is making developers less productive than they think Tim Fernholz Anthropic launches Claude Design, a new product for creating quick visuals Aisha Malik Anthropic CPO leaves Figma’s board after reports he will offer a competing product Tim Fernholz X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct Tim CookJohn TernusNew GlennWhatsAppMythosTech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.