Raymond Cloosterman on the evolution of Rituals
There’s a certain poetry in celebrating Rituals’ 25th anniversary inside the hallowed halls of the Rijksmuseum, framed by Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and flanked by Dutch masterpieces that whisper of time, history, and permanence. The celebration itself was a masterclass in the brand’s ethos.
Just about 30 invited guests from around the world, with Tatler Malaysia being the only Southeast Asian media representative, gathered for an evening that seamlessly wove together art, culture, and gastronomy. The night began with cocktails, followed by a private tour of the museum’s collection, before settling into dinner created by chef Joris Bijdendijk, the executive chef of RIJKS restaurant which featured a four-course menu that perfectly captured Rituals’ east-meets-west philosophy. The evening concluded with a musical performance that felt both intimate and grand.
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But for Raymond Cloosterman, the founder and CEO of Rituals, this milestone is less about grand gestures and more about gratitude, especially for the people, the journey, and the purpose that’s only deepened with time.
The Rijksmuseum was the location for the 25th anniversary celebration
The CEO admits that he didn’t imagine it would come this far. “You take it day by day. You start with a dream, and then you hope to make it to Christmas, not going bankrupt,” Cloosterman tells me with the relaxed candour of someone who’s both grounded and quietly proud. From a single store to 1,500 locations worldwide, from three employees to 12,000, and from obscurity to ranking among the world’s top 10 beauty brands, Rituals’ trajectory reads like a modern business fairy tale. Not bad for someone who left a cushy corporate career at Unilever to chase an idea that, at the time, didn’t yet have a name.
The stained glass windows in the Great Hall of the museum
But Rituals was never just about skincare or scented candles. It was about creating space in a busy world for presence, for reflection—for ritual. “In the early days, we were very passionate about creating something which makes people happy,” Cloosterman says. “We focused on the top end quality products with great design and at a fair price. That was our secret weapon.”
The world, it seems, was ready. What began as a boutique idea caught on, not just for its products but for its philosophy. And while Cloosterman is the first to credit his team for his success, there’s an unmistakable through-line in the brand’s evolution that reflects his own shift in perspective.
Guests were treated to a private tour of the museum’s paintings
“I think the first five years as an entrepreneur, it was all cash and making sure that you could survive,” he says. “Then it was about scale. Now, it’s about culture.”
That culture—equal parts entrepreneurial spirit and creative obsession—is what Cloosterman hopes to protect as the company expands into Asia, its next major chapter. “We are one of the fastest growing beauty brands in the world and very successful across Europe. But in Asia, we’re still a very young brand. And so for the next 10 to 20 years, we have to build Rituals in Asia in the same way we did hopefully in Europe,” he says.
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Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’ painting is the centrepiece of the museum
Another challenge? Staying ahead of the sustainability curve. Cloostermon explains: “An industry challenge, I would think, for the whole industry, would be how are we coping with all the environmental pressures coming towards us. We need to do so much more than we do today. And that’s a real challenge because not every part of the world is at the same development stage.”
It’s a conversation that’s not just theoretical. Rituals’ B Corp certification, which resulted from a three-year process involving the reformulation of products and a robust refill programme, was a turning point. “It was a huge step for the company and a highlight,” Cloosterman says.
Chef Joris Bijdendijk, the executive chef of RIJKS restaurant
Still, Cloosterman doesn’t believe in preaching. His approach to wellness, like his brand, is inclusive, elegant, and refreshingly human. “In time, when you become successful, when you get older, you start to realise that you have bigger responsibilities. And especially when you have success, you have, in my opinion, the obligation to do something with that,” he says.
It’s this layering of meaning and the willingness to evolve that defines Rituals today. That, and a strong sense of creative ambition. Case in point: the House of Rituals, a four-storey “temple” to the brand in the heart of Amsterdam. “I was proud because I was as nervous as day one with the first store. You suddenly have to create something on 1900 square metres. And when you start working with a bunch of friends to imagine what you could do there, and then start to realise it. That was amazing. But on a personal level, I was also really proud last year of opening our store, number 1,000 in Milan,” he admits.
Floral decorations in theme with Rituals’ Amsterdam collection
This personal moment translates to Cloosterman’s understanding of legacy, which stems from an early loss—the death of his father when he was just nine years old. “It taught me two things,” he says. “One, that life is not about collecting money or things. It’s about collecting memories with people you love. And two, that life is short. You need to make it count.”
That philosophy runs through everything—from Rituals’ emphasis on mindfulness to its global “slow down” movement, which encourages consumers to pause, breathe and appreciate the moment.
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The 25th anniversary celebration was an intimate affair which featured a select group of people
But Cloosterman’s definition of success, like his company, has matured. “I think when we started, success was to create something which would resonate and be sustainable as well as profitable. Now, when you’re older and wiser, you know there’s more than that. Success is not only about leaving something behind that is sustainable from a business perspective, but you also want to raise a nice family and create meaningful friendships.”
It’s tempting to romanticise the story—a scrappy entrepreneur builds an empire with nothing but grit and good taste—but Cloosterman resists that framing. The journey, he insists, wasn’t linear. It was built day by day, challenge by challenge: first, survival; then, scalability; now, sustaining a soul within a global brand. And maybe that’s what made the 25th anniversary celebration feel so poignant. It wasn’t just about marking a milestone but perhaps about reaffirming a belief. In beauty. In balance. In the simple act of slowing down, even as the world speeds up.
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