2021 Deal Flow – The Most Active Investors in Beauty

Amyris: Leaders in biotechnology, Amyris began in 2003 with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create a molecule to deal with malaria, and since that point they’ve turn out to be a vanguard in the biofuel revolution. Fast-forward, the enterprise has developed into a number one artificial biotech firm targeted on servicing the wonder and private care market, accelerating sustainable substances by means of fermentation and the corporate’s proprietary Lab-to-Market working platform. The enterprise has developed and scaled 13 molecules with one other 18 in the pipeline, and their substances are used in over 20,000 merchandise from the world’s high manufacturers.
In 2016, Amyris developed an artificial type of shark-derived squalene and incubated a magnificence model based mostly on the ingredient as a advertising car. Five years later, Biossance has generated $160 million in gross sales, and squalene represents 20% of Amyris’ whole income. Looking to copy this success, and guided by CEO John Melo’s imaginative and prescient of constructing “the L’Oréal of fresh magnificence,” the corporate set about growing a portfolio of shopper manufacturers deploying a bifurcated technique of incubation and acquisition.
Clean child model Pipette, Purecane, a pioneering clear sweetener, and JVN, a haircare model co-created with Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness had been all incubated by Amyris between 2019-2021. The steadiness of the nine-brand portfolio got here into the fold by means of an acquisition philosophy of shopping for small manufacturers and rising them to ship a 10x return or greater in 4 years or much less quite than competing for established manufacturers.
In October 2020, Amyris acquired 60% of Rose, Inc., the approach to life media firm based by supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, launching a coloration cosmetics and skincare model in August 2021. Terasana was the enterprise’s first model acquisition in February 2021, rebranded as a clear medical skincare model based mostly on squalene and CBG, and relaunched final August. Costa Brazil was added to the portfolio in March 2021, and founder Francisco Costa assumed the position of Chief Creative Officer of Amyris. In April 2021, Amyris took a 70% stake in Gen Z-focused coloration model EcoFabulous, and founder Marissa Shipman joined Amyris to steer model innovation. Clean wellness model Olika was acquired in June 2021, with President Alastair Dorward becoming a member of Amyris as Chief Brand Officer. Like many magnificence portfolios, Amyris additionally invested in know-how, buying Beauty Labs final 12 months, a enterprise pioneering the way forward for enhanced actuality in magnificence and wellness.
The end result has been a flurry of dealmaking in 2021 that has created a portfolio of manufacturers masking the spectrum of magnificence classes, tapping present tendencies whereas assembling a C-suite of expertise in the method. Amyris started 2022 saying an settlement on unique phrases to accumulate the belongings of MenoLabs, LLC, a women-founded firm targeted on menopause. It’s been reported that Amyris is not planning different acquisitions because it at present has sufficient manufacturers to cowl 80-90% of the wonder market. Moving ahead, creating and leveraging the synergies between the portfolio manufacturers and development will most probably be the main target of the enterprise.

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