Proctor & Gamble, the owners of SK-II and Olay, has purchased First Aid Beauty (FAB) for a reported US$250 million.
Announcing the acquisition, FAB founder Lilli Gordon said the company is thrilled to be “a part of the P&G Beauty family”.
“When I launched First Aid Beauty in 2009, I was on a rescue mission to address the needs of sensitive skin (like mine) and provide clean, feel-good formulas that really work,” she said.
“Almost a decade later … our brand has grown tremendously, and I am so excited to enter into this next chapter with the global reach and resources of P&G Beauty.”
Under the terms of the acquisition, FAB, which currently has 50 staff, will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary with Gordon as CEO.
“I will continue to lead the amazing team at FAB, and we all remain committed to making every day a good skin day through the same clean, cruelty-free, safe for sensitive skin products that you expect,” she said.
Describing the acquisition as “almost a point of inflection for the business,” she told WWD that the brand had “been growing very healthily” but needed “a different mind-set” to sustain that growth over the next 10 years.
Under P&G, FAB will be able to increase its global footprint “much faster and so much more effectively”.
“It’s going to be like letting me loose in a candy shop,” she told the publication.
Gordon founded the skincare range as she had sensitive skin but couldn’t “find skincare products that were effective, made with safe, soothing ingredients and looked and felt great”.
“With a background in beauty, I was determined to create a collection of products that I would be happy to use on myself and share with my family.”
Today the brand, which promises to provide everyday essentials and targeted skincare solutions that deliver immediate relief, lasting results and feel-good textures, is sold in major retailers including Ulta Beauty and Sephora.
In the US, one unit of the brand’s “cult-classic” Ultra Repair Cream, sold every 3.34 minutes last year.