Unilever has signed an agreement to acquire the skincare brand Paula's Choicea leader in the digital market, with TA Associates. Paula's Choice is a pioneer in scientific products and direct-to-consumer e-commerce.
Founded by Paula Begoun in 1995, the brand is famous for its cutting-edge innovation, accessible and jargon-free science, high-performance ingredients and products cruaulty free.
Paula's Choice offers powerful content and digital tools to demystify the science behind skincare, including a Ingredients dictionary that breaks down the search behind nearly 4,000 ingredients, and Expert Advicean online knowledge center for skincare and ingredients.
Vasiliki Petrou, EVP and CEO Prestige at Unilever, said: " We are delighted that Paula's Choice is joining the Unilever Prestige family. Paula's Choice is a true pioneer in the digital beauty space, and has created a mission-driven brand rooted in truth and transparency. We look forward to introducing the brand and its iconic products to an even wider audience.. "
Paula Begoun, founder, said: " I'm delighted that Unilever and Paula's Choice are joining forces, and I'd like to thank Vasiliki and the Unilever team for believing in us, our mission and our values. With Unilever, we can build on our work and vision that spans 26 years of creating exceptional products, and giving people the confidence to know that they are taking the best possible care of their skin. "
Jeffrey Barber, Managing Director of TA, said: " We're proud to have played a part in the story of Paula's Choice's growth into a leading global direct-to-consumer skincare brand. We look forward to seeing what the company can achieve in partnership with Unilever. "
The brand is distributed through a worldwide network of direct distribution and selected prestige retailers in North America, Europe and Asia. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.
