Launch Date: February 2022
Geography: Los Angeles, CA, US
Founder: Alexandra Keating, Founder + CEO
Executive Team: Sarah Gardner, Chief Merchandising Officer
Notable Investors:
2026 Full Year Projected Revenue: $10M - $20M, according to industry estimates
Primary Category: Bodycare
Other Category: Fragrance
Funding: Venture Capital
Primary Distribution Channel: Prestige
Other Distribution Channels:
Key Retail Partners:
Key Markets:
2026 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 1,000
I started Uni from a lifelong connection to the ocean. Spending my childhood holidays by the Great Barrier Reef, I became very passionate about ocean conservation. A few years ago, I went back to the reef and noticed that the coral was very bleached in the tourist areas and this largely came from sunscreen. That started my mission of looking into efficacious and clean sun and bodycare. Being Australian I love bodycare and recognized the need for high-performing bodycare that is both scent forward and sustainably made.
Uni is the result: scent-driven, high-performance bodycare housed in refillable, 100% recycled aluminum. We focus on formulas that show real results and scents that transport you. I call it guilt-free luxury because you can have it all.
Insights: Alexandra Keating, Founder + CEO
Why now and why you?
Bodycare is having a moment, but that is not something I knew when I first started Uni. At the time bodycare was largely owned by fragrance-driven players Byredo, Aesop, Le Labo, and Diptyque. I was having to buy my bodycare in Australia and Europe, which I did not love as I was a carry-on suitcase, always, girl! The bodycare was largely not clean with synthetic heavy fragrance.
Today people want more from their bodycare than fragrance run-of-the-mill lotions. They want performative products that are clean, and they want fragrance profiles that will elevate both their experience and scent. They also want it packaged responsibly. Uni does all of this and more!
What fuels your competitive advantage?
Uni’s edge comes from doing three things exceptionally well, and doing them together. As an Australian-founded brand, we hold bodycare to a higher standard: Fragrance must be distinctive, performance must be measurable, and responsibility must be built into each element of the product process.
Our scents are a major differentiator. We create elevated fragrance profiles shaped by past travels and memorable experiences. They’re refined, sophisticated, and instantly recognizable as Uni; it’s part of our signature identity.
Our formulas are unique, face-grade formulas that deliver needed bodycare benefits whose performance-based claims come from sustainably farmed algaes and Australian native ingredients. Our formulas pair perfectly to build out the routine for soft glowy skin. We have the highest standards with regards to being clean. We are both EWG and reef safe certified, as well as credo clean, and exceed Ulta Beauty’s conscious beauty standards. We use 100% recycled aluminum that is 100% recyclable and refillable. With this standard of care, you don’t have to worry about the quality of the product. You just know what you are getting is top of the market. I honestly don’t think there is a higher quality bodycare brand than Uni.
What’s your proudest accomplishment to date?
What I’m most proud of is the community we’ve built. We set out to create a brand that people could trust, return to, and feel genuinely connected with. Seeing Uni become a product people keep in their showers, on their counters, and in their travel bags has been our biggest accomplishment. We’re equally proud of how this resonance has translated into retail. Our presence at Ulta Beauty, in particular, has been a pivotal moment. Being supported by a retailer of that scale and influence signals that Uni is the future of bodycare.
Launching so successfully in Australia and the United Kingdom has also been a huge accomplishment. We had very little market awareness pre-launch, and now both have hit it out of the park. Knowing that Uni is so sought after in other markets and that our messaging and community resonates overseas is a real highlight!
I’m also super proud of our team and marketing efforts. This year we launched a collaboration with Mr Chow; we launched three new products and a global SoulCycle partnership on top of three major retail launches. All a huge success. That is not an easy thing to do. I am very grateful to have such wonderful people on this journey with me.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
Well, they did tell me; I just didn’t listen. One of my investors said “I’ll invest just so you know AK, I will see you in three years because that’s just how long it will take to get this up and scaling.” He was right; it’s a journey! But a beautiful one, and here we are three years later and loving it!
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
That it’s all worth it. The long-term mission is worth the meticulous work. Don’t rush. Every ingredient, package, and workflow matters; not just for performance, but for credibility, trust, and impact.
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
For us, it’s two things. One, to be a globally known brand. To have cracked through to one of the great brands. Two, to continue to be a leading brand in the sustainability space. I would like to keep making waves and lead by example.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
“Clean beauty” has been overhyped, often functioning more as a marketing label than a meaningful measure of product excellence.
“Sustainability” has been overlooked. We call it blue beauty and it’s the practice of looking at the whole product lifecycle and making real measurable changes.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
The beauty and bodycare industry must embrace sustainability as a non-negotiable foundation, not a feature or an afterthought. That means rethinking everything from ingredient sourcing to recycling solutions, ensuring products actively regenerate our planet rather than harm it. My hope is that we move toward a world where responsible innovation is the baseline, not the exception.
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
My wish is for Uni to spark an industry-wide transformation where high performance and environmental stewardship aren’t aspirations but universal expectations.