Key Takeaways:

• Bubble Skincare alumni launch $10 hand wash brand. 
• LeNose aims to redefine the mass soap and home fragrance market.
• Era, Fifth Growth Fund, and OpenSky Ventures backed the brand.

Bubble alumni launch LeNose with oversubscribed pre-revenue funding.

WHO: LeNose, founded by Caroline Valentini, Lindsay St. Clair, and Zee Carlstrom, is a Gen Z home fragrance brand with Soap de Parfum positioned as “a $100 hand wash for $10” and a mission to democratize luxury fragranced hand soap. The collection of five fragrances includes: Orange You Glad Life’s Not So Bad, I’m So Fancy, My Soap Smells Like Money, Yeehaw I’m a Sandalwood Cowboy, Don’t Call Me Boring I’m Extra Vanilla, and Kiss Me On Coconut Coast. The brand launches direct-to-consumer and on TikTok Shop, with plans to enter Amazon in October. They plan to add more home fragrance categories and retailers soon.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “From the moment we met the team, we saw that LeNose had the potential to be a category-defining brand,” Era Partner Claire Cherry told WWD. “We saw a rare desire to shape the cultural zeitgeist and become a leading voice in this category, akin to what the team achieved with Bubble. From our time backing brands like Seed, Boy Smells, and Maude, we know that exceptionally strong creative direction, a phenomenal product, and an accessible price point give LeNose the opportunity to disrupt a sleepy category.” 

DETAILS: 

• LeNose closed a $3 million oversubscribed pre-revenue round with investment from Era, Fifth Growth Fund, and OpenSky Ventures.
• WWD reported that industry sources estimated retail sales between $5 million and $10 million in year one.