Indian beauty company Scentials has raised Rs 25 crore ($3.6 million) in a Series A funding round led by Unilever Ventures.
WHO: Co-founded by former tennis players Jinesh Mehta and Mahesh Bhupathi, Scentials was launched in 2017 to manufacture brands within fragrance, skincare, makeup, and men’s grooming. Scentials partners with popular celebrities and athletes to launch products in the beauty and fragrances categories for the Indian market. Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli launched the one8 brand with the company in January this year, followed with the launch of a line of skincare “Arias” with Lara Dutta.
WHY: The funding will be used to expand its range of offerings by partnering with more celebrities in the coming months.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Jinesh Mehta said, “Since our inception, we have focused on making high-quality beauty products available at affordable prices to the consumer and have already received great traction. This has been made possible through our strategic partnerships with top celebrities—both actors and sportspersons—whose personalities and presence resonate with consumers not only in India but also globally.”
Mahesh Bhupathi stated, “There have been multiple success stories with celebrity beauty brands and licenses in the west and with our product and distribution offering we feel we are able to offer the celebrity an opportunity to create serious value. To have Unilever ventures back our vision is a testimony that we are on the right track.”
Pawan Chaturvedi, Investment Director at Unilever Ventures, added, “Scentials is building a unique beauty brands studio platform that combines fast-paced innovations across beauty categories with endorsements from top tier Indian celebrities in sports, films & entertainment. The celebrity partnerships provide massive traditional and social media to reach driving brand salience. We look forward to supporting Scentials in their growth journey.”
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