Leading clean beauty brand W3LL PEOPLE has received a minority investment from San Francisco-based growth equity investor NextWorld Evergreen.
WHO: W3LL PEOPLE was founded in 2008 by beauty dream team makeup artist Shirley Pinkson, cosmetic dermatologist Reneé Snyder MD, and wellness visionary James Walker. Since launching, the company has become a leader in the clean beauty industry with boundary-breaking formulas that combine extraordinary artistry, state-of-the-art technology, and social responsibility into plant-based cosmetics that truly perform. The brand bridges natural and luxury beauty boutiques, including Credo Beauty, The Detox Market, and Pharmaca, as well as top national retailers including Target and Whole Foods Market, proving that prestige beauty and wellness are not mutually exclusive. W3LL PEOPLE also has two brick-and-mortar retail studios in Austin, offering the full collection of W3LL PEOPLE products, as well as a curated selection of the best in natural beauty across skin, hair, and body care products.
NextWorld Evergreen is a San Francisco-based strategic equity firm focused on providing growth capital to the branded consumer sector, with a commitment to personal care, specialty retail, packaged goods, food & beverage. NextWorld seeks to partner with talented innovators, pioneers, and change agents to build authentic brands with lasting value and global potential. The firm operates from a unique long-term evergreen structure.
WHY: The investment will help with category and distribution expansion while ramping up marketing efforts.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “In our search for a strong financial partner to support and propel W3LL PEOPLE’s burgeoning growth, it was clear from day one that NextWorld was an idyllic choice,” said James Walker, president and co-founder of W3LL PEOPLE. “Their impressive financial resources, commitment to wellness, and extensive experience in the beauty industry all but secure W3LL PEOPLE’s continued future success. With NextWorld’s backing, we’re able to continue expanding into new product categories, grow our retail partnerships, and broaden our marketing reach at a rapid pace.”
“At NextWorld, we’re looking to fund the future of better-for-you and better-for-the world brands. W3LL PEOPLE is a brand that makes high-performance clean beauty accessible, and their mission of sustainability is something we’re excited to support,” said Frederic Benque of NextWorld. “W3LL PEOPLE shook up the clean beauty world with their disruptive business strategies and award-winning cosmetics beginning with the Expressionist Mascara, and they continue to innovate with products that blend artistry, performance and multi-tasking benefits with intentional price positioning that’s attainable for a much wider audience than many of the clean makeup products on the market.”
NextWorld Evergreen operates with no fixed schedule for exits. Julia French, senior associate at the investment firm, points out the duration of its fund is 100 years. “We believe that building great consumer brands takes time, and we align ourselves to that. Our investment will follow the horizon of W3ll People’s growth trajectory and needs,” she says. “We are excited about the brand’s commitment to non-toxic clean beauty, sustainability [and] its dedication to its consumers of all ages.”
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