M&A in the beauty category has been on fire for several years, and while the chatter of a beauty bubble continued, 2019 proved to be another strong year. Everything seemed to get bigger this year—the investments, the deals, and without question, the exits. As of 21 November, beauty deal activity for 2019 had already outpaced 2018 by 19%, according to investment bank Capstone Headwaters.
Strategic buyers, venture capital firms, and private equity companies have all been active, with many newcomers entering into the space. Beauty unicorns emerged, there were a number of billion-dollar deals, and bets were made on the next crop of indies with smaller capital raises in the $5-$10 million range.
The number of transactions and valuations remained high, creating challenges for potential acquirers as a result. Susan Babinsky, Senior Vice President of Kline Group, says: “The flurry of M&A activity over past several years has reduced the pipeline of good-sized opportunities (eg $100m- plus brands or companies) thus companies are snatching up small and sometimes less proven businesses—often for quite a premium.”
We’ve put in the time and have done the work for you compiling beauty and wellness deal activity in 2019.
Inside the 433-page BeautyMatter 2019 Year-End Report:
