The INKEY List, the #1 trending skincare brand* that has transformed the category with intuitive and effective ingredient-led formulas, has announced a significant minority investment from Aria Growth Partners, a leading consumer-focused private equity firm.
Based in the U.K. and co-founded in 2018 by Colette Laxton and Mark Curry, The INKEY List has grown nearly 600% in just 3 years to become a global leader in skincare. While deal terms were not disclosed, The INKEY List plans to use the investment to continue their rapid global growth and to continue making skincare solutions more accessible to consumers.
“As we enter a seminal phase in our brand development, we felt it was the right time to bring in another external investor to support our huge growth plans for 2022,” said Laxton. “We believe in the power of strong relationships, and with Aria joining our board alongside Unilever Ventures, we feel we now have a great company formula for future success and growth.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Mark, Colette and their outstanding team at The INKEY List,” notes Trevor Nelson, Founder & Managing Partner at Aria Growth Partners. “With ingredientled, highly effective products and a deep commitment to empowering consumers with both knowledge and accessible prices, we believe The INKEY List is the future of skincare. We’re excited to help them continue their unprecedented growth.”
The INKEY List’s portfolio of skincare and scalp care has quickly reached hero status, with bestsellers such as their Salicylic Acid Cleanser and Hyaluronic Acid serum selling out in seconds when restocked globally. Amassing a community of over 2.1 million, the brand has sold nearly 20 million products globally to date and has been innovating at a remarkable rate based on their own real-time consumer insights.
The INKEY List can be found at Sephora in over 30 countries, Boots and CultBeaulty.com in the United Kingdom, and at theinkeylist.com. “We are grateful to our fantastic retail partners,” notes Laxton. “We are so lucky to partner with some of the biggest retailers and to have grown into one of their top-selling brands in just three years. Our mission is to support consumers as they enter the daunting world of skincare by providing them with simple knowledge to navigate through skincare ingredients and how to use them, while providing real-time, human skincare support through our digital askINKEY team.”
In March 2022, The INKEY List will also evolve their human-led customer service approach with the launch of their new ‘we are INKEY’ positioning campaign, whilst doubling down on their consumer education supported by a collective of external dermatologists and trichologists.
*SPATE (December 2021) ‘Brands to watch’ Report, Spate NYC, pp 6.
For more information on The INKEY List click here.
