Feelunique

About Feelunique

In 2005, entrepreneurs Aaron Chatterley and Richard Schiessl identified an opportunity in the nascent online beauty market. They founded Feelunique in the Channel Islands, aiming to create a digital destination for beauty products. The early days presented a significant hurdle: convincing premium beauty brands, who were hesitant to sell online, to come aboard. To meet their strict distribution requirements, Feelunique acquired physical hair salons and spas, a move that gave them the credibility and access needed to secure prestigious brand partnerships. This hybrid strategy paid off, allowing Feelunique to build one of the largest online assortments of premium beauty in Europe. The company offered tens of thousands of products from hundreds of brands, shipping to a growing international customer base. In 2012, the company's growth attracted outside investment from Palamon Capital Partners, which acquired a majority stake to help fuel further expansion. A pivotal chapter in the company's journey came in 2021. The global beauty powerhouse Sephora, owned by LVMH, announced it was acquiring Feelunique for a reported £132 million. The deal provided Sephora with an immediate, substantial entry into the robust UK digital beauty market, leveraging Feelunique's large, active customer base and e-commerce expertise. Following the acquisition, the Feelunique website and brand were absorbed into Sephora's UK platform, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another under one of the biggest names in beauty retail.