Inflexion takes 49% of French nail brand Manucurist, eyeing $119M revenue
What's the deal? European private equity firm InflexionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has taken a 49 percent stake in premium French nail care line ManucuristDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the brand confirmed on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed. It is Manucurist's first outside investor.
What does the company do? Founded in Paris in 1996 as a salon and distributor, the business was taken over by Gaëlle Lebrat Personnaz from her mother in 2016 and relaunched as a nail care line with selective ingredients and premium formulas. Its Green Flash gel range uses LED light rather than UV to set polish, addressing customer concerns about skin damage.
The brand expects to generate $119 million in revenue this year. Lebrat Personnaz and her husband will remain majority owners.
Why now? Lebrat Personnaz said she took the deal to fund longer-term global growth after deciding not to keep the business in the family. "I wanted to give my children the freedom to do what they want in life," she said.
What's the endgame? She hopes to lean on Inflexion's strategy, operations, and global distribution capabilities to double the business over the next four to five years, then potentially sell the line to a strategic buyer.
Manucurist has expanded across Europe, Asia, and Australia, but the US is now its largest and fastest-growing market, on track to make up roughly a third of revenue this year. It sells directly to consumers, on Amazon, and through retailers including SephoraDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, MeccaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and TargetDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
The signal: Nail care remains a smaller beauty category, but the closure of salons during the Covid-19 pandemic reshaped it, pushing more customers toward at-home routines like press-ons and home gel kits. Inflexion, a middle-market firm that previously backed skincare brand Medik8Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, is betting the shift has room to run.
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