LA-based natural skin and body care brand Oak Essentials, founded by apparel and home specialist Jenni Kayne, has secured first-round dual funding following its third anniversary.Oak Essentials
New York-based hair wellness brand Seen, founded by dermatologist Iris Rubin, MD, has received $9 million in series A funding, while LA-based natural skin and body care brand Oak Essentials, founded by apparel and home specialist Jenni Kayne, has secured first-round dual funding following its third anniversary.
Oak Essentials to Quickly Scale Wholesale Business
Oak Essentials, which specializes in simplified luxury for spa-like rituals, recently turned 3 years old and builds on its founder’s namesake fashion, lifestyle and home ventures.Oak EssentialsOak Essentials’ new funding came vial Silas Capital and Unilever Ventures and will be used to expand the brand’s product development, marketing and distribution, particularly in wholesale.
The brand recently expanded from DTC via a partnership with ShopBop and Nordstrom.
The brand, which specializes in simplified luxury for spa-like rituals, recently turned 3 years old and builds on its founder’s namesake fashion, lifestyle and home ventures.
To date, Oak Essentials has sold more than 500,000 units and launched 26 products comprising skin care and body care, including the Moisture Rich Balm, Ritual Oil and Dew Body Oil, as well as the recently launched Renew Face Polish, which contains biodegradable, sustainably sourced ingredients and was the first from the brand to be packaged in eco-friendly tree-free paper cartons.
Oak Essentials’ latest range, Soon, will reportedly be housed in these same environmentally conscious containers.
Clinical testing is underway to confirm the range’s product quality and efficacy.
Additional launches will include a moisturizing cleanser and a debut in the bath product category.
Per the brand, Oak Essentials is now set to nearly double its revenue.
“We love how Jenni Kayne has applied tasteful curation to create Oak Essentials as a luxurious beauty lifestyle brand centered around ritual, relaxation and sensorial experiences reminiscent of a visit to the spa–at your own convenience,” says Anna Ohlsson-Baskerville, partner at Unilever Ventures. “The brand delivers for consumers who are increasingly embracing the holistic wellness benefits of beauty products with an appreciation for self-care and beauty routines.”
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce our partnership with Silas Capital and Unilever Ventures, ” says Lauren Harris, CEO at Oak Essentials. “Their investment is a powerful endorsement of our vision to offer spa-like and effective skin care rituals for sophisticated consumers to experience in their own homes. Having spent the last three years building our DTC business, we’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come but are eagerly looking ahead to this next phase. We are so grateful to have Silas and Unilever Ventures’ support and expertise as we place focus on the key areas that we believe will solidify us as leaders in prestige beauty; keeping product innovation at the forefront and building upon our existing assortment and categories, expanding our distribution channels with new and upcoming retail partnerships, and deepening our focus on sustainability as a core pillar of the brand. This is such an incredible milestone for Oak Essentials and we’re so excited for what’s to come.”
“Jenni is the consummate tastemaker, and over the past few years has artfully reflected her ethos in the development of Oak Essentials’ multi-category assortment of clean, luxe essentials,” says Brian Thorne, partner at Silas Capital. “Beyond the elevated aesthetic of these products, they truly do deliver on efficacy–which has been one of the key drivers of the brand’s tremendous growth to date. We’re thrilled to partner with Jenni and Unilever Ventures for this next chapter, supporting both Oak’s impressive e-commerce momentum, as well as its quickly scaling wholesale channel.”
“Oak Essentials was born from my lifelong pursuit of intentional living, a journey routed in nature, that inspired me to create a refined, botanical-based skin care collection inspired by the transformative power of spa experiences,” says Kayne. “As we celebrate Oak Essentials’ third year, this partnership with Silas Capital and Unilever Ventures marks an exciting new chapter for the brand. I’m thrilled for Oak Essentials to collaborate with these respected industry leaders as we push the boundaries of what clean, prestige beauty can be.”
Seen: Scaling Pro Sampling & Retail Footprint
Seen, a key pioneer in the skinification of hair care, derived its latest funding from existing and new strategic investors, including Mitch Rales, co-founder of Danaher Corporation; Somerville SPV, led by acclaimed investor Feroz Dewan; Sator Grove Holdings, a permanent capital investor; and George Mrkonic, a board director of Ulta Beauty, Inc. Seen also received early funding support from Harvard dermatologists and scientists, including Rox Anderson, MD, at Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital.
Seen has been issued five patents and holds the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance for its fragrance-free line. It is available at HelloSeen.com, Ulta, Amazon, Dermstore and SkinStore.SeenThe brand launched in 2019 with three core hair products and has since grown into a complete line of hair care and styling products.
Seen has been issued five patents and holds the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance for its fragrance-free line. It is available at HelloSeen.com, Ulta, Amazon, Dermstore and SkinStore.
“This marks another transformative milestone for Seen,” says Rubin. “A majority of adults in the U.S. have self-described sensitive skin and over 100 million people in the U.S. suffer from acne, eczema, dry scalp and hair shedding, which can be exacerbated by irritating, allergenic and/or pore-clogging ingredients in hair products. Our mission is to help people feel confident being seen by providing them salon-quality hair formulations clinically proven to also be skin friendly.”
“Our Series A funding will allow us to focus on innovation, further scale our professional sampling to 10,000 dermatology practices in 2025, and expand our retail footprint,” said Greg Maged, cofounder of Seen. “We’ve had 100% compounded annual growth since our launch and consistently exceed Ulta’s sales projections for the brand.”
“I am delighted to become an investor in Seen and believe they are setting a new standard for performance hair care,” says Mrkonic. “Seen is applying skin science to hair care, which is exactly the kind of category-defining innovation that gets Ulta excited.”
“When we invest in a brand, we look for companies with large market potential, strong margins, and a platform that creates unique consumer benefits,” says Rales. “We also want to invest in leadership that is smart, agile and driven by a passion for excellence. Seen embodies all these qualities.”