$40 exfoliating hand soap… spotted in trendy restaurant bathrooms. Cosmetics icon L’Oréal is dropping $2.5B to buy Australian skincare brand Aesop in its largest acquisition ever. Aesop’s aromatic body-care products are stocked in 400 stores worldwide in luxe retailers like Nordstrom. L’Oréal wants to expand Aesop’s presence in countries like China, where beauty demand is high.
Pricey GRWM: Aesop has more than doubled its sales since 2018, raking in over half a billion a year as people treat themselves with its $100 exfoliants and $40 balms.
Beautiful returns: Aesop could bolster L'Oréal's top-performing luxe division (which includes billion-dollar beauty brands like Lancôme, YSL, and Giorgio Armani).
The price is in the #aesthetic packaging… Cosmetic giants have been scooping up smaller luxury beauty brands to woo the hearts (and wallets) of younger consumers. In 2019, Shiseido paid $845M to buy cult skincare brand Drunk Elephant. Last year, Unilever spent $500M on Japanese skincare brand Tatcha. Both brands are staples on Sephora shelves. Gen Z is willing to spend more on premium beauty products, and Zillennials are expected to make up 70% of luxury shoppers by 2025.
Small brands can be a great foundation… for bigger returns. Curated brands like Aesop and Tatcha can help mass-market beauty biggies attract higher-spending customers. While L’Oréal has broad appeal with drugstore products like $8 mascara and CeraVe, it can earn fatter margins on $50 hand soaps. Meanwhile, Aesop can benefit from L'Oréal's global reach and supply chain. Analysts think there could be more beauty acquisitions ahead.