Allergen neutral skincare brand Oodee raises £700,000

London-based skincare brand Oodee has raised £700,000 for inventory, marketing, consumer product testing, recruitment and trademarking and IP protection.

The £700,000 was raised with the support of the Angel Investment Network, with the brand launching this week with what it claims is the world's first allergen neutral skincare range.

The founders Karen Harwood and Victoria Tydeman said they developed the brand for people who are affected by skin flare-ups and intolerances triggered by allergens in existing skincare brands.

The brand was founded in 2018 and spent four years developing its product range that eliminates 14 food and 26 fragrance allergens. Its formulation focus on using a multivitamin complex of scientifically proven active ingredients it calls DermaRDE+.

Oodee says its products are made up of natural, cruelty-free and vegan ingredients and is manufactured using green chemistry methods. All packaging is made from recycled and upcycled materials.

Harwood commented: “Until Oodee, there has been an acute lack of evidence and support for women and men who can’t find a solution to random skin flare-ups. It can be a lonely, frustrating, and often painful place to be. Something I have struggled with for over a decade.

“We are delighted that angel investors have backed our mission to close the gap and change the face of skincare as we know it. We are creating a new category and narrative in plant-powered science for people with flare-ups they simply cannot get to the bottom of. We are excited to launch the range this week.”

Sam Louis, Director, Angel Investment Network said: “We were big fans of Oodee from the start. They’ve drawn on the existing understanding of human allergies and applied it to a long-established skincare problem, creating a novel yet exceptionally well-grounded solution.

“The raise was oversubscribed and closed extremely quickly, with investors highly impressed by the rigorous science applied, by Karen and Victoria’s passion, and by the experience shown in their forecasting. We’re very excited for them and can’t wait to watch them launch with the backing of some top angel investors from our global network.”

Oodee is sold via its own website, and online retailer Victoria Health.