British digital native beauty brand Facetheory gets £10m investment boost

Digital native skincare brand Facetheory has received a £10 million investment from Active Partners, which it will use to fuel growth in the European and US markets, fund research projects and drive recruitment.

Sheffield-based Facetheory was founded by Jamie Shuker in 2014 and says it uses natural, vegan and cruelty-free formulas that are sold at affordable price points, a strategy which has led to substantial revenue growth from £2m to £15m in the past three years.

This is the first time London-based private equity firm Active Partners has invested in the personal care sector. It previously invested in food chain Leon, members club Soho House as well as cycling clothing brand Rapha and outdoor label Finisterre.

Jamie Shuker, Founder and CEO of Facetheory said: “I founded Facetheory on the belief that consumers deserved better for their skin: better ingredients, better results and better prices. I couldn’t be more excited to have Active Partners on board for this next phase of growth, and their deep expertise and experience in building exceptional, ethical consumer brands will be invaluable as we look to further build out our brilliant team and bring Facetheory’s products to a global audience.”

Janice Cargo, an Investor at Active Partners, added: “Today’s consumers don’t just want great skin care products, they want great skin care products that are ‘clean’, natural and that don’t cost the earth. Jamie recognised this and the team has designed the most exceptional range of innovation, ingredient-led, natural products that consumers genuinely love. The brand’s impressive track record and high repeat purchases rates speak for themselves, and this is truly one of the UK’s most exciting and fast-growing direct-to-consumer skin care brands.”