Pacifica Beauty receives strategic investment and names new CEO

Pacifica Beauty, the American vegan, cruelty-free, clean beauty brand, has received a strategic investment from private equity investment firm Brentwood Associates to accelerate the company’s growth.

The investment coincides with the appointment of a new chief executive officer and board member Nathalie Kristo, a former L’Oréal executive who before joining Pacifica served as Huda Beauty’s North America president, then chief executive based in Dubai, and Pacifica founder Brook Harvey-Taylor moving to the role of company president.

In a statement, Pacifica said that Kristo and Harvey-Taylor would work together to leverage Brentwood’s expertise as a growth-oriented middle-market private equity investment firm to accelerate the company’s omnichannel growth strategy and broaden awareness of the brand’s products.

Pacifica Beauty, founded in 1996, offers a range of products spanning skincare, haircare, cosmetics and fragrance. Its key product franchises include Glow Baby with vitamin C, Wake Up Beautiful with retinoids, and Stellar Gaze Mascara, which launched in 2013 as one of the first clean mascaras on the market.

Currently, the brand is available in the US at Target, Ulta and Whole Foods, and through pacificabeauty.com and Amazon, as well as internationally with partnerships with Shoppers Drug Market, Cult Beauty, and Douglas, and following the investment, Pacifica states that it has plans to accelerate its rollout of distribution worldwide.

Harvey-Taylor said in a statement: “For the last 25 years, we have pushed to democratise clean, vegan and more sustainable beauty with our accessible price points. The consumer has never been more ready for our brand than they are today.

“As we continue to rapidly grow, I am so excited to have Brentwood as our new partner, with their deep bench of talent and capabilities in helping brands scale. Add Nathalie as our CEO, with her incredible leadership and experience, and I believe we are going to be unstoppable. Nathalie is truly inspirational, and she is aligned with our mission and values. Her global beauty experience and her proven track record will be invaluable as we look to take Pacifica to new heights.”

Steve Moore, partner at Brentwood, added: “We are thrilled to partner with Brook, Nathalie and the entire Pacifica team. We have been following Pacifica for nearly five years. Since its inception, Pacifica has been at the forefront of innovation in clean beauty, and we are excited to help them continue to build on this legacy.”