Sheffield, 7th December 2021: Facetheory, the direct-to-consumer clean skincare brand based in South Yorkshire, today announces that it has raised £10 million in Series A funding from Active Partners. The investment will be used to fuel growth in key markets, recruit best-in-class talent, and invest in product research and development. The investment team at Active Partners was led by Jason Mahendran and Janice Cargo, who will also be joining the Facetheory board.
When it comes to skincare, today’s consumers are increasingly looking for products that are clean, natural, and provide effective solutions to their personal skincare concerns. However, finding products that meet this criteria at an affordable price point is a real challenge, meaning consumers are often forced to compromise on either quality or values in order to stay within budget or achieve effectiveness.
Founded in South Yorkshire in 2014 by Jamie Shuker, Facetheory is on a mission to provide consumers with the very best clean skincare products, at a price point they can afford. Combining the best of science with the best of nature, Facetheory creates innovative, multifunctional and ingredient-led skincare products that are effective and affordable. Loved by consumers around the world, Facetheory’s products include moisturisers, cleansers, serums, toners, face oils, sunscreen and makeup, and are all vegan and cruelty-free.
With a focus on local, sustainable manufacturing, and thanks to the exceptional range of scientific talent in the wider Yorkshire area, Facetheory has quickly built an impressive R&D function with a strong in-house team of scientists and product experts. As a result, Facetheory’s formulations are some of the most unique and innovative on the market, making the most of natural ingredients to deliver products that are truly effective and generate amazing results. Until now, Facetheory has been a purely direct-to-consumer player, and the digitally-native brand has quickly gained in popularity, with over 350,000 active customers in the past year. Over 40% of Facetheory’s customers are based outside the UK, and the company is rated as ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot. Facetheory has also seen impressive revenue growth, accelerating from £2 million to £15 million over the past three years.
Facetheory currently has a team of 60 employees, based primarily in South Yorkshire. The latest investment will be used to capitalize on Facetheory’s early momentum, supercharging international growth in key markets including Europe and the US, building out the team with best-in-class talent and continuing to invest in research and development.
Jamie Shuker, CEO and Founder of Facetheory, said:
“I founded Facetheory on the belief that consumers deserved better for their skin: better ingredients, better results and better prices. It’s been an incredible journey to date, and I’m so proud of the amazing community we have built so far from our home in South Yorkshire. 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, Investor at Active Partners, said:
“Today’s consumers don’t just want great skincare products. They want great skincare 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 innovative, ingredient-led, natural products that consumers genuinely love. The brand’s impressive track record and high repeat purchase rates speak for themselves, and this is truly one of the UK’s most exciting and fastest-growing direct to consumer skincare brands. We’re delighted to join Facetheory in its next chapter, and are looking forward to supporting the team as they continue to scale internationally.”
