If there is a standout category that witnessed a massive uptick in the sales over the past year it’s hand care and hygiene from moisturising creams to washes.
Private equity giant Bain Capital has acquired a majority stake in Hand in Hand, a US clean beauty hand hygiene and care brand. Terms were not disclosed but analysts estimate the price tag was between US$25 million and US$75 million.
The brand’s sales soared 13 times in 2020 and its products are available in US mass retailers such as Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, Wegmans and Kruger.
Founded in 2011 by husband-and-wide entrepreneurs, Bill Glaab and Courtney Apple, Hand in Hand’ s portfolio includes bar soap, liquid hand soap, hand sanitiser, body wash, scrubs and lotions.
According to Cecilia Chao, Managing Director of Bain Capital Double Impact: “Hand in Hand crosses two of our verticals – sustainability and health and wellness. We’re very interested in the personal care space. The naturals segment is a US$15 billion catgeory that was growing in double digits even before the pandemic.”
Shmoist is an Australian-first fragranced and moisturising sanitiser. Co-founders Dionne Taylor and Tracey Hirschhorn spotted a gap in the sanitiser market during the Covid-19 crisis.
With sanitising a daily ritual for everyone, and a habit that’s here to stay, there was an opportunity to create a product that not only provides a safe sanitising solution but a beautifully smelling and moisturising one too, says Taylor.
“Shmoist has come to market to up the cool factor in sanitising and improve on the two most common complaints people have about sanitiser – the smell and the drying factor on our skin. Each Shmoist product is made from 80 per cent ethanol and the formulation is based on the WHO’s formulation to ensure it protects against 99.9 per cent of germs.
“We wanted to create a sanitiser that becomes part of our everyday beauty regime, much like the way we use perfume. The Shmoist capsule collection includes six curated fragrances for on-the-go sanitising.”
The fragrances incorporate citrus, herbal, floral, sweet and sea breeze scents – Eau.M.G, Saw Bae, Rose Aye, Daily Rind, Down Under and Sweet Spot. The 38ml containers provide 500+ sprays and are priced at $24.95, including delivery.