Sunless tanning products have become increasingly popular and prevalent as the health and long-term aesthetic effects of excessive sun exposure are more widely understood. “The harmful effects of UVA and UVB exposure are undeniable, and skin cancer rates continue to rise worldwide,” emphasizes Alyson Hogg, founder and CEO of Vita Liberata, in a media release about the acquisition deal.
“Before Vita Liberata, few natural alternatives existed,” she says, adding that “our ingredients are natural, certified organic and Ecocert – the purest in the tanning world.”
Explaining her decision to work with Crown Laboratories and the investment firm that owns that company, Hogg says, “Crown and Hildred have a genuine understanding of the suncare market and a very impressive vision for the Vita Liberata brand. We are thrilled to partner with them to leverage Crown’s strong positioning within the dermatology space and advance our mission of making self tanning a viable alternative to sun exposure for all.”
Other innovators
Hogg founded Vita Liberata in 2003 and since then, several other innovative self-tanning brands have come on to the market. Two of which were featured on the Indie Beauty Profile column here on Cosmetics Design just last year.
CleanTan will officially launch later this month at the Indie Beauty Expo in Los Angles, California. That brand fits in the so-called safe beauty space in the same way that Vita Liberata does. CleanTan’s co-CEO Tina Rowhanian, described the brand to Cosmetics Design this way: “CleanTan—a tan with benefits—is the only sunless tanner - worldwide - free of dyes, fragrance, penetration enhancers, and other B.S. (bad stuff!).”
Tancream was featured on the Indie Beauty Profile last September and takes a two-for-one approach to self tanning—that product also functions as an SPF 50 and UVA 5 star sunscreen. Co-founders Katy Foxcroft and Gillian Robson began their company in late 2015 and first launched their product in 2017. Read more about Tancream here.
(If you lead or know of a brand that should be featured on the Indie Beauty Profile, please contact CosmeticsDesign.com editor Deanna Utroske at deanna.utroske@wrbm.com.)
Additional visionaries
Growth by acquiring complementary brands is very much a part of the Hildred and Crown strategy right now. “As we mentioned at the time of the Crown acquisition, we will continue to actively look for interesting acquisitions, licenses and partnerships as we seek to build upon the growing overlap between medical, aesthetic, and over-the-counter dermatology,” David Solomon, a Hildred partner, says in the media release.
And Crown Laboratories president and CEO Jeff Bedard deems this latest deal to be the right sort of acquisition at the right time.“We believe the Vita Liberata product line and the company’s strength in premium retail are a terrific complement to Crown’s Blue Lizard sunscreen brand and builds on Crown’s consumer healthcare products strategy in the dermatology space,” says Bedard.
“Alyson and her entire team have done a remarkable job disrupting the self-tanning space, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Crown family,” he adds, concluding that, “We will work together to continue to provide high-quality products that are at the forefront of skincare innovation.”
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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.