Atlanta, Georgia – based Astral Brands has been in business since 1978. The company sells cosmetics and personal care products in both consumer and professional spaces and currently owns PÜR, CosMedix, Aloette, and now butter London.
Commenting on the acquisition in a press release, Robert K. Cohen, executive chairman and CEO of Astral Brands, Inc., emphasizes that “butter LONDON is the original 3-free nail brand inspiring women and men to be their best self by giving them the highest level of feel good beauty.”
“We are excited to work with the terrific team at butter LONDON to continue their great success,” he says, adding that, “The butter LONDON brand fits perfectly with the Astral philosophy: the desire to make everyday a little bit better and easier for women and men around the globe.”
Specialized creation
Sasha Muir launched butter London in 2005 with assistance from renowned fashion manicurist Nonie Creme. According to the brand’s own about page, what started as a nail lacquer business has since grown considerably: “Today [butter London continues] to lead industry innovation with imaginative products, and good-for-you formulations in our expanded colour repertoire for eyes, lip, and face using the same ingenious carcinogen-free Crafted with Care approach to formulations.”
And as Cohen has suggested, the brand’s feel-good approach to beauty will remain intact at Astral as that company targets consumers looking for products that are made without ingredients of concern and / or are products that can be described as plant-based beauty.
Sarina Godin, current president of butter London, will help keep the brand on track too; she’ll be a company advisor going forward. “The butter London brand is extremely excited about being part of the Astral family,” Godin tells the press. “With Astral's expertise across multiple areas of the beauty business and their success at building and growing brands,” she believes, “butter London will be able to continue to thrive.”
Diversified distribution
The Astral Brands portfolio reaches consumers through a number of platforms. Aloette is a direct-to –consumer social sales brand, CosMedix retails in professional channels, and PÜR is sold through conventional retailers.
Through this acquisition the company has not only adds more feel-good beauty to its portfolio but has also expands its consumer base globally.
butter London has a nice distribution reach; in the States, consumers find the brand at ULTA Beauty, Kohl's, Nordstrom (and Nordstrom.com), Amazon Luxury, and the brand’s own ecommerce site. And butter London has a global reach through partnerships with nine different distributors, according to the press release.
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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.