Skinimalist beauty brand Iris&Romeo partners with venture capital
“While Michele’s prior experience as VP of Brand & Consumer Engagement at Smashbox certainly established her credibility, we were compelled by her mission of producing products that combined high performance skincare and makeup for an all-in-one solution,” says Manica Blain, Venture Partner at BrandProject, in her remarks to the press today.
The Iris&Romeo tag line is “Less Makeup, More You.” And the brand’s product portfolio includes items like Best Skin Days, a 5-in-1 moisturizer and complexion product that also functions as a serum, and has spf and blue light protection benefits. And the brand’s popular Power Peptide Lip Balm is multifunctional too, delivering the tint of a color cosmetic as well as acting as a lip balm and lip treatment product.
As Gough Baril explains on the brand’s story page, “Iris&Romeo was born from a belief that we, as women, can liberate ourselves from outdated ideals and limited choices. This is a movement to keep our planet clean, our formulas free of toxins, and to simplify our lives because we've got more important things to do.”
Next-generation beauty brand Iris&Romeo on a mission to help the industry and consumers evolve
The community that has grown up around Iris&Romeo since the brand’s launch in 2017 embraces Gough Brail’s philosophy of beauty and are a big part of the reason why Blain and her colleagues at BrandProject chose to invest in the business.
“The Iris&Romeo brand Michele is creating deeply resonates with a community of busy women who seek simplification in their routines, yet still expect efficacy, and without the luxury price tag,” acknowledges Blain in today’s media release about the partnership.
“We love that Michele has organically built a growing and loyal consumer base looking to align itself with a brand based on the core values of modern women, and we're thrilled about this next chapter of growth,” adds Blain.
That next chapter of growth will include expanding the brand beyond it two hero products, adding to the Iris&Romeo team, support from BrandProject in the form of operations, marketing, strategy, tech, and finance. Early-stage partnerships like this is what BrandProject does best; the firm was a first institutional investor in well-known brands such as Daily Harvest and Hello Products (readers of Cosmetics Design may recall that Colgate acquired Hello Products at the start of 2020).
For Gough Baril, the investment is more than an opportunity to grow a brand, it’s an opportunity to reach more women with her message that, “Life is overwhelming enough without a 10-step routine or drawers full of useless clutter that eventually ends up in the landfill.”
“It’s been super exciting to see how our thoughtfulness really resonates with our community, and witness so much organic love and growth as a result,” she tells the press. And if all goes well, the BrandProject investment that excitement will continue.
