VLCC, India’s premium beauty and skincare brand, has made an exciting announcement regarding its recent acquisition of Happily Unmarried Marketing Private Limited (Ustraa). The acquisition was carried out through a combination of secondary buy-out and share swap, creating a strategic partnership between two pioneering home-grown personal care brands. This collaboration brings together Ustraa’s leading position in the men’s grooming range with VLCC’s growing portfolio of skincare products.
Founded in 2015 by Rahul Anand and Rajat Tuli, Ustraa quickly established itself as a D2C (direct-to-consumer) brand focused on men’s grooming. With a strong online presence, the brand offers a diverse range of products across fragrances, hair care, face and beard care. Ustraa has gained significant traction, boasting over 2.2 million customers on its own app and enjoying 67% of its sales through the online channel. The brand has garnered support from notable investors, including InfoEdge, 360 One (formerly IIFL Ventures), and Wipro.
Vikas Gupta, CEO of VLCC, expressed admiration for Ustraa’s prominent position in the rapidly growing men’s grooming market, particularly in the D2C channel. The acquisition represents VLCC’s entry into the men’s grooming market, and the company intends to accelerate Ustraa’s growth trajectory by leveraging VLCC’s extensive offline distribution network across India. Additionally, VLCC aims to utilize Ustraa’s technological and digital expertise to scale up its existing product business in the new age commerce landscape.
Rahul Anand and Rajat Tuli, Founders of Ustraa, welcomed VLCC as the ideal strategic partner to expand their customer reach, particularly in offline retail. They emphasized the shared goal of creating faster growth for both brands through their combined expertise in brand building, sales and marketing, and distribution. The founders expressed their excitement to embark on this journey as part of the VLCC family.
The acquisition has gained support from Sanjeev Bikhchandani of InfoEdge, who believes in the synergies that can be realized through the VLCC-Ustraa merger. With their collective efforts, they aim to establish a leading consumer business in the beauty and personal care space.
Trilegal and KPMG provided advisory services to VLCC for the acquisition, while EY acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Happily Unmarried Marketing Private Limited (HUMPL) and its investors.
With its comprehensive portfolio of services and products, VLCC has become a trusted name in skincare and beauty in Indian households since its establishment in 1989. The company operates across 310 locations in 139 cities and 11 countries, offering a wide range of services and employing over 3,000 skilled professionals.
This strategic partnership between VLCC and Ustraa, supported by the global investment firm Carlyle, is set to propel the growth of both brands in the competitive personal care market. The expertise, resources, and sector knowledge brought by VLCC and Carlyle are expected to unlock new opportunities and drive innovation in the beauty and skincare industry.
