Irene Forte Skincare, a Certified B-Corp in high-performance natural skincare, has received a minority investment from leading global consumer focused investment firm L Catterton to support the band’s global expansion. 
 
This investment fuels the next stage of growth for Irene Forte in Europe and the US as the brand expands into luxury retailers and online partners such as Blue Mercury, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Liberty London, Ludwig Beck, Neiman Marcus, Le Bon Marché and Nordstrom.
 
Irene Forte founded the brand in 2018 and has since experienced 100% growth over the year, with 50% customer retention rate amongst e-commerce shoppers. Irene Forte is found online through Farfetch and Amazon Luxury.
 
“Irene Forte Skincare is a highly distinctive brand that has quickly established a reputation for trailblazing sustainability in the beauty industry, while harnessing the power of natural ingredients and the highest standards of scientific research,” said L Catterton’s managing partner Michael Farello. “We look forward to working with Irene and the team on long-term growth and carrying on their track record of fast-paced, industry-leading innovation.”
 
Their products are both natural and backed by science and nesting their products under the “Natural Science” movement, and the brand has been developed for use by spa professionals in the Rocco Forte Hotels.
 
Products are based on 35 years of research by Dr. Francesca Ferri, the brand’s scientific doctor, who is a pioneer in the medical use of plant extracts to treat skin conditions. Ingredients and advanced additives found in Irene’s products has shown great results in independent, clinical and consumer trials, according to the brand. 
 
All products are sustainably produced in small batches with a sense of environmental responsibility, using organic ingredients sourced from the Forte family farm in Sicily. Products are vegan certified and have been dermatologist tested and clinically approved for sensitive skin.
 
Founded and CEO Irene Forte commented, “this is the beginning of a new and exciting journey and is the culmination of a voyage of discovery that began whilst working in my family’s hotel business and fruitlessly looking for a skincare collection that was natural but rooted in science. Just four years later, we are already a global brand, thanks to the product results that speak for themselves. L Catterton’s support is instrumental in enabling us to compete with the super brands in our space, while influencing the industry’s standards and impact.”
 
This partnership with L Catterton will focus on the strategy used to scale the business and expand the team across Europe and the US. The Irene Forte Skincare team will focus on growing and investing in existing and loyal partners while expanding into additional brick-and-mortar doors. Significant investment in D2C will underpin retailer growth.
 
L Catterton is a market-leading consumer-focused investment firm, managing approximately $33 billion of equity capital and three multi-product platforms, private equity, credit and real estate. Current and past LCatterton investments include TULA, Bliss, The Honest Company, Oddity (parent company of Il Makiage), Nutrafol, Merit, Marubi, Function of Beauty, Elemis, DIBS Beauty and others.