Private equity firm Permira is in competition with French beauty companies L’Oreal and Clarins over the acquisition of a stake in high-end cosmetics brand Aesop from Brazil’s Natura & Co, according to a report by Reuters.
Private equity firm Permira is in competition with French beauty companies L’Oreal and Clarins over the acquisition of a stake in high-end cosmetics brand Aesop from Brazil’s Natura & Co, according to a report by Reuters.
Unnamed Reuters sources have revealed that all three have progressed to the second round of bidding with the Clarins interest coming from the family-run firm’s Famille C Particpations investment vehicle.
Biding offers for the stake, which could value at Aesop at around $2 billion, are expected in the coming weeks, according to the sources, although no final decision has been made on the size of the stake and other bidders may emerge. Buyout firm KKR & Co is also reportedly weighing up making an offer according to the sources, while a Bloomberg report in January identified Japanese beauty group Shiseido Co as a potential investor.
Aesop manufactures a range of creams and lotions for skin, hair and body. Natura acquired a majority stake in the business in 2013.
