CELSIUS Heads to Australia, Supergut Launches at Target 🎯

Welcome back to This Week in CPG, folks. Since yesterday was a federal holiday, today’s newsletter is an especially truncated one. Fortunately we still have some interesting items to focus on, though:

• PWC buys Nails Inc 💅

• Magic Cactus secures funding 🌵

• Rhode is heading to London ✈️

• Safety Shot rebrands 🍸

• LiveMore launches at Walmart 🫐

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Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Pacific World Corporation (PWC), a private equity-backed beauty & personal company, has acquired Nails Inc, a British nail care brand that was founded in 1999 by Thea Green. PWC owns a variety of nail care brands including Trim, Nailtural, and SensatioNail. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Holler & Glow, the sister brand of Nails Inc, was included in the transaction. Business of Fashion

Fundraising

• Magic Cactus, an Arizona-based purveyor of functional THC beverages, raised $275K in fresh equity funding from undisclosed investors. Jonny Locarni launched Magic Cactus in late 2023 and the brand hit retail shelves in early 2024. SEC

• According to two separate SEC filings, science-backed baby food brand Cerebelly raised over $10.5M in equity funding from undisclosed investors. Cerebelly was founded in 2019 and retails at Target, Walmart, Wegmans, and Whole Foods Market. SEC 

• MOMMENPOP, a Napa-based purveyor of citrus aperitifs, raised $500K in equity funding from undisclosed investors. Winemaker Samantha Sheehan launched the brand in 2017. SEC

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Viral skincare brand Rhode is opening its first-ever pop-up in London later this month. The pop-up will be live from October 17th through October 20th. The Industry

• AV Laboratories (AVL), a new biotech skincare brand, launched with two hero products: The Face Serum and The Face Cream Light. The products retail for $195 and $158, respectively. The skincare brand was co-founded by Ami Mezezi, Monica Mezezi, and Sylwia Pawlaczyk. Business Wire

• Levi’s and McLaren Racing are releasing their second capsule collection during the Austin Grand Prix. WWD

• Fragrance brand Phlur unveiled their newest scent — Soft Spot. The new scent launches on October 21st and will be available online and at select retailers. Instagram

• San Francisco-based fragrance brand Liis also released a new scent, Choux Choux. The new fragrance is inspired by French bakeries. Love the elegant bottle. Hypebae

• Pattern Beauty just launched a great-looking at-home hair steamer. The product retails for $169. Allure

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• Popular energy drink brand CELSIUS reformulated its products in order to launch in Australia and New Zealand. Instead of 200mg of caffeine, CELSIUS halved their caffeine count to 100mg. Stack3d

• Smiling Wolf, a producer of functional non-alcoholic spirits, launched with five products. Smiling Wolf’s non-alc spirits are infused with nootropics. They offer rum, agave spirit, vodka, gin, and an aperitif. Smiling Wolf

• Safety Shot has rebranded as Sure Shot. The updated packaging is a huge improvement. Sure Shot helps mitigate hangovers by reducing blood alcohol content and replenishing electrolytes. BevNET

• Droosh, an Indian-inspired pantry staples brand, launched a range of hot sauces. Two flavors are available: Jalapeno Green Chutney and Sweet & Sour Mango Chutney. Both sound incredible. Droosh

Data 🖥️

• After Taylor Swift was spotted wearing Fazit’s Glitter Freckles, the brand went viral and bagged 40,000 orders. Wild. Instagram

Distribution News 🚚

• Microbiome-focused nutrition brand Supergut launched at Target.

• LiveMore Superfoods launched their smoothie cups at Walmart.

• According to TikTok, Graza is now available at Costco.