TPG Takes Anastasia Loss, Wild Roman Launches 🧴

Welcome back to This Week in CPG, folks. Here’s what we’re covering this morning:

• Unilever budgets $1.7B for M&A 👀

• Smearcase wins $100K 🍦

• JAB cleans house at Coty 💄

• BUM Energy x Gymshark collab ⚡️

• Neutonic launches on Ocado 🧠

Deals 💰

Mergers & Acquisitions 

• Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez says the company will allocate $1.7B per year for M&A. Their primary focus will remain on beauty & personal care acquisitions in the U.S. and India. Unilever’s recent deals include Dr. Squatch, Wild, K18, and Yasso. Given their enormous success with Liquid I.V. — 4x growth in 4 years and nearing $1B in annual revenue — more VMS deals could be on the horizon as well. Global Cosmetics News

• TPG’s stake in Anastasia Beverly Hills was largely wiped out due to a debt restructuring. The private equity firm purchased roughly 38% of Anastasia Beverly Hills from its founders in 2018. TPG now owns 6% of the company which is struggling with slowing growth. Bloomberg

• Compass Diversified has enlisted Raymond James to explore a sale of period care brand The Honey Pot. The business, co-founded by Beatrice Dixon in 2012, was purchased for $380M in January of 2024. Reuters

• Justin’s is officially a standalone company after Hormel Foods sold a 51% stake to Forward Consumer Partners in October. Justin Gold, Peter Burns, and a number of former execs also returned in order to revitalize the brand. PR Newswire

Fundraising

• YSE Beauty, the skincare brand that Molly Sims founded in 2023, raised $15M in Series A funding led by Silas Capital. L Catterton also participated alongside existing investors Willow Growth Partners and Halogen Ventures. YSE debuted at Sephora earlier this year and the company anticipates $30M of revenue in 2026. YSE will use the funding to expand its portfolio and invest in Sephora, TikTok Shop, and Canada. WWD

• Smearcase, a cottage cheese-based protein ice cream brand, won the $100K grand prize at the 2025 Real California Milk Excelerator pitch competition on December 11th. Smearcase has been making inroads and secured distribution at Harmons, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and ShopRite in 2025. LinkedIn

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What’s New 🤩

Apparel, Cosmetics, and Wellness

• Sahil Bloom, a popular podcaster, creator, and bestselling author, just launched a men’s skincare brand called Wild Roman. The products are formulated with clean and on-trend ingredients like grass-fed tallow, shea butter, arrowroot powder, activated charcoal, and others. Wild Roman

• JAB Holding Company is shaking things up at Coty. Chairman Peter Harf is set to depart while CEO Sue Nabi is expected to move on as well. Coty currently has a market cap around $2.9B, down from nearly $12B in February 2024. Financial Times

• Topicals partnered with Billionaire Boys Club on a co-branded eye mask. It’s the first collaboration for Topicals which is impressive given how common collabs are these days. The product will drop on 12/18. Instagram

• Puig-owned fragrance brand Penhaligon’s is set to open two flagship stores, one in Dubai and another on Regent Street in London. WWD

Food, Beverage, and Alcohol

• BUM Energy and Gymshark collaborated on an energy drink flavor that will only be available at select events. The new flavor, dubbed Gummy Thark, was created to celebrate the opening of Gymshark’s flagship store in New York. Instagram

• TOSS is a new salad dressing brand from the UK. The company aims to revitalize the $1B salad dressing category in the UK via its clean ingredients, vibrant flavors, and premium branding (think Graza). TOSS launched with four flavors: The Green Goddess, Miso Magic, Viva La Vinaigrette, and Sweet Tahini Chick. FoodBev

• Louie Louie, a New Orleans-based THC beverage brand, released a new drink that’s inspired by the Pimm’s Cup at Napoleon House in the French Quarter. The new beverage is available exclusively at Napoleon House and via Louie Louie’s website. Instagram

• Fast-growing beverage brand Sparkling Ice is expanding its caffeinated range with three soda-inspired flavors: Root Beer, Cherry Cola, and Orange Cream. The cans look pretty great too. Instagram

• Nutrabolt is dialing up its presence in India via a strategic partnership with Nutraprep. As part of the agreement, Nutraprep will serve as the exclusive licensee for manufacturing and distribution of select Nutrabolt products in India. LinkedIn

• Highlandia is a new THC beverage brand from Lifted Made, a Wisconsin-based purveyor of cannabis products and a wholly-owned subsidiary of LFTD Partners (OTCQB: LIFD) 👇 LinkedIn

Data 🖥️

• According to Ancient Crunch, the parent company of MASA and Vandy, both brands are experiencing explosive growth at Sprouts Farmers Market. Across the first two weeks on shelves, MASA and Vandy sold more than 12,000 units at the retailer. PR Newswire

Distribution News 🚚

• Neutonic is now available via Ocado.

• Realsy launched at 100+ Costco doors across the Midwest.

• Keya’s Snacks is launching at Sprouts Farmers Market.

• Vaughn’s Treats launched at Kroger.

• Freestyle Snacks launched at H-E-B.