Centric Brands Inc. is back in action, announcing it has acquired Taste Beauty, a manufacturer and marketer of pop culture-inspired beauty and personal-care products.
Taste Beauty was founded in 2015 by Tom Crowley, Sabrina Vertucci and Alex Fogelson. The company’s products are distributed under its own brand, as well as a portfolio of licenses that include Disney, Universal, Nickelodeon, Nestlé, and more recently Netflix with a collection of “Stranger Things” goods (items like a waffle-shaped, maple syrup and butter flavored lip balm). With products targeted to kids and nostalgic shoppers, major categories include lip gloss, nail polish, accessories for nails and hair, bath and body.
“We are incredibly excited to join forces with Centric Brands, leveraging their resources, platform and broad distribution to build on our growth strategy in the coming years,” said Fogelson, CEO of Taste Beauty and president of Centric Brands’ beauty division. “This partnership allows us to provide an even stronger value proposition to our key retail and licensing partners.”
The news comes following the successful restructuring of Centric Brands — a major producer and licensee of more than 100 brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Kate Spade — as a private equity-backed company after its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.