Contact Information: Contact: Cristy Antonio Demeter Group (415) 503-3940
Demeter Group Completes Equity Raise for Dr. Susan Taylor's Rx for Brown Skin
Jani Friedman, Head of Demeter Group's Beauty Practice, to Join Rx for Brown Skin's Board
| Source: Demeter Group
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - August 28, 2007) - Demeter Group, a boutique investment bank
specializing in consumer companies, has secured equity capital for Dr.
Susan Taylor's Rx for Brown Skin from Simon Equity Partners, a family
office focused primarily on consumer brands driven by innovation.
Dermatologist Dr. Susan Taylor, a leading expert in skin of color,
co-founded T2 Skincare, LLC with Anne Thomas in 2006 to launch a skincare
line addressing the unique, yet underserved needs of women of Latin, Asian,
African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Native American descent.
Sephora USA, the Beauty Authority with 180 stores throughout the U.S. and
Canada and a leader in launching new beauty brands and concepts, has
recognized this underserved market and has launched T2 Skincare's product
line, Rx for Brown Skin, exclusively for one year.
"We are becoming recognized in the prestige beauty industry as having the
expertise and industry experience to dramatically help brand owners define
their growth strategy and secure the necessary funding from strategic
investors," said Jeff Menashe, Managing Partner of Demeter Group. "As a
firm, we expect to remain active within the beauty space, and see many more
opportunities to help brand owners access growth capital."
"Rx for Brown Skin, a brand created with the needs of the ethnic consumer
in mind, is positioned to become the leader within the ethnic skincare
market," said Jani Friedman, head of Demeter Group's beauty practice.
"Until now, no one has addressed specific brown skincare needs with a
customized product solution, and as a result, there is a major untapped
market opportunity at hand."
Ms. Friedman, who will be joining the Board of Directors of Rx for Brown
Skin, has more than 20 years of experience in brand development.
Previously, Ms. Friedman held the position of Vice President and Divisional
Merchandise Manager of Skincare at Sephora prior to joining Demeter Group
in March of 2007.
Ethnic personal care is currently a $1.9 billion market and is growing at a
record pace, even though a credible skincare product line to serve this
consumer has not yet surfaced. The $7 billion cosmeceutical skincare
market, which comprises formulations that not only enhance appearance but
also offer a preventative or therapeutic benefit, is proliferating,
particularly in the prestige segment. The convergence of these major
trends creates an opportunity for the right brand to capture significant
market share in the ethnic beauty and personal care category.
"We identified Dr. Taylor and her plans for Rx for Brown Skin almost a year
ago and have collaborated on successfully launching the brand at Sephora.
Sephora is focused on providing beauty products for all women, and this
helps build our assortment to meet the distinct needs of women with dark
skin," said Margarita Arriagada, Senior Vice President of Merchandising at
Sephora.
"People are fundamentally the same -- but their skin isn't. For the past
two decades my passion has been understanding skin of color. As a
practicing dermatologist, and Founding Director of the Skin of Color
Center, I have treated sensitive skin, hyper-pigmentation (dark marks),
acne and dull, uneven skin tone, all major problems for skin of color. I
am delighted to launch Dr. Susan Taylor's Rx for Brown Skin, which I
personally formulated to provide safe and effective skincare solutions for
these problems," commented Dr. Susan Taylor.
About Demeter Group:
Based in San Francisco, Demeter Group is a boutique investment bank and
corporate development advisory firm for consumer companies primarily in the
food & beverage, wine, beauty and fashion industries. For its clients,
Demeter Group has significant experience working on private placements,
acquisitions, divestitures, valuations and the development of various
board-level corporate finance strategies. For more information about the
firm, visit www.demetergroup.net.
About Rx for Brown Skin:
Dr. Susan Taylor's Rx for Brown Skin is the first dermatologist-formulated
skincare line specifically designed for and tested on brown skin to serve
the needs of the brown skin consumer. The Company is employing a sales
strategy focused in education-based environments, the first of which is
Sephora.
About Simon Equity Partners:
Simon Equity Partners ("Simon Equity") is the private investment arm of the
Simon family, founders of Simon Property Group (NYSE : SPG ), the largest
publicly-traded real estate company in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, Simon Equity specializes in non-control $2 to $10 million equity
investments in dynamic consumer and retail lifestyle brands. Simon Equity
works closely with entrepreneurs who are passionate about helping evolve
the consumer experience by leveraging the Simon family's retail,
foodservice, hospitality and real estate expertise.