L’Oréal Will Acquire Medik8 Skin Care Brand

PARIS — L’Oréal is digging deeper into premium skin care by taking a majority stake in Medik8.

The news, announced Monday morning, confirms a WWD report on May 9 that L’Oréal had emerged as the front-runner to acquire the U.K.-based brand.

As part of the deal Inflexion, a European mid-market private equity firm, is to remain a minority shareholder. Medik8’s founder Eliot Isaacs will continue serving on its board, and the management committee will stay, as well.

L’Oréal also now has the rights to buy out the minority shareholders of Medik8 in full. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it has been pegged at about 1 billion euros, according to media reports, indicating a return to unicorn valuations in the beauty industry.

“This acquisition further strengthens L’Oréal’s Luxe portfolio, adding a premium, science-backed skin care brand with a proven track record of success, with strong potential for global growth,” L’Oréal said in a statement released Monday.

Cyril Chapuy, president of L’Oréal Luxe, said that “as a premium skin care range, with high levels of proven efficacy at an accessible price point, Medik8 perfectly complements our existing skin care portfolio.”

He added: “We share a strong belief in Medik8’s global potential, and are excited to embark on this journey together, to build a powerful and impactful brand presence worldwide.”

Simon Coble, chief executive officer of Medik8, said the brand was “joining forces with a company which shares our vision for future growth and whose core values align with our deep commitment to science, innovation and, above all, results without compromise. I look forward to the next stage in Medik8’s journey, as we work together to bring our innovative products to a wider audience.”

Isaacs said in a separate statement released by Medik8 that the brand was born to prove that skin care can deliver no-compromise results, which are rooted in science, consumer experience and driven by sustainability.

“I am delighted that Medik8 has now found its long-term home at L’Oréal — a partner that fundamentally embraces our vision and gives us the platform to deliver it on a truly global scale,” he said.

WWD had been told there were numerous suitors wooing Medik8, which is in the hot beauty category of prestige skin care. At the beginning of the year, WWD reported that Medik8 was exploring deal options.

In a WWD article published on Jan. 27, Coble said: “It’s natural that we are starting to think about our future and also about future growth investments. We have no specific plans or timeline in place. The business is very well invested in today, is extremely profitable and there is no urgency on our part.”

In 2025, the brand’s global revenues are expected to hit around $115 million, while its sales in 2024 were up 50 percent.

Medik8’s hero product is its Crystal Retinal serum, and the brand is also known for its proprietary CSA Philosophy, a system using vitamin C and sunscreen in the day, followed by vitamin A by night.

In January, Medik8 unveiled its new Liquid Peptides Advanced MP serum. Medik8’s peptide products have become a growth engine for it in the U.S. market, which the brand entered in 2023.

Medik8’s Crystal Retinal Serum was included in WWD Beauty Inc’s 100 Greatest Skin Care Products of All Time.

The brand’s products are developed and manufactured in-house in its U.K. Innovation Center, based outside of London.

Medik8, a B Corp-certified brand, was founded in 2009 by Isaacs. Today, it has more than 300 employees and sells products in more than 7,000 clinics.

“Still true to its professional origins, the brand has also evolved toward a diversified omnichannel sales mix across the most prominent online and offline retailers in Europe, with a growing presence in the U.S.,” L’Oréal said in the statement.

Medik8 is sold in professional clinics, pharmacies, on its direct-to-consumer website and through e-tailers and retailers, including Space NK, Sephora U.K. and Harrods.

L’Oréal’s Luxe division has a portfolio of brands including Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, Helena Rubenstein, Carita, Biotherm, Aesop, Kiehl’s, Youth to the People, Shu Uemura and Yue Sai.

In the first three months of 2025, the division led the group’s overall sales growth. L’Oréal Luxe registered sales of 4.09 billion euros, up 7.3 percent on a reported basis and 5.8 percent in like-for-like terms.

News of the Medik8 acquisition comes less than two weeks after it was announced that E.l.f. Beauty was acquiring Hailey Bieber’s Rhode in a transaction valuing at $1 billion. This marks an uptick in beauty deals after a period of decline. A bevy of beauty brands had entered the market over the last year, but most of those never culminated in deals.

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