Acne Solutions Provider Face Reality Gains Major Investment
Norwest Venture Partners is getting into acne care.
The San Francisco-based investment firm has made a majority investment in Face Reality Skincare for an undisclosed amount.
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Face Reality was founded by aesthetician Laura Cooksey and Patrick Romani in 2005, with the goal of treating acne clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
The company’s products and protocols are personalized based on each client’s acne type, severity and skin type, and Face Reality works with 3,000 licensed aestheticians across the U.S., who receive training and become certified in the company’s practices for treating acne. It also has its own clinic in San Francisco.
“Our partnership with Norwest allows us to increase support of our current channels, especially for our aestheticians, and at the same time, continue to deliver the innovative new products our customers have come to love,” said Jeremy Soine, chief executive officer of Face Reality, who will remain in the role he has held since 2020.
As part of the terms of the investment, Sonya Brown, Norwest general partner and co-head of the firm’s equity growth team, will join the board. She has experience in beauty, having previously invested in businesses such as Physician’s Formula, Maëlys, Madison Reed and PCA Skin.
“Face Reality’s highly personalized, protocol-based approach sets them apart from others in the industry, ” Brown said. “Face Reality has experienced tremendous growth over the last two years, expanding its community of aestheticians and tripling its revenue. We look forward to supporting Jeremy and the team as they continue to expand and serve more customers.”
In the long term, she would like to see Face Reality grow more in the U.S. and eventually expand internationally.
Of the deal, Cooksey, who was inspired to build the company after finding an aesthetician who helped her attain clear skin, said: “With Jeremy as CEO since 2020, we’ve been able to bring my vision of successfully partnering with aestheticians and empowering our community to life. Jeremy and his team taking this next step with Norwest gives me great confidence and optimism in what lies ahead for Face Reality.”
