Nailberry Acquired by Silverwood Brands
PARIS — Premium nontoxic nail care brand Nailberry has been acquired by Silverwood Brands plc.
The deal, intended to help grow the brand, closed for up to 10 million pounds, or the equivalent of five times sales, confirmed Joël Palix, founder of boutique consultancy Palix Unlimited.
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He acted as a mergers-and-acquisitions adviser to Nailberry, alongside Nnenna Onuba, an investor and strategic financial adviser, who founded LBB Skin Ltd.
Silverwood Brands is a beauty platform created by Andrew Gerrie, a cofounder of Lush.
Consumers leaned into nail care — especially of the nontoxic ilk — during the coronavirus pandemic, when the focus on wellbeing and sustainable cosmetics products surged.
Nailberry was started in 2012 by Sonia Hully, who established a high-end nail bar in London’s Chelsea neighborhood. Soon after that, her concept segued into a line of premium toxin-free, moisture-permeable polishes coming in popping colors and with long-lasting formulas.
Hully had noted that her clients were seeing their nails negatively impacted by lifestyle, pollution or semipermanent gel manicures, so she set about developing the Nailberry line to meet those concerns.
The brand’s products are cruelty-free and vegan, as well as gluten-free, halal and “12-free,” meaning they don’t contain a dozen ingredients, including formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates — such as DBP — and camphor.
Nailberry’s core range is called L’Oxygéné and billed to be “breathable nail polish.” The offer has been extended with treatment products, also known as the Apothecary Edit. Those include the Acai Nail Elixir and The Cure Nail Hardener. Formulas contain ingredients such as argan and sweet almond oils, Antarctic black algae and keratin peptides.
Nailberry is carried on the brand’s e-tail platforms and in brick-and-mortar stockists in the U.K., including Barrecore Ltd., Dajani Pharmacy and Dryby. In France, Nailberry is sold in Le Bon Marché, Ombres Portées and Le Nez Voyageur, among other locations.
Online, the 15-ml. nail polishes, with names like Pink Guava, Bubble Gum and Sacred Lotus, sell for 16 pounds.
