Beauty brand Indu secures funding from Unilever Ventures

Indu, the teen-first British beauty brand, has closed its first institutional funding round to secure four million pounds to support its physical retail expansion in the UK.

The funding round was led by Unilever Ventures, the venture and growth capital arm of Unilever, who joined forces with V3 Ventures, the consumer-focused venture capital fund, alongside leading industry investor angels.

Commenting on the investment, Indu co-founder and executive chair, Aaron Chatterley said in a statement: “Bringing in two incredible venture funds in Unilever Ventures and V3 with such strong experience in backing and scaling some iconic beauty and consumer brands was really the dream ticket for us.

“Raising money in the current economic climate is not easy, so closing this round is a testament to the very clear opportunity that Indu has to create a category defining beauty brand for teens.”

Indu, co-founded by Aaron Chatterley, Reena Hammer and Richard Schiessl, is a skincare and cosmetics brand driven by teen trends, lifestyles and habits to offer an entry point for teenagers to “enjoy beauty in a holistic, relatable and healthy way”.

The brand offers teen-approved and parent-trusted skincare, such as cleaners, moisturisers, and masks, alongside make-up for eyes, lip, cheek and face, and innovative school-friendly ‘Colourless’ collections, offering invisible makeup like lip oil, eyebrow gel and lash gel.

All products in the range offer skin microbiome-friendly formulas that are safe and suitable for every teen skin tone and type, while the packaging is recyclable and thoughtfully designed for teen lifestyles, with refills available for moisturisers and cleansers.

Unilever Ventures and V3 Ventures invest in teen-first beauty brand Indu

Alongside the product offering, Indu ensures that its messaging is crafted to educate, appealing to both teens and their parents, and all new product development is community-led with a teen committee of more than 250 diverse, teenage beauty enthusiasts.

In addition, Indu has a board of 14 advisors, comprising influential voices in the beauty and fashion industry, providing insider knowledge in skincare, makeup, retail and community to ensure the brand “is constantly driven forward”.

Anna Ohlsson-Baskerville, partner at Unilever Ventures, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Indu as they fill the gap in the market for premium, healthy teen-first beauty.

"By creating a line that is for teens, by teens, Indu has found a way to bring them the aspirational products that they need and want while providing parents with the reassurance that they are designed specifically for teen skin.”

Jimmy Dietz, partner at V3 Ventures Partner added: “We are incredibly impressed with the Indu team and their dedication to creating safe and appropriate products specifically tailored to teenage skin and lifestyles. Their commitment to addressing the unique needs of teenagers sets them apart in the beauty industry, and we're very excited to support their mission."