Sofie Pavitt Face Funding, Madison Reed Debt, Laurel Supply Lineup And More Indie Beauty Dish

Selva Ventures has invested in Sofie Pavitt Face, adding to the adult acne-focused skincare brand’s earlier funding from True Beauty Ventures.

The firm, whose portfolio includes OneSkin, Arrae, Perelel and Hello Cake, closed a $34 million second fund in 2023 and told Beauty Independent at the time that it aimed to write initial checks of $1 million to $2 million with room for follow-on investments. Launched in 2023 as an outgrowth of celebrity aesthetician Pavitt’s practice, Sofie Pavitt Face, available at Sephora, has grown into an eight-figure business. Prior to skincare, Pavitt worked as an accessories designer for Tory Burch and Michael Kors.

Dr. Melaxin, the K-Beauty skincare star owned by Brand501 Corp. that Charm.io ranked the No. 1 beauty brand on TikTok in the first quarter, is launching at Ulta Beauty as the retailer builds its presence in K-Beauty and viral beauty brands. The brand, which is known for its Peel Shot products, is now available on Ulta’s website and will enter approximately 1,500 of the beauty specialty chain’s stores nationwide in June under the prestige assortment.

A.P. Chem, the science-backed prestige skincare brand launched by beauty industry veteran Sandra Statz and dermatologist Sherwin Parikh in 2023, announced on social media May 4 that it’s shutting down. The brand leaned into psychedelic-inspired wellness and neurocosmetic positioning with products including the $85 Eyeahuasca eye treatment, $95 Dopamine serum and $75 Microdose moisturizer incorporating its proprietary ketamino acid complex.

Laurel Supply, the new Los Angeles-area luxury grocer from restaurant Laurel Hardware owners Dean McKillen and Phil Howard, has assembled a beauty and wellness assortment featuring brands such as Köppen, Ultra Violette, Danucera, Skinbuzz, Celement, Weleda and Ceramedx. The assortment is overseen by buyer Hana Gurwitz, and the store has a hormone specialist on the floor for beauty and wellness consultations. Founder Nicole Sullivan describes Skinbuzz’s launch at community-rooted independent retailer Laurel Supply as “the kind of placement that actually means something.”

SuperTeeth, the probiotic-powered oral care brand, has raised $3 million in seed funding from Cutting Horse. The investment firm recently closed a $75 million fund, and its portfolio includes Ghia, Lynx Fitness Club, Promix, Beam, Feel Goods and Petfolk alongside SuperTeeth. Husband-and-wife team Katherine and Cameron Dahl founded SuperTeeth in 2021 after Katherine’s struggles with gut and oral microbiome issues, and the brand sells dissolvable dental probiotics, hydroxyapatite toothpastes and prebiotic floss priced primarily between $8 and $44.

Madison Reed secured $5 million in debt financing from a single investor in March, according to a filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokesperson says the financing is part of the company’s broader strategic initiative supporting its 2026 plans to increase brand awareness, expand its salon footprint and drive new customer growth as it continues scaling the business. Madison Reed currently operates more than 95 Hair Color Bar locations nationwide.

Scarlet by RedDrop has landed at select Walmart stores nationwide, expanding distribution for the period care brand focused on tweens and teens. Founded in 2020 by Dana Chan and Evelyn Rusli, the brand launched at Ulta following a rebrand last year, when it told Beauty Independent in July that it had reached $7 million in sales and could hit $9 million by year-end.

The Cycle, a functional beverage startup focused on women’s hormonal health, has launched in 494 Sprouts Farmers Market stores with refrigerated drinks targeting menstruation, the luteal phase, perimenopause and menopause. Founded last year by Anastasia Sartan, who previously held roles at Snap Inc. and GetGenAI, the brand’s drinks are priced at $5.99 and merchandised in Sprouts’ main beverage cooler alongside kombuchas and cold-pressed juices.

Acne-focused skincare brand Kanzen has launched at Boots after building significant traction on TikTok Shop. Last year, founder David Connor disclosed the British brand had sold more than 100,000 units on TikTok Shop alone and became the platform’s No. 1 acne brand in the United Kingdom. In addition to Boots, Kanzen is carried by Beauty Bay, Lookfantastic, Superdrug and Glambeauty.

Wearable beauty and wellness products continue to make waves at retail. Kind Patches has rolled out to 890 Target stores with $15 wellness patches targeting sleep, mood, energy and metabolic support following expansion to roughly 2,000 Walmart locations and 2,500 CVS stores. The brand was founded in 2023 by Magnus Hjörne, Ivana Hjörne and Adam Friberg. Prior to launching Kind Patches, Magnus Hjörne was part of the founding team at fast-fashion company NA-KD.

Western-inspired skincare brand Lona has rolled out to all Credo Beauty doors after initially launching with the retailer online. The brand raised $400,000 pre-launch through angel investors, strategic venture capital and friends-and-family financing, including backing from Era VC, former Yahoo CEO Tim Koogle and former Unilever innovation lead Anne Kurtz, creator of Substack “The Juicy Byte.”

Roon Body has soft-launched with a whipped balm deodorant in a twist-dispense mini tube available in three scents and an unscented option. Priced at $22, the aluminum-free deodorant is designed to provide 12 to 18 hours of protection. Roon’s Josh Chavez says, “Think the performance of an AKT London or Little Seed Farm balm with the no-mess convenience of a standard stick.”

Kinship is realizing its ambitions to grow in the natural grocery channel. The sensitive skin brand, which was recently acquired by new holding company Kindred Brands, has launched at Erewhon. Its debut at the must-visit Southern California grocery destination follows a rollout to roughly 450 Sprouts stores last year.

Remedy Science, the skincare brand founded by dermatologist and content creator Muneeb Shah, has named Rohan Patel, who previously held brand management positions at Frida, Dollar Shave Club and Procter & Gamble, as president as it looks to grow its business at Target following a rollout last year. Remedy recently posted openings for influencer marketing, growth marketing and creative roles as it assembles its team.

Violet Grey is expanding its headcount as it focuses on powering brick-and-mortar growth. The luxury beauty content and commerce destination recently onboarded Gina Shpigel as director of integrated marketing. Shpigel previously served as senior director of brand partnerships and merchandising for subscription boxes at Condé Nast.

Christine Sandoval, formerly a store director at Cos Bar, has stepped into the role of head of stores, overseeing both Violet Grey and The Detox Market. The company is also looking to hire a senior manager or director of performance marketing, according to a LinkedIn job posting.

This year, Violet Grey announced plans to open three standalone stores in Los Angeles, Dallas and the Hamptons, along with a new shop-in-shop at Harvey Nichols. The retailer opened its Melrose Place flagship in 2014 and launched a shop-in-shop at Long Island luxury department store Hirshleifers in 2024.