As beauty intersects with aesthetics and shifts toward longevity, Estée Lauder has made a minority investment in doctor-founded skincare brand 111Skin, yet another proof point that clinical and science-backed positioning is driving deals in the space.
While rapid growth and buzz, particularly among younger consumers, have fueled several recent consumer packaged goods acquisitions, notably E.l.f. Beauty’s purchase of Rhode, Unilever’s acquisition of Grüns and PepsiCo’s pickup of Poppi, this investment highlights the flip side of the coin: conglomerates are drawn to brands with longer-term traction, sticky customers, defensible authority-based moats and older consumer targets.
It follows a familiar pattern at Lauder of taking sequential ownership stakes, a strategy the company previously employed with Deciem and Forest Essentials. Last year, it took a minority stake in Mexican fragrance brand Xinú. It also comes as L’Oréal has executed a series of clinical-, aesthetics- and longevity-focused moves, including buying a majority of Medik8 for around $1.1 billion, doubling its stake in Galderma to 20% and leading Timeline’s series D funding round through its venture arm BOLD.
Lauder has had mixed results with dealmaking. The company shuttered Rodin Olio Lusso and Becca Cosmetics and is reportedly exploring sales of Smashbox, Too Faced and Dr.Jart+. The incremental minority-stake strategy can allow Lauder to assess cultural fit and gain a deeper view of a brand’s trajectory before committing fully. Still, some question whether that approach is sufficient at a time when Lauder is considering a far larger transaction involving Puig, which would create a pure-play beauty giant with a $40 billion market value.
“Why are they messing around with these minority investments?” says Tina Bou-Saba, founder and managing partner of CXT Investments. “Cynically, I view this as highly risk-averse and process-oriented. I realize this acquisition method worked well with Deciem, but if they want to compete effectively with L’Oréal, they must make big bets and commit.”
At Lauder, where La Mer and Clinique have become billion-dollar skincare franchises, 111Skin could fill a gap for a high-end brand rooted in medical credibility. Founded in 2012 by London plastic surgeon Yannis Alexandrides and his wife Eva Alexandrides with post-procedure skincare products, ahead of its Lauder deal, 111Skin raised a total of $15.7 million from investors such as Vaultier7 and SKKY Partners, the firm linked to Kim Kardashian. Women’s Wear Daily cites industry sources estimating 111Skin’s annual net sales at between $40 million and $50 million. In 2023, the brand generated about $25 million in revenue.
Lauder discloses that 40% of 111Skin’s sales are done in North America, and that the brand has a presence in China, Europe, Asia Pacific and the United Kingdom. Direct-to-consumer accounts for 20% of sales. 111Skin’s assortment spans roughly 30 products, centered on its Black Diamond and Reparative collections and priced from $50 to $1,000. The brand’s formulas incorporate a proprietary ingredient complex it calls NAC Y2TM with encapsulated N-acetylcysteine (NAC), vitamin C and escin for skin repair and anti-aging.
In a statement, Lauder president and CEO Stéphane de La Faverie says, “Skincare is entering a new phase, shaped by the convergence of procedures, longevity and beauty, as consumers increasingly seek products that deliver visible, treatment-inspired results. 111Skin exemplifies this shift, translating Dr. Alexandrides’ more than 35 years of surgical and aesthetic treatment experience into high-performance luxury skincare inspired by in-clinic treatments and built on clinical insight, next-generation actives, powerful formulas and proven efficacy.”
“Skincare is entering a new phase, shaped by the convergence of procedures, longevity and beauty.”
When Harrods opened its 10,500-square-foot Wellness Clinic in 2017, the British department store tapped 111Skin for its cryotherapy chamber and IV vitamin drip. The brand created a custom, 20-ingredient vitamin infusion just for the Harrods. Alexandrides has long incorporated wellness protocols like cryotherapy, thermotherapy and whole-body infrared and LED into his London clinic. In September, 111Skin launched a clinic at The Plaza in New York City offering similar wellness protocols alongside advanced skin treatments like the Exosome Regenerative Facial Treatment. The brand is available at Bluemercury, Nordstrom, Mandarin Oriental and Aman as well.
Earlier this year, market research firm Kline + Co. identified 111Skin as one of 20 independent beauty brands primed for acquisition. Fellow clinical skincare brand Ourself made the list as well. In a separate report last year, XRC Ventures named science-backed skincare the most compelling beauty category for investors, noting that over the prior five years deals in the sector commanded revenue multiples of 5X to 6X, about 20% above non-science peers.
L’Oréal and Lauder have extensive track records of emphasizing scientific research. L’Oréal has spent more than 15 years studying skin health and longevity, producing 40 related publications. At its inaugural longevity event in Paris last June, the company unveiled L’Oréal Longevity Integrative Science, an initiative designed to translate that research into consumer-facing products and services.
Lauder has conducted 17 years of research into skin longevity science. It launched a Skin Longevity platform in 2023, followed by the Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Brilliance Soft Crème in January 2024. In March 2025, Lauder partnered with Auberge Resorts Collection’s Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica to debut the Skin Longevity Institute in the Americas at the resort’s Casa de Agua Spa. It has partnered with China Duty Free Group on a Skin Longevity Institute retail concept at the Global Beauty Plaza of the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex.
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