WWP Beauty Sells Chinese Manufacturing Operations To AMPAC, Will Shutter Remaining Business

WWP Beauty has sold its Chinese manufacturing operations to packaging manufacturer AMPAC Ltd. and is closing the rest of its business.

Going forward, AMPAC will be called WWP Beauty. Bain Capital Private Equity acquired World Wide Packaging, known today as WWP Beauty, in 2018 and merged it with a Chinese cosmetics packaging manufacturer. Terms of its deal with AMPAC weren’t disclosed. WWP Beauty’s Chinese manufacturing operations accounted for over 90% of the packaging and formulation specialist’s workforce, according to the company.

In a statement, Ashok Ramadoss, global VP of finance at WWP Beauty, said, “After exploring all other options, the decision has been made for WWP to cease accepting customer orders and to commence an orderly wind down of remaining operations that were not included in the sale. The company continues to work with its valued customers and suppliers to complete open sales orders with delivery dates through July 31st.”

WWP Beauty began as World Wide Sourcing in 1980 before it changed its name to World Wide Packaging in 1994. By 2019, the Florham Park, N.J.-based company told the publication Beauty Packaging that it had more than 3,000 employees worldwide and stretched across nearly 3 million square feet. Its physical infrastructure encompassed six manufacturing facilities in China and Taiwan. That year, it acquired the Los Angeles area firms Cosmetic Design Group and Design Quest to expand its turnkey capabilities.

In 2021, amid a rebrand to showcase its innovation and agility, WWP Beauty reported it was bringing on talent and opening locations in North America, including the Design & Innovation Center of Excellence in LA. In 2022, it appointed Jennifer Adams, formerly EVP, COO and CFO of NYDJ Apparel, as global CEO, and Musa Dias as global CMO.

In recent years, WWP Beauty has focused on ramping up its eco-minded offerings. For example, a tube it dubbed the Eco Pac Tube was constructed to employ 19% less plastic per piece than standard tubes, and its ColorVue lipstick component was constructed to have 12% less plastic than standard lipstick components. The company has introduced a slew of refillable options, too.

“The decision has been made for WWP to cease accepting customer orders and to commence an orderly wind down of remaining operations that were not included in the sale.”

WWP Beauty has served a broad swath of beauty clients, including Birchbox, Mented Cosmetics and Exa Beauty, the makeup line from clean beauty retailer Credo. In 2020, the company struck a licensing agreement with the scent innovation startup Scentinvent Technologies for a solid fragrance format.

With assets worth roughly $175 billion under management, Bain Capital Private Equity continues to play a role in the beauty industry as owner of Maesa, the incubator behind the brands Flower, Kristin Ess, Believe Beauty, Hairitage and TPH. Other companies in its portfolio include Canada Goose, Bob’s Discount Furniture, Dealer Tire, Varsity Brands and Dessert Holdings.