Beauty company that launched Virat Kohli's One8 brand in fragrance category raises Rs 25 cr in Series A funding

Celebrity-led beauty company, Scentials, has raised Rs 25 crore in Series A funding led by Unilever Ventures. The company was co-founded by Jinesh Mehta and former tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi. It had launched Virat Kohli's One8 brand in the fragrance category in January this year and had followed it with the launch of a line of Skin care 'Arias' with Lara Dutta. The company is centered on developing beauty brands across fragrances, skincare and colour cosmetics which is shaped by the vision and personalities of various Indian celebrities.

"Since our inception, we have focused on making high-quality beauty products available at affordable prices to the consumer and have already received great traction. This has been made possible through our strategic partnerships with top celebrities - both actors and sports persons - whose personalities and presence resonate with consumers not only in India but also globally," Jinesh Mehta said about the investment.

The company has partnered with leading celebrities since its inception to capture their vision in the form of products and create successful brands that resonate with the consumer. It also aims to expand its offerings by introducing new lines and limited editions, offering a wide range of quality beauty products to consumers across the country starting next with the makeup line with Malaika Arora before Diwali. 

"There have been multiple success stories with celebrity beauty brands and licenses in the west and with our product and distribution offering we feel we are able to offer the celebrity an opportunity to create serious value. To have Unilever ventures back our vision is testimony that we are on the right track," Co-founder, Mahesh Bhupathi said about the recently raised funding.

Meanwhile, Pawan Chaturvedi, Investment Director at Unilever Ventures said, "Scentials is building a unique beauty brands studio platform that combines fast paced innovations across beauty categories with endorsements from top tier Indian celebrities in sports, films &entertainment. The celebrity partnerships provide massive traditional and social media reach driving brand salience .We look forward to supporting Scentials in their growth journey."