L’Occitane to Acquire Sol de Janeiro

L’Occitane to Acquire Sol de Janeiro - Will They Stay Cruelty-Free?

After being acquired will Sol de Janeiro stay cruelty-free?

Best known for their Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, Sol de Janeiro is a skincare and haircare brand with a huge following. They are well known for being cruelty-free and almost all of their products are vegan. You can find them on their own website (use affiliate code TASHINA10 for a Sol de Janeiro discount), Sephora, Cult Beauty, Dermstore, Beautylish, Space NK, Look Fantastic, Selfridges, Harrods, and others.

It’s just been announced that the cruelty-free brand Sold de Janeiro has been acquired by L’Occitane. L’Occitane is not a cruelty-free brand. These acquisitions are always tough to navigate for the cruelty-free community. Let’s break down what it means for Sol de Janeiro, their cruelty-free status, and how it might impact you as a cruelty-free consumer.

Popular vegan products from Sol de Janeiro:

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. I only recommend products and brands that align with my values and that I genuinely believe in. Your support through these links helps me to be able to create valuable content for you. Thank you for your support!

Many brands get acquired to help meet consumer demand, to be able to avoid increasing costs, or so that they can be more accessible to more consumers. Sol de Janeiro is expected to stay cruelty-free. I will be keeping tabs on it as the acquisition comes closer later this year. If anything changes about the cruelty-free status of Sol de Janeiro updates will be posted.

In late November 2021, it was announced that L’Occitane will acquire an 83% indirect interest in Sol de Janeiro. This is based on a valuation of $450 million. Heela Yang, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Sol de Janeiro will remain in place as CEO.

L’OCCITANE acquires majority stake in Brazilian-inspired premium beauty brand Sol de Janeiro

GENEVA, 15 November 2021 – The L’OCCITANE Group, an international group that manufactures and retails beauty and well-being products that are rich in natural and organic ingredients, is pleased to announce its acquisition of a majority stake in Sol de Janeiro, an innovative leader in the global prestige body care market. Born of an authentic Brazilian philosophy of celebration and joy, Sol de Janeiro is a fast-growing, award-winning lifestyle skincare brand beloved by multigenerational, modern and global consumers from millennials to Gen Z.

Founded in the US in 2015 as a results-driven premium body care brand with highly efficacious ingredients sustainably sourced from Brazil, Sol de Janeiro is one of the fastest-growing premium skincare brands in North America, with success across body care, fragrance and hair care products. It sells both directly to consumers through its website and through various premium retailers across the globe.

The acquisition is in line with the Group’s strategy of building a leading portfolio of premium beauty brands. Sol de Janeiro is a strategic fit for the Group in terms of brand recognition and identity, product quality, management capability, as well as growth, profitability and cash generation prospects. Sol de Janeiro’s digital presence and established body care business is complementary to the Group’s balanced geographical strategy to build a portfolio of strong brands in all major geographical regions. Meanwhile, Sol de Janeiro is expected to leverage the Group’s international presence to expand into new markets.

André Hoffmann, Vice-Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of L’OCCITANE, said, ‘We are delighted to be further expanding our brand portfolio and accelerating our transformation into a multi-brand and geographically balanced group. With a compelling brand story and an experienced and entrepreneurial management team, Sol de Janeiro reflects our values and premium beauty image.’

Heela Yang, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Sol de Janeiro, said, ‘I have always admired L’OCCITANE, a beautiful lifestyle brand anchored in a deep commitment to sustainability, and we are thrilled to have found a home with the Group to continue to drive our explosive growth. Furthermore, we are ecstatic to have found a partner who so deeply respects our brand vision and values of inclusivity, joy and self-celebration.’

The Group will acquire an 83% indirect interest in Sol de Janeiro. Upon closing, Sol de Janeiro will become a majority-owned subsidiary of the Group.

L’Occitane Press Release

My thoughts on this acquisition…

L’Occitane owns a handful of other beauty brands, but unfortunately, none of them are cruelty-free. This is a bit concerning to me. Usually, when a brand is acquired by a parent company that is not cruelty-free but owns other brands that don’t test on animals I’m pretty optimistic that things won’t change. I do know that being cruelty-free is important to Sol de Janeiro though. I am hoping that Sol de Janeiro will not only stay cruelty-free but also show L’Occitane that there is value in all of their brands being cruelty-free.

While the press release talks about expansion into new markets, it’s good to remember that this could mean a variety of things. The cruelty-free community seems to automatically jump to the conclusion that this means that the brand will be sold in stores in China, where animal testing is currently required by law. However, that might not be the case. It could mean selling in stores in other regions. It could be through online sales in more regions. At this point, it’s too early to tell.

When it comes to cruelty-free brands owned by parent companies that test on animals, I personally think we all have to pick what’s best for ourselves and our own situations. When mentioning these brands I include a disclosure for this reason. Everyone has access to different brands and I think any steps towards going cruelty-free are worth taking and worth supporting. I also think it’s always important to let the brand know if this impacts your decision to purchase from them going forward. It’s helpful for big companies, like L’Occitane, to hear that cruelty-free is important to consumers. But if you’re not purchasing their cruelty-free options until L’Occitane stops testing on animals, definitely let them know.

Will this change impact your choice in buying Sol de Janeiro products?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. I think it’s so important to have these discussions.

Here on Logical Harmony, you can find a full list of cruelty-free brands as well as shopping guides to help you find the cruelty-free brands at Dermstore, Ulta, Nordstrom, Sephora, Beauty Bay, Beautylish, Cult Beauty, and tons more. There are also lots of vegan product lists for cruelty-free brands too.

Popular vegan products from Sol de Janeiro:

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. I only recommend products and brands that align with my values and that I genuinely believe in. Your support through these links helps me to be able to create valuable content for you. Thank you for your support!

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