Wild Cosmetics, a personal care start-up that pioneered the UK’s first plastic-free refillable deodorant, has raised £5m from existing investors to continue its mission to remove single-use plastics from everyday bathroom items.
Wild was launched in August 2019 by former HelloFresh Marketing Director, Freddy Ward and entrepreneur Charlie Bowes-Lyon. The subscription-based company recorded 400% year-on-year growth in 2021, selling 2.5 million of its gender-neutral line of natural compostable deodorants.
The latest funding round was led by JamJar Investments, the venture fund led by the founders of Innocent Drinks. The company has raised £7.5m to date, with existing investors Creator Collective Capital, dutch Slingshot Ventures also participating again.
The London headquartered company will use the funding to develop its international activities. Its expansion plans will also involve moving the product range into other personal care segments.
Wild Cosmetics has already secured a sizable retail footprint with their hybrid business model, combining online direct-to-consumer via its own website and traditional retail partnerships. The brand now has over 500 stockists nationwide including Waitrose, Boots, Selfridges and Sainsbury’s for its plastic-free refillable deodorant.
Ward, who is the company’s CEO, said: “Charlie and I are part of a generation that have grown up scrutinising waste, unnecessary packaging and potentially harmful ingredients. Consumers are starting to really address the uncomfortable reality of single-use plastic waste across their households.
“The bathroom and personal care market still has a way to go in terms of reducing household landfill. Less than 50% of products are recycled, compared with 80% of kitchen products.
“Fortunately though, the sector has shifted up a gear. We’re proud to be leading a category that has jumped seven-fold since we unveiled the first iteration of the product just shy of 30 months ago. I think we’re challenging some of the famous legacy personal care players to move and adapt quicker.
“Which ultimately spurs us on. We’re now on our sixth iteration of the product for example – which is convincing even more people to switch without having to compromise. We’ve also re-engineered systems and processes to innovate quickly to stay ahead of the curve.”
Richard Reed at Jam Jar Investments added: “Just as consumers had an appetite for more natural ingredients in their smoothies twenty years ago, we can see the trend really picking up momentum in the personal-care sector. We love businesses like Wild with a positive mission and ambitious team tackling important problems that we face as a society today.
“Where ‘zero waste’ was once only the preserve of the most committed eco-warrior, it now represents an accessible choice that all shoppers can embrace on their own level.
“As the refill revolution becomes increasingly mainstream, we believe Wild’s established understanding of the sector, products and our customers, paired with their nimbleness, puts them in a strong position to continue to build on their success.”
According to Statista, the global market value for natural cosmetics and personal care is expected to increase from almost $34.5bn in 2018 to roughly $54.5bn by 2027.
