Japonesque acquires female-founded premium foot care brand Barefoot Scientist

SAN RAMON, Calif., Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Japonesque, in partnership with Topspin Consumer Partners, has acquired the Barefoot Scientist brand. The acquisition reflects Japonesque's continued investment in the fast growing, premium at-home beauty care space. Barefoot Scientist was established in January 2019 and has become an innovative force in premium foot care, making it easy to treat feet in the same specialized way that we care for the face, hair, and body, by combining science backed formulations with lifestyle friendly product design. The company offers a wide range of foot care treatments and tools which have expanded distribution across national retailers in addition to driving strong sales online.

The brand was founded by Dana Ward, who initially conceived the company's award-winning innovation, PreHeels+ blister prevention spray after suffering from blisters while working long hours on red carpets in Hollywood. Several years of research and hundreds of formulations later, PreHeels+ became a viral sensation and led to the development of a full collection of scientifically advanced foot care products. To learn more please visit www.barefootscientist.com.

Simon Worraker, CEO of Japonesque, said, "We are delighted to welcome Dana and the Barefoot Scientist brand to our portfolio of female founded brands and look forward to growing this business together. There is enormous potential within the beauty & wellness space, but also in the performance sports arena."  Dana commented, "I'm very proud of what we have achieved to date. It is exciting to consider the next phase of brand expansion leveraging Japonesque's expertise and resources. To be able to bring happier, healthier feet to the world is a dream -- and now we can get there even faster."

Japonesque is a developer and marketer of innovative beauty implements, makeup brushes and makeup removal products under the brands Japonesque and The Original Makeup Eraser. The Japonesque brand was originally founded by Paula Forberg Beritzhoff who was inspired by Japanese makeup artists in Kabuki theater and later developed by Karen McKay. The brand offers products of superior performance and quality at attractive price points and is distributed broadly across multiple retailers in the US market. The Original Makeup Eraser, founded by Lexi McCarthy, was acquired by Japonesque in August 2020 and offers a category defining range of sustainable makeup removal products. Topspin Consumer Partners invested in Japonesque in September 2019 and has worked closely with the Japonesque team to expand the business organically and via acquisition. To learn more about our brands please visit www.japonesque.com and www.makeuperaser.com.

Topspin Consumer Partners is a Mamaroneck, NY-based private equity firm that makes investments in established, profitable and fast-growing middle-market consumer businesses. The firm invests across a number of sub-verticals within consumer, including health & wellness, personal care & beauty, food & beverage, household goods, pet, and children's products. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise in consumer products and services and collaborates with founder-owners and management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. Further information on Topspin can be found at www.topspincp.com.

SOURCE Japonesque