Unilever is Investing in Indonesian Beauty Brand Esqa. Indonesian vegan beauty brand Esqa has acquired $6 million from the series A round led by Unilever Ventures.
East Ventures also contributed to the financing. Esqa claims to be the first cosmetics brand made of vegan ingredients to launch in Indonesia, the fastest-growing beauty industry in Southeast Asia, according to the digital ecosystem lab iStrata, which cites Statista data.
Esqa is a brand known for its makeup items; however, it has recently expanded into skincare. Esqa’s inventory includes 120 keeping units certified as halal and vegan products.
Reading Best Shampoos For Hair Growth can help you to understand what you are reading about or enable you to discover fresh beauty perspectives.
Esqa is distributed through omnichannel channels, particularly marketplaces, e-commerce, and its direct-to-consumer site. Brick-and-mortar-wise, Esqa is carried in Sephora, Watsons, and local cosmetics stores across more than 47 Indonesian cities. In addition, Esqua has expanded its distribution into Vietnam via Sociolla stores, and also.
The brand is famous in Southeast Asia and is found in countries like Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Esqa was created in 2000, by Cindy Angelina, who serves as chief executive officer, and Kezia Trihatmanto, Esqa’s Chief Product Officer. The brand’s goal was to make high-end helpful beauty and cost-effective, per the statement issued by Esqa.
“With the growing middle class, Esqa is in the best position to leverage this masstige market through its inclusive products designed to simplify the beauty routine of modern women,” declared the company in its statement.
“Innovation is at the forefront of our brand,” said Trihatmanto in his statement. “Our approach is to think globally and act regionally; therefore, Esqa is fast in spotting international trends, but catering to Asian skin and local demands, according to our customer-centric focus, providing products that the customer needs.”
Esqa executives intended to refrain from raising funds initially because Esqa has consistently been profitable, they claimed. “But we realized that strategic expertise is needed as the business grew,” explained Angelina. “With Unilever Ventures’ expertise in partnering with visionary founders in building iconic consumer brands across the world and East Venture’s strong ecosystem in Indonesia, it will empower Esqa to embark on its next stage of growth.”
This includes expanding its omnichannel distribution and reaches to new cities both at home and overseas, increasing its product offering, and expanding its workforce and marketing strategy.
Pawan Chaturvedi, a member of Unilever Ventures, said Esqa is being transformed “into one of the most exciting indie beauty brands in Southeast Asia.”
“Esqa’s ability to innovate an exciting line of products spotting international trends while customizing to local needs has been instrumental to their early success,” said the CEO.
“There is a growing demand for high-quality, hyperlocal, and affordable beauty products, and we are certain that Esqa’s innovative natural ingredients and wide product offerings will propel Esqa to be a leader in the beauty market in Southeast Asia,” said Avina Sugiarto who is a member of East Ventures.
Images and videos included from "www.instagram.com", "Creative Commons License", "www.pexels.com".