Dealflow | September 13, 2017

Billion-dollar B Corp acquisition

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Natura, the Brazilian cosmetics company and certified B Corp for its ethical and sustainable practices, acquired the Body Shop from French cosmetics company L’Oréal. Natura generated $2.5 billion in revenues in 2015.

Combined, the two firms and Aesop, an Australian skincare brand also owned by Natura, have operations in 70 countries, 17,000 employees and an independent sales force of 1.8 million. “We both share a same vision of cosmetics, advocating the use of natural ingredients, seeking to use our business as a platform to raise environmental consciousness,” said João Paulo Ferreira, Natura’s chief executive, on a June conference call when the bid was first announced.

B-Lab, the nonprofit that administers the sustainability certification, says the acquisition was the first by a billion-dollar B Corp. To stay hip to people using business as a force for good, sign up for B the Change’s weekly newsletter.