L’Oréal is buying Australian high-end cosmetics firm Aesop for $2.5B.

 

L’Oréal is buying Australian high-end cosmetics firm Aesop for $2.5B.   L’Oréal is buying the brand from Brazil’s Natura & Co, which owns The Body Shop and Avon brands. Natura said the transaction would help its efforts to reduce debt and focus on its other brands. The acquisition is the first for L’Oréal under CEO Nicolas Hieronimus, who assumed the role in May 2021. Aesop was founded in 1987 and was acquired by Natura in 2012. In 2017, Natura bought The Body Shop from L’Oréal for €1B ($1.1B). L’Oréal shares are up ~25% YTD and Natura’s are up ~17% YTD.