Sustainable personal care startup Wild Cosmetics has closed a £5m funding round to help realise its ambition to remove single-use plastics and unnecessary chemicals from the bathroom.
JamJar Investments, the VC fund helmed by the founders of Innocent Drinks, led the latest round, with existing investors Creator Collective Capital and Slingshot Ventures also involved.
The London-headquartered business has now raised a total of £7.5m since being launched by former HelloFresh marketing director Freddy Ward and entrepreneur Charlie Bowes-Lyon in 2019.
Wild will use the money to expand overseas and broaden its plastic-free range beyond refillable deodorants into other areas of the personal care category.
Wild’s founders also plan to bolster the business’ sustainability credentials by preparing to become a certified B Corporation.
“Consumers are starting to really address the uncomfortable reality of single-use plastic waste across their households,” said Ward.
“But the bathroom and personal care market still has a way to go.
Wild generated eight-figure revenues in its first full year of trading, recording 400% year-on-year growth in 2021 and selling 2.5 million of its gender-neutral line of compostable deodorants.
The DTC brand also moved into the traditional retail space, winning listings with Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Boots and Selfridges. Wild said it aimed to triple its footprint from its current 500 stockists in 2022.
Richard Reed of JamJar added: “Just as consumers had an appetite for more natural ingredients in their smoothies 20 years ago, we can see the trend really picking up momentum in the personal-care sector.
“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.”
Wild’s reusable aluminium case comes in six metallic shades, with a bamboo pulp biodegradable deodorant refill slotted inside.
The cream-based, vegan formula is made with natural botanical oils, butters and waxes and is free from gluten, aluminium, BHT and triclosan.
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