Oak Essentials, a natural skincare brand founded by Jenni Kayne, announced it has secured a first round of dual funding from Silas Capital and Unilever Ventures to fuel its expansion. The funding will enable enhanced product development, increased marketing efforts, and broader distribution.
Oak Essentials has successfully raised its first round of funding from two prominent investors in the beauty sector. Silas Capital (known for its strategic investments in emerging consumer brands) and Unilever Ventures (the VC arm of the global consumer goods giant) have joined forces to provide inaugural funding for the promising skincare brand, which just celebrated its three-year anniversary.
With the backing of these industry veterans, Oak Essentials is prepared to accelerate its mission of self-care and simplified luxurious body and skincare that values efficacy alongside a sensorial, spa-like experience and minimalist aesthetic. The promise is simple as it features moisture-rich essentials that inspire intentional daily rituals for healthy, youthful skin.
Jenni Kayne (known for her fashion, lifestyle, and home collections) founded Oak Essentials in her vision. And while the brands are separate entities, they occasionally collaborate for major moments—like the recent Jenni Kayne Farmhouse and Oak Essentials Wellness Club—to immerse customers in their tastefully curated worlds where they can engage their shared customer base and reinforce their shared aesthetic.
For the three years since Oak Essentials’ inception, the brand has launched 26 products, initially focusing on skincare before successfully expanding into body care. And Oak Essentials has sold over half a million products since launch, with over 8,300 5-star reviews across all offerings. The brand’s flagship products, including the Moisture Rich Balm, Ritual Oil, and Dew Body Oil have been consistent best-sellers since the initial product launch.
In January, Lauren Harris transitioned from COO at Jenni Kayne to CEO of Oak Essentials. And in her new role, she utilizes her extensive experience and passion for brand growth to drive Oak Essentials forward. Under her leadership, the brand has become a key player in the skincare industry. Harris is committed to keeping the customer at the center of every decision, expanding retail partnerships, and enhancing the direct-to-consumer channel, resulting in significant revenue growth and a stronger market presence.
This year has been transformative for Oak Essentials, marked by substantial growth. And the brand has evolved from being DTC only to being stocked at ShopBop and Nordstrom, with more retail relationships anticipated. Known as one of NewBeauty’s NB100, Oak Essentials is set to nearly double its revenue.
This summer featured a standout moment for the brand with the launch of The Jenni Kayne Farmhouse and Oak Essentials Wellness Club (an experiential lifestyle and wellness retreat and showcase in Tivoli, New York). Initially open to VIPs, editors, and influencers, and opening to the public this fall, the Wellness Club offers a brand immersive skincare experience to forge lasting connections and to introduce the brand to the East Coast.
More recently, Oak Essentials launched Renew Face Polish – which contains biodegradable and sustainably sourced ingredients and was the first to be packaged in eco-friendly tree-free paper cartons. Soon, all the products in the line will be housed in these same environmentally conscious containers and clinical testing has been initiated to assure product quality and efficacy. And the upcoming launches through the end of this year will include a moisturizing cleanser and a first foray into bath products.
KEY QUOTES:
“We love how Jenni Kayne has applied tasteful curation to create Oak Essentials as a luxurious beauty lifestyle brand centered around ritual, relaxation, and sensorial experiences reminiscent of a visit to the spa – at your own convenience. The brand delivers for consumers who are increasingly embracing the holistic wellness benefits of beauty products with an appreciation for self-care and beauty routines.”
-Anna Ohlsson-Baskerville, Partner at Unilever Ventures
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce our partnership with Silas Capital and Unilever Ventures. Their investment is a powerful endorsement of our vision to offer spa-like and effective skincare rituals for sophisticated consumers to experience in their own homes. Having spent the last three years building our DTC business, we’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come but are eagerly looking ahead to this next phase. We are so grateful to have Silas and Unilever Ventures’ support and expertise as we place focus on the key areas that we believe will solidify us as leaders in prestige beauty; keeping product innovation at the forefront and building upon our existing assortment and categories, expanding our distribution channels with new and upcoming retail partnerships, and deepening our focus on sustainability as a core pillar of the brand. This is such an incredible milestone for Oak Essentials and we’re so excited for what’s to come.”
-Lauren Harris, CEO at Oak Essentials
“Jenni is the consummate tastemaker, and over the past few years has artfully reflected her ethos in the development of Oak Essentials’ multi-category assortment of clean, luxe essentials. Beyond the elevated aesthetic of these products, they truly do deliver on efficacy – which has been one of the key drivers of the brand’s tremendous growth to date. We’re thrilled to partner with Jenni and Unilever Ventures for this next chapter, supporting both Oak’s impressive e-commerce momentum, as well as its quickly scaling wholesale channel.”
-Brian Thorne, Partner at Silas Capital
“Oak Essentials was born from my lifelong pursuit of intentional living, a journey routed in nature, that inspired me to create a refined, botanical-based skincare collection inspired by the transformative power of spa experiences. As we celebrate Oak Essentials’ third year, this partnership with Silas Capital and Unilever Ventures marks an exciting new chapter for the brand. I’m thrilled for Oak Essentials to collaborate with these respected industry leaders as we push the boundaries of what clean, prestige beauty can be.”
-Jenni Kayne, founder of Oak Essentials
