Farfetch Buys Violet Grey Ahead of Beauty Launch

Beauty brand Violet Grey will be acquired by Farfetch, the luxury platform. A purchase price was not disclosed. The move was announced as prestige beauty is having its moment. Category sales surged 30% last year. Violet Grey offers a wide range of beauty and personal care products, including skincare, makeup and haircare. 

Under terms of the agreement, Founder Cassandra Grey will chair her brand under the Farfetch umbrella. She willl also become a global adviser for beauty on the Farfetch marketplace and cofounder of NGG Beauty at the company. Violet Grey will remain a stand-alone operating including violetgrey.com and the brand’s Los Angeles store. The move enables Grey to move beyond beauty into Farfetch's universe. The British-Portuguese online luxury fashion retail platform sells products from over 700 boutiques and brands from around the world.

In a statement, Grey explained that she started Violet Grey based on a simple, straightforward mission––to enable customers to feel confident in their purchase decisions through products and recommendations they can trust.

“Our not-so-secret sauce? Partnering with those who are the best at what they do,” she said. “By working with the best beauty experts to curate the best products from the best beauty brands, we serve our community of customers who subscribe to the notion that, 'Only the best will do.'”

Grey said earning and keeping the customer's trust is at the crux of every decision Violet Grey makes.

“Before every move, (we ask ourselves) 'Will this strengthen our relationship with our customers and collaborators?'”

She described Farfetch as a global tastemaker that not only shares her obsession with earning customer trust, but one that has established itself as the choice luxury fashion platform by connecting curators, creatives and customers in a way that has revolutionized the consumer experience.

“The acquisition of Violet Grey by Farfetch is one that will bridge the gap between luxury fashion and beauty commerce, allowing us to share our coveted community and distinct point of view with a global audience,” Grey concluded. “With this new partnership, Violet Grey and Farfetch hope to offer you whatever you need, wherever you are, truly making it one of the Moments That Have Made Us. As the founder, this moment is so wonderfully bittersweet––like my brilliant child going off to Harvard or being pulled out of high school to work for Apple. Except in this case, my talented team and I are this child, nervous about our first day in a much bigger pond, and asking you, our Violet Grey community, to join us and support us in this next thrilling chapter.” 

According to a Bain Altagamma luxury study, luxury beauty sales reached $69 billion last year—accounting for nearly a quarter of the $300 billion personal luxury goods industry.