Nykaa makes investments in Earth Rhythm, Nudge Wellness, Kica Active

Acquisition of the Indian activewear brand — Kica, a partnership with direct to customer brand incubator, Onesto Labs, to create a new category of nutraceuticals and wellness products, and a partnership through a minority stake in Earth Rhythm,which is a science-focused beauty brand with an active focus on research-based and results-oriented products; were the three strategic announcements made by Nykaa Fashion on Friday.

To strengthen its active-wear play, Nykaa acquired Kica, founded by Aneesha Labroo in 2017 which provides stylish, high-quality products at an affordable price. Having launched Nykd All Day last year, Nykaa Fashion now adds Kica to its portfolio, offering the growing active-wear community of athletes and everyday fitness seekers greater variety and curation in this category, the company said.

Commenting on the acquisition, Adwaita Nayar, co-founder Nykaa and CEO Nykaa Fashion, said, “With a strong vision to empower women to lead an active lifestyle, Kica is a brand that brings equal passion to product and community both.”
Kica, along with other consumer brands like Nykd, Pipa Bella, Twenty Dresses, RSVP, Gajra Gang, IYKYK, and Likha, is an integral part of Nykaa Fashion’s market expansion this year, Nayar said.

Partnership with Onesto Labs will lead to creation of a new category of nutraceuticals and wellness products under Nudge Wellness. This partnership like with other homegrown D2C brands recently is aimed at strengthening the early-stage beauty and lifestyle ecosystem and building the next generation of brands specialising in sustainable and inclusive products.
Anchit Nayar, CEO, (e-commerce beauty), Nykaa, said, “With this partnership we are now entering the ‘edible beauty’ category as we reimagine what clean and green beauty and wellness could look like in the coming years. Consumers today are getting progressively conscious about the quality of ingredients in their beauty products and their efficacy.”

In another partnership, Nykaa picked up a minority stake in homegrown, science-focused beauty brand Earth Rhythm, which has an active focus on research-based and results-oriented products. Earth Rhythm, formerly known as Soapworks India, was launched in 2015 by Harini Sivakumar, and erstwhile banker, turned to entrepreneur.  “We are proud to partner with a promising early-stage start-up and help them to achieve their potential by leveraging Nykaa’s expertise and ecosystem,” Nayar said.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook