“In Asia Pacific and Australia, we’re opening 40 stores, followed by airport stores in Sydney and Melbourne. You cannot become a US$1 billion brand without having a presence in Asia. In five years, we see Asia as becoming our second-biggest region. Travel retail may be the smallest region for us now, but this will definitely be a major region for us in three to four years’ time.”

On achieving unicorn status, Rosier comments: “I think I’ve always known that we were going to get here. We’ve had a very ambitious business plan from day one and were very confident in the product what it could generate in terms of momentum, word of mouth and growth. Our valuation is a reflection of that unprecedented growth which we achieved in the last four years.

“In some ways, the valuation is a stamp to the high level of growth our brand has achieved, which has never been seen before in this sector. Unicorns have historically symbolised something very rare and indeed our growth is rare and unprecedented in the sector.

“For us, it’s a step. A great valuation can be further elevated by amazing investors that can help the company grow. That also means that we have a track record of making investors happy. Achieving unicorn status is a way for us to acknowledge this milestone and build on their trust. We repay that by further enhancing the brand and accelerating that growth.”

To prepare for the next chapter in its growth, Augustinus Bader recently welcomed a powerful new group of investors. “Our historical shareholder is Impala followed by General Atlantic who joined that round. Our new investors are a diverse group of people who have the common vision to succeed and really cater to the demands of the highly informed luxury beauty consumer.

“We have businessman Antoine Arnault {CEO of Christian Dior and son of LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault}; his wife, supermodel Natalia Vodianova; Javier Ferrán, Chairman of IAG and Diageo, who with BlackRock recently bought prestige fragrance brand Creed. We also have Mert Alas who is one half of the fashion photography duo Mert & Marcus. With this team of investors, I believe we can really take Augustinus Bader to the next level. All our shareholders bring more than just money but provide their specific expertise to help our business grow.”

Augustinus Bader’s growing portfolio of products is centred around one key ingredient, TFC8, which helps boost the skin’s natural ability to heal itself. In 2022, the brand launched a Light Cream as well as a Lash and Eyebrow Serum. It also teamed up with Mayfair clinic Lansehof to open its first standalone clinic in London.

“We’re working on a new retinol cream, which is a combination of our patented TFC8 ingredient and retinoid. TFC8 is so effective that it has a proven efficacy with customers and blending this with Retinoids answers a new consumer need. I think the combination will result in a very interesting product and the people in our team who have tried absolutely love it. It’s a big launch for us.”

For a brand with such a growth trajectory, the whispers around a possible M&A are becoming louder – not surprisingly given the new shareholders’ identities.

“Acquisition can be very useful to accelerate growth and we’re not closed to anything,” Rosier observes. “As it stands, we’re very excited by what we’re building. We’re a much smaller organisation than the established skincare brands but being small has a lot of advantages too. We’re more nimble, agile and adaptive to changing our approach. Now that we have the support of an even more powerful group of shareholders, and therefore more liquidity, cash is not a constraint for us.

“I think it’s interesting to see what we can achieve on our own, but both paths are exciting. My goal is to see the brand achieve its true potential and there is no set path on how we get there.”