CPG Acquisitions, Fandom-Led Apparel, and a DTC Fashion Deal in Play

Big exits, big bet sizing, and big brand momentum — here’s what’s moving this week:

Unilever x Dr. Squatch: $1.5B for Soaps and Suds

Rumored figures from Unilever’s latest personal care pickup of Dr. Squatch:

  • 💰 2024 Revenue: $400M (vs. $100M in 2021)

  • 📈 Profitability: $90M EBITDA

  • 🛒 Channel Mix: 85% DTC — but $47M already coming from Walmart + Costco

Massive growth. Near-25% EBITDA margin. And a rare 4x exit in just three years.
Huge win for early investor Guild Capital, who was also behind Ruggable and Home Chef.

L’Oréal to Acquire Color Wow: Another $1B+ Beauty Play

L’Oréal is keeping its M&A streak alive, now acquiring premium haircare brand Color Wow.

  • 🎯 2024 Revenue Estimate: $300M

  • 🧑‍🎤 Founder: Gail Federici (co-creator of John Frieda), launched the brand in 2013

  • 💼 Backers: No outside capital publicly reported

Reportedly shopped for ~$1B via Houlihan Lokey. A clean, direct brand that scaled profitably — and now becomes another notch in L'Oréal’s beauty belt.

Momofuku Goods: CPG Growth That’s Outpacing the Restaurants

David Chang’s CPG brand, Momofuku Goods, is now bigger than the Momofuku restaurants themselves.

  • 🍜 2024 Revenue: $67.5M (vs. $50M in 2023)

  • 💰 Funding: $29M raised from ACG across Series A & A-II

  • 🏪 Retail: Now in 3,500+ doors including Whole Foods, Target, Wegmans

  • 🌶️ Hero SKUs: Chili Crunch, noodles, soy sauces, seasoned salts

From chef to shelf, Chang’s brand is setting the standard for culinary crossover success.

🚨 Deal Alert: A DTC Apparel Brand with EBITDA and Upside

A premium DTC fashion brand is exploring strategic options:

  • 📉 Peaked at $14M revenue in 2023, slowed by cash constraints

  • ✅ EBITDA-positive in 2024

  • ⭐ 7,500+ 5-star reviews, strong NPS

  • 💎 $401 LTV across $24M in customer value

  • 🛍️ No wholesale push yet — whitespace opportunity

Strong retention, high affinity, and room to scale.
📩 DM or Connect for intros or details.

🎙 Podcast: Homefield Apparel’s Playbook for Word-of-Mouth Growth

No celebrity seeding. No paid ads blitz. Just a fan-first brand built for the college sports diehards.

This week’s episode features Connor Hitchcock, founder of Homefield Apparel, sharing:

  • 📉 Why they only spend 5% of revenue on Meta

  • 🏟️ How tailgates, Discords, and bar takeovers drive community

  • 🧵 Why “thoughtful design” creates virality in niche fandoms

  • 📦 How $220 bundles drove $500K+ in 24 hours

  • 🧠 Lessons from licensing, retail expansion, and nostalgia-driven marketing

It’s a playbook for building a brand that doesn’t need to chase CAC every quarter.

That’s it for this week.
If you liked this issue, forward to a friend who obsesses over brand strategy, capital flows, or exit timing.

In the Money – following the flow of capital in consumer