Seen, a haircare brand developed by Harvard-trained dermatologist Dr. Iris Rubin after she suffered from haircare-related breakouts, has closed a $9 million Series A round.
Participants in the round included Danaher Corp. co-founder Mitch Rales, Somerville, Sater Grove Holdings and Ulta Beauty director George Murconick.
Seen also received early funding from Harvard dermatologists and scientists, including Dr. Rox Anderson of Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital;
“This marks another transformative milestone for Sheen,” Rubin said of the funding round. “The majority of American adults self-declare sensitive skin, and more than 100 million people in the U.S. suffer from acne, eczema, dry scalp, and hair loss, which can be exacerbated by irritating, allergenic, and pore-clogging ingredients in hair care products. Our mission is to empower people to step out in public with confidence by providing salon-quality hair care products that are clinically proven to be gentle on the skin.”
The brand launched with three products in 2019 and has since expanded its product line to include shampoos, conditioners, hair serums, styling products, facial cleansers and body washes.
Scene co-founder and CEO Greg Maged told WWD that the funding will enable the company to focus on innovation, expand professional sampling to 10,000 dermatology clinics by 2025, and expand its retail footprint.
It will launch at Ulta through its Spark program in 2022 and is currently available in over 700 stores.
“We have experienced 100 percent annual growth since launch and have consistently exceeded Ulta’s sales projections for the brand,” Maged said.
Commenting on the investment, Murconick said, “We are pleased to be an investor in Sheen and believe the company is setting a new standard in high-performance haircare. Sheen is applying skin science to haircare, which is exactly the kind of category-defining innovation we at Ulta are excited about.”
