Private Equity Believes in Being Well Groomed

Vertex Capital Management has acquired and re-launched skin care products company Costru. The company was formerly Cosmedicine and produces a line of high end, clinically tested skin care products such as anti-aging creams and acne treatments. The company will be lead by Vertex chief operating officer Larry Nusbaum. Vertex was founded in 2008 to to acquire distressed consumer-goods companies.

43 personal product companies have received over $6 billion of private equity investment in the past three years, according to the PitchBook Platform. This is the ninth deal in the industry sector for 2009, only one less than was completed in 2008. Of PE firms, North Castle Partners has been the most active in 2009 with its formation of Mineral Fusion Natural Brands via the combination of Depth and Mineral Fusion. The biggest exit in the sector was The Blackstone Group-backed Stiefel Laboratories sale to GlaxoSmithKline.