City trio land roles on L'Oréal's €1bn swoop for UK skincare brand

Three firms have landed roles on L'Oréal’s purchase of British skincare brand Medik8. The French cosmetics giant is taking a majority stake in the company from UK private equity firm Inflexion at an estimated €1 billion valuation, according to Reuters sources.

Medik8 is a leading dermatological skincare brand. The acquisition is being seen as a strategic move by Paris-headquartered L'Oréal to bolster its Luxe division of premium skincare brands.

The deal is expected to close in the coming months and will see Inflexion retain a minority stake in Medik8, with L'Oréal gaining rights to fully buy out the remaining shareholders. Medik8’s founder, Elliot Isaacs, along with the current management team, will remain in their existing roles after the acquisition.

Advising

A&O Shearman is advising L'Oréal. The deal team is led by M&A partners Matthew Appleton and Aoife McDermott. Partners Lydia Challen and Guillaume Valois handled tax matters, while antitrust advice was provided by Thomas Masterman.

On the other side of the deal, a Simmons & Simmons team led by private equity partner Tim Hewens represented Medik8’s management team.

Taylor Wessing acted for Medik8 on the deal, with a team led by partner Jonny Bethell. A separate team of Taylor Wessing lawyers, led by partner James Goold, advised Inflexion on its continued minority stake in the business.