December 2023

Advisor to Lactobio in the sale to L’Oréal

ATRIUM Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Lactobio in the sale to L’Oréal.

Lactobio is a leading probiotic and microbiome research company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Lactobio was founded in 2017 by Søren Kjærulff, Ph.D. and Charlotte Vedel, Ph.D., who developed a unique, proprietary microbiome discovery platform and screening method to select the most effective and safe strains. These precision probiotics, created from a large biobank of lactobacillus bacteria, will be used in the development of topical formulations containing live bacteria, taking inspiration from nature to impart numerous benefits to skin and hair.

L’Oréal is the world’s leading beauty player with a broad portfolio of 37 international brands, 87,400 employees, a large geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks. In 2022, L’Oréal generated sales amounting to 38.26 billion euros. With 20 research centers across 11 countries around the world and a dedicated research and innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 5,500 tech and digital professionals, L’Oréal is focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a beauty tech powerhouse.

The strategic acquisition builds on 20 years of advanced research by L’Oréal into the microbiome scientific territory, deepening its knowledge of the microorganisms that live on the skin’s surface and reinforcing the group’s leadership in this field. The acquisition opens up new scientific opportunities, including leveraging Lactobio’s microbiome expertise and significant IP portfolio to develop safe and effective new cosmetic solutions using live bacteria.