Natura & Co, the owner of The Body Shop and Aesop, has launched its new venture capital fund Fable Investments following a deal with Perfumer H, the niche fragrance brand by Lyn Harris.
Fable is described by Natura as a "purpose-driven corporate investment vehicle" that builds on the Brazilian company's experience of scaling premium brands.
The new division will make minority investments during an early-stage growth phase in which the brand has already landed series A and B funding.
Natura's debut investment in Perfumer H aims to support the growth of the British fragrance house into a "globally-recognised brand".
Thomas Buisson, Director of Fable and former General Manager of Aesop, described Harris as a founder who "epitomises what we look for in investees".
Lyn Harris and Christophe Michel, founders of Perfumer H, said in a statement: "Our ethos is simply to touch people with the true art of perfume making with no detail spared from the integrity of the materials to the hand-blown vessel that can be refilled.
"We are thrilled by the brand’s success and response to date and comforted that our approach resonates not only with our followers but the team at Fable Investments."
In January 2020, following the acquisition of direct selling company Avon, Natura became one of the world's largest cosmetics companies.
“Natura & Co has successfully grown from its mother brand, Natura, to the fourth largest pure play beauty group in less than a decade," he said.
"We have a proven model of successfully scaling premium, niche, purpose-driven brands while honouring their autonomy and unique identity.
"We can offer like-minded investees the opportunity to tap into the expertise we have across our group to help successfully grow their business."