Unilever’s VC arm, East Ventures pour $6m into Indonesian vegan beauty brand

Esqa, an Indonesia-based beauty brand, has raised US$6 million in a series A funding round led by Unilever Ventures, the venture arm of the global consumer goods giant, with participation from East Ventures.

The deal marks Unilever Ventures’ first beauty investment in Southeast Asia.

Esqa co-founders Kezia Trihatmanto (left) and Cindy Angelina / Photo credit: Esqa

Founded in 2016, Esqa claims to be the first vegan cosmetics brand in the country. It has launched 120 products, all of which it says are vegan and Halal-certified.

The firm has expanded its sales to Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia. One of its expansion strategies is by selling its products through the offline stores of Sociolla, another East Ventures-backed startup.

In a statement, the company claimed that it has achieved profitability.

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Esqa was established by Cindy Angelina and Kezia Trihatmanto, both of whom studied and worked in Los Angeles for almost 10 years. They built the startup upon their return to Indonesia.

The company plans to use the fresh funding for product development, hiring, marketing, and expansion purposes.