THE WHAT? L’Oréal’s venture capital arm, BOLD has announced a minority investment in personalized J-beauty firm, Sparty. The deal is the French beauty giant’s first venture capital investment in Japan.

THE DETAILS Based in Tokyo, Sparty operates a D2C business model based on personalised beauty.

“With SPARTY’s proven track record in personalization and L’Oréal’s leadership in the worldwide beauty market, we are confident that we will be able to embark on the next chapter of our growth journey and scale our business even further, both in Japan and overseas, to the fullest potential,” said Yosuke Miyama, Founder and CEO of Sparty Inc.

THE WHY? Jean-Pierre Charriton, Chief Executive Officer of L’Oréal Japan, explains, “Japan is one of the most sophisticated and influential beauty markets. In Japan, personalized consumer experience is highly valued, and we are seeing new trends and innovations when it comes to personalization, especially in beauty. We are thrilled to be partnering with SPARTY, a pioneer in personalized beauty as well as a game changer within Japan’s growing D2C market.”