KDC/ONE acquires Cosmetic Laboratories of America

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Mar 4, 2020

Knowlton Development Corporation (KDC/ONE), a manufacturing solutions leader for beauty, personal care and household brands, announced on Tuesday the acquisition of Cosmetic Laboratories of America (CLA). 

For an undisclosed amount, the Chatsworth, California-based brand will switch hands to strengthen Knowlton’s West Coast operations, further to other recent acquisitions. 

Most recently, the company merged with HCT Group and integrated Benchmark Laboratories, which both operate facilities in the region. 

Combined with its existing Thibiant and Thibiant Naturals plants, the strategic acquisition of CLA has allowed KDC/ONE to create the largest regional innovation hub and a one-stop solution for west coast customers. 

The company believes that the close proximity of its facilities will create “significant opportunities for collaboration, future investment and increased scale for growth." 

"CLA has been a premier early formulation developer for decades, as evidenced by the number of large, flagship beauty products the company has developed and launched over the years," said Nicholas Whitley, CEO of KDC/ONE, in a news statement. 

"With an exceptional leadership team, a reputation for speed-to-market and best-in-class assets producing prestige skin and hair care products, CLA is the ideal partner for KDC/ONE as we look to invest in and solidify our West Coast footprint, further enhance our creative, cutting-edge offerings and scale our end-to-end capabilities in the region."

Established in 2002, KDC/ONE today operates 18 state-of-the art facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.

It was acquired by Cornell Capital in December 2018, and is equally backed by Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec, Investissement Québec and HarbourVest Partners.  

The company promises to offer “high-touch innovation, operational excellence and speed to market to well-known and emerging brands.”