DTC News and Insights

The $152M Growth Fund Betting on the Next Hero Cosmetics

Written by The Charm Team | Aug 14, 2025 10:18:58 PM

Aria Growth Partners is doubling down on its consumer brand investment strategy with a new $152 million fund. After successful exits from Hero Cosmetics and LesserEvil, the firm is sharpening its focus on brands with strong growth potential, value-driven positioning, and omnichannel presence. Here's what you need to know:

  • Aria Growth Partners, which invests $10M–$30M in minority stakes across food, beauty, wellness, and household products, has proven to have a keen eye for which early-stage consumer brands will make it big

  • Hero Cosmetics, Aria’s first investment, was acquired for $630M in 2022; LesserEvil followed, selling to Hershey this year for $750M, two high-profile exits in under five years.

  • Aria is seeking brands with $10M–$50M in revenue, prioritizing health, sustainability, and transparency, especially in businesses that are omnichannel (Amazon/DTC + major retail).

  • Brands don’t need to be the cheapest but must offer clear consumer value and strong margins for scalable growth.

  • Aria maintains active involvement post-investment, offering guidance in hiring, retail partnerships, and product development, aiming for collaborative, founder-friendly relationships.

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What Aria Growth Partners Wants in a Brand

Many investors use Charm to source and diligence DTC brands that match their investment criteria. Here's how we'd use Charm data to find brands based on Aria's investment criteria.

 

1. Revenue Stage: $10M–$50M in annual revenue

🔍 How Charm helps: Filter for brands by estimated revenue to find brands generating between $10M and $50M, not just those claiming growth.

 

2. Category Focus: Beauty, personal care, supplements, food & beverage, household

🔍 How Charm helps: Filter for brands in specific categories (like beauty or wellness) to evaluate the fast-growing brands in each vertical.

 

3. Pricing Power: Competitive pricing & good margins 

🔍 How Charm helps: Get information on the price distribution of products as well as the median product price point. The similar brands tab also shows how these metrics compare to the brand's key competitors. 

 

4. Omnichannel Distribution: DTC + major retail presence

🔍 How Charm helps: See if a brand is selling on marketplaces like Amazon, Macy’s, and Nordstrom. Get data into their daily TikTok Shop sales as well.

 

5. Scalability: Proven growth over time

🔍 How Charm helps: The Charm Growth Score is a multi-dimensional score showing how fast a brand is growing, based on social metrics, website traffic, ad count, and more. Easily rank and compare brands by growth to see if they are continuing to scale or staying stagnant.

 

6. Collaborative Founders: Openness to support and strategic input

🔍 How Charm helpsGet verified contact info for 1M brands, so you can connect with founders for early conversations to assess strategic fit.

 

Not a customer yet, and want to use Charm to source and diligence your next investment opportunity?  Book a demo with Charm today.