This week, New Incubation Ventures – The Estée Lauder Companies’ investment incubation arm – has taken a minority stake in Vyrao, the British new-generation wellness fragrance brand founded by Yasmin Sewell
Sewell — an alumnus of Browns, Liberty, and Farfetch — launched her crystal-infused unisex brand two years ago, fusing ‘energetic healing with master perfumery’. Following its 2021 launch into Selfridges, minority stakes in Vyrao have been acquired by Estée Lauder Companies’ New Incubation Ventures.
Formed to incubate early-stage beauty brands that epitomise the cutting edge of innovation, NIV’s backing in Sewell’s brand follows its investment into grooming brand Faculty, and seaweed-obsessed, Margate-based sustainable lifestyle brand Haeckels.
What did NIV see in Vyrao? Senior vice president, Shana Randhava says that Sewell’s ‘ability to reimagine the convergence of luxury, wellness, and fragrance is expanding (the incubator’s) understanding of the functional benefits of the category.’ Pointing towards the fact that this investment is as much about developing ELC’s own category knowledge as it is about propelling the 24-month-old indie into more consumers’ baskets.
Currently, the brand’s offering spans fragrance, incense, and candles, which all enable users to ‘raise their energies’ and promote better spiritual and mental well-being in everyday living
‘At Vyrao, we want to keep innovating by creating products that go beyond traditional wellness and fragrance but can support our spiritual and mental well-being,’ explains founder, Yasmin Sewell. She goes on to say: ‘To have Estée Lauder’s belief and guidance is a huge validation for me personally and an honour.’
Formulated by harnessing herkimer diamond quartz crystals – which are known to purify and rid the body of toxins – Vyrao scents are grounded in ethereal restoration.
Now, the brand is taking things a step further, as its newest launch takes the spiritual into the realms of science. The Sixth, a new perfume, has been developed in collaboration with the International Flavours and Fragrance’s Science of Wellness Programme, which studies how brain activity and emotions can be attributed to various scents.
The new product is a functional fragrance formed from advanced science and backed by facts, making it a ‘neourscent’. An emerging product category, ‘neuroscents’ are created with olfactive notes that evoke neurologically proven emotional responses. Vyrao has made use of this new technology to ensure its new scent lowers stress levels scientifically.
Estée Lauder Companies’ investment comes as the brand prepares to launch into new categories over the coming years, with Sewell seeking to expand ‘beyond the traditional beauty and wellness realm’ – who’s ready for some mystic body care?
