Vector Consumer Strengthens Its Collagen Business By Acquiring Dose & Co. And Pura Collagen

Vector Consumer is doubling down on collagen with the acquisitions of Pura Collagen and Dose & Co.

Terms of the deals weren’t disclosed. The two brands will enter a portfolio with collagen brand Solv. and L.F.C., a protein brand Liverpool-based Vector Consumer developed under a license with Liverpool Football Club. Pura Collagen founders Jennifer Mo and Rob Knowles are joining Vector Consumer as director of strategy and implementation and supply chain and logistics director, respectively.

Nutritionist and naturopath Libby Matthews launched Dose & Co. in 2019, and Zuru Edge, the division of the Hong Kong-based toy company Zuru behind beauty brands Monday Haircare and Osana Naturals, took it over shortly thereafter. Zuru Edge brought on Khloe Kardashian as an investor and spokeswoman in 2020 to raise awareness of Dose & Co. According to Matt Banks-Crompton, managing director of Vector Consumer, Kardashian’s relationship with the brand ended last year.

In a statement, Paige Harris, GM of wellness and household care at Zuru Edge, says, “We are excited by Vector Consumer’s shared dedication to unwavering quality and their proven track record of innovating within the Wellness category. Handing over the reins to Vector not only enables the continuation of Dose & Co.’s mission, but also undoubtedly marks a new era of innovation and expansion. We eagerly anticipate witnessing the brand’s ongoing evolution and its part in building the future of the ingestible beauty category under Vector’s strategic guidance.”

Banks-Crompton and John Pugh, who were colleagues at healthcare manufacturer PharmaPac and wanted to work on consumer-facing brands, founded Vector Consumer in 2019. Banks-Crompton has a 25% stake in the company, and Pugh and an unnamed pharmaceutical investor own the rest. Banks-Crompton discloses Vector Consumer has generated almost $9 million in annual revenues and forecasts it will double that amount in its first year with Pura Collagen and Dose & Co. in tow.

“We believe there is significant low hanging fruit that we can go after. I think we will be on quite a growth journey in the next 12 to 18 months,” says Banks-Crompton. “As you can imagine, becoming a significant player in the collagen market will give us some real strength that we plan to use to grow.”

While Banks-Crompton characterizes Vector Consumer as “pretty good” when it comes to profitability, he mentions that the scale the acquisitions of Dose & Co. and Pura Collagen bring to the company will help it improve efficiencies to bring down costs and boost profits. Dose & Co. is now Vector Consumer’s biggest brand. About 70% of Vector Consumer’s sales are from brick-and-mortar retailers. With the addition of Dose & Co., that percentage decreases to 60%.

“Becoming a significant player in the collagen market will give us some real strength that we plan to use to grow.”

Dose & Co., Pura Collagen and Solv. each have distinct positions catering to different consumer demographics, product preferences and budgets within the global collagen market, which is estimated to advance at a compounded annual rate of 5.3% to nearly 10% in the next several years. Aimed at women, Dose & Co. specializes in beauty-oriented collagen powders. One of its bestsellers is Beauty Collagen Mixed Berry. It’s priced at $27.99 for a single purchase.

Pura Collagen’s customer base is roughly evenly split among the genders. Its products target need states. For example, priced at $22 and $43 depending on the size, its bestselling Flex+ Advanced Collagen Plus Formula is intended for healthy bones, flexible joints and cartilage health. Pura Collagen’s products contain Fortigel, protein with collagen peptides designed for the regeneration of joint cartilage.

Solv. started out as an entry-level offering for gen Z consumers, but Vector Consumer noticed it was resonating with older female consumers and has been adjusting it to reflect the life stages they go through as they age. In June, it will introduce a menopause range. Solv.’s Liquid Beauty Collagen Gel is priced at 21.99 pounds for a single purchase or $27.55.

Banks-Crompton calls Dose & Co. the “No. 1 collagen brand in New Zealand.” Globally, it’s in 5,000 points of distribution and has sold over 4 million tubs of collagen. Retailers that carry Dose & Co. include Superdrug, Holland & Barrett and Sainsbury’s in the United Kingdom. Dose & Co. was previously available at Target in the United States. Holland & Barrett carries Pura Collagen as well, and the brand is in Selfridges.

Vector Consumer is busy identifying markets around the world that make sense for its brands. It recently placed Solv. in Singaporean drugstore chain Guardian Pharmacy. Banks-Crompton mentions that Dose & Co. hasn’t yet expanded to Europe outside of the U.K., Asia or the Middle East.

Across markets, Vector Consumer’s brands are sold on Amazon. “We see it as first and foremost as a marketing opportunity. You need to be present and make sure you provide information on your products. Amazon is not slowing down, and therefore we need to find ways to work with them,” says Banks-Crompton. “We also need to make sure we have strong retailers. My background is in brick-and-mortar, so I absolutely see the importance of having brick-and-mortar retailers, and we are certainly not pure-play digital.”

Vector Consumer has 13 people on staff and expects that number to climb to 15 to 20 by the close of the year. Going forward, Banks-Crompton says Vector Consumer is interested in acquiring and incubating more brands. For acquisitions, it’s most interested in brands generating annual sales of $5 million to as much as $37 million.