Knowlton Development Corporation (KDC/One) bought Cosmetic Laboratories of America (CLA), a company in the development, formulation and supply of personal care and beauty products based in Chatsworth, CA. Financial terms were not disclosed.
 
This acquisition strengthens KDC/One's leadership on the West Coast in delivering creative design, innovation-driven research, custom development and manufacturing to the prestige beauty segment, with a particular focus on skin care, hair care and color cosmetics for emerging indie brands. Following the company’s recent integration of Benchmark Laboratories and merger with HCT Group—both of which operate high-quality, cutting-edge facilities in the region—and together with KDC/One’s existing Thibiant and Thibiant Naturals plants, the strategic acquisition of CLA creates the largest regional innovation hub and a one-stop solution for West Coast customers. The close proximity of these facilities creates significant opportunities for collaboration, future investment and increased scale for growth, while also providing CLA customers with access to KDC/One’s worldwide network.
 
Established in 2002, KDC/One has grown organically and through acquisitions to become one of the world’s custom formulators and manufacturers with 18 state-of-the art facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. Backed by Cornell Capital, which acquired KDC/One in December 2018 together with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Investissement Québec and HarbourVest Partners, KDC/One offers high-touch innovation, operational excellence and speed to market to well-known and emerging brands. In the past year, the Company has nearly doubled in size, expanding its technology base and expertise. Most recently, KDC/One announced its acquisition of Zobele Group, further enhancing its global platform across beauty, personal care and household products.
 
For nearly 50 years, CLA has provided high quality personal care and beauty products to its customers across the skin care, hair care, naturals, over-the-counter, body care and fragrance segments from its manufacturing and warehousing facilities in Chatsworth. Today, CLA has approximately 350 employees and serves a broad base of customers ranging from Fortune 500 companies to well-known health, beauty, cosmetic and fragrance brands, as well as specialized health and beauty aid companies.
 
“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, Chief Executive Officer of KDC/One. “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.”
 
“We are excited to join the KDC/One family and work alongside its world class team to provide our valued customers with an expanded suite of offerings as part of a growing global platform,” said Oscar Saldarriaga, General Manager of CLA. “Over the years, CLA has built a platform recognized for innovation, quality and reliability. With KDC/One’s unmatched track record of innovation and local and global scale, I am confident that together we will achieve our goal of cementing our position as the custom developer and manufacturer of choice on the West Coast.”