Unilever has signed an agreement to acquire Murad, marking the global giant's second high profile acquisition of a privately held skin care brand in as many weeks.

On June 24, Unilever announced that it had acquired Dermalogica.

Unilever also acquired Kate Somerville in early June and REN in March, moves which jointly position the firm as as a key player in the personal care prestige segment.

Founded in 1989 in Los Angeles, Murad is regarded as the first modern doctor-built skin care brand. Dr. Howard Murad, a dermatologist, pharmacist and UCLA professor, developed a unique recipe of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and hydrators to address virtually every skin care concern, from acne to anti-aging. Dr. Murad was a key speaker at Happi's 2013 Anti-Aging Conference & Tabletop Exhibition (the 2015 conference is scheduled for Sept. 10-11 in New Brunswick, NJ).

Murad has a significant presence in the US through professional salons and spas such as Massage Envy, and specialist retailers such as Sephora, Ulta and Nordstrom. The company’s products can be found in more than 42 countries.

“We are delighted to welcome Murad to our portfolio of prestige personal care brands. As an expert ‘Doctor brand’, Murad offers products in a differentiated clinical and holistic well-being segment,” said Paul Polman, Unilever CEO. “ It has a loyal following that gives it excellent potential for expansion, and wonderfully complements the brands recently acquired. We look forward to working with Dr Murad and his team to continue to grow the brand.”

“We’ve always looked for opportunities to reach more people with our message of Inclusive Health and to touch more lives with our targeted, high-performance products,” said Dr. Murad.  “With Unilever, we can broaden our reach and significantly grow our brand while remaining faithful to the founding principles of Murad. There is a very bright path ahead and I am excited to work with Unilever to share our products with the world—together we can inspire every person that the Murad brand touches to live life beautifully.”

Murad, which had turnover of approximately $115-130 million in 2014, is ranked No. 48 in Happi’s 2015 Top Companies report, slated to be out this month in print and online.