TSG Consumer Partners Purchases Phlur
Jul 24, 2025
On Tuesday, the private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners said for sure they will buy the small scent brand Phlur, The Business of Beauty can only tell you. The price of the deal was not shared.
The scent brand with a big impact, backed by influencer Chriselle Lim and Ben Bennett's The Center, will now be part of the private equity firm's group. The Business of Beauty can only tell you.
On Tuesday, the private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners said for sure they will buy the small scent brand Phlur, The Business of Beauty can only tell you. The price of the deal was not shared.
"I was very hurt back then, and I found no joy outside my deep pain. It was not like the usual scent, where they lay out everything so nice and pretty," said Lim. "What we gave with Phlur was truly new in scent, which was realness and openness and clearness."
Phlur's strong smells and ads have hit home not just with scent lovers from Gen Z and Millennials but also with picky buyers who want top-tier goods. Ashmun, who came to the brand in 2024, noted that half of its buyers are new to this type of product.
Phlur, which just started to sell this year, was "strongly sought after" by TSG Consumer, noted Hadley Mullin, a high boss, and soon became the top choice for the brand.
"It kept popping up as a key pick," said Mullin, noting that the firm likes to partner with beauty brands that do well in shops and have more places they could go. "When we're picking a brand to back, the most vital voice is the consumer, then the store," she added. Phlur's start is not common in today's harsh beauty world.
Lim was a surprise partner for Phlur too. She once said to The Business of Beauty, "I never ever thought I'd own a scent firm or even be in anything related to scent."
As product and ads mix in beauty, Lim's unique view and close feel have made Phlur loved. The first smell after its new start, Missing Person, brought the sense of missing, so the brand sent press and big t-shirts soaked in the scent. She also shared plainly on social media about her split and sad times after.
More lately, Lim moved away from ad images to let the line shine alone, a move buyers look for proof of when they want to put in money, hoping to craft a lasting brand. Helped by young buyers, lower costs, and new styles, new rivals have shaken up the old top designer rules.
"The model's smart price setup lets the brand make money while also making it easy to try out," said Colin Welch, head of New York at TSG Consumer Partners. Phlur shared that sales are about half retail and half online. Sales went up 65 percent in 2025.
Many have tried to fill that gap, like Glossier, which is now more into that area than its old main things, skincare and makeup. And Dedcool, which sells scents in many ways, even as a detergent. It left the old way of sticking to one main scent, now making two new EDPs and up to seven new types each year.
Ashmun said that new types, reaching out more to men, and a bigger reach around the world are key as the brand changes owners. While big founders come and go in impact, Lim said those who last are "more careful" in how they talk to people. She uses her growing career as proof.
