Ceremonia, the Latinx clean haircare brand, has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Sandbridge Capital.

WHO: Launched in October 2020 by Babba Rivera, Ceremonia is a clean haircare brand rooted in Latinx heritage with a mission to empower everyone to have easy-to-maintain hair that feels as good as it looks. Ceremonia is creating modern-day rituals steeped in culture. The brand launched with Aceite de Moska, described as a miracle oil celebrated for numerous hair wellness benefits. The range has grown about 20 stock-keeping units made with natural ingredients procured from Latin America and free of silicones, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and artificial colorants.

WHY: The new capital will fuel the brand's recent expansion to 500+ Sephora stores and the opening of its first flagship store in NYC's SoHo neighborhood this June.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Riviera said of her new investor Ken Suslow to WWD, “I feel almost like I got a cofounder in a way. I can text him any hour of the day and just get a pulse check for something. As a sole founder that is super valuable. It’s just truly been a partnership.”

Sandbridge founder and Managing Partner Ken Suslow said, “Ceremonia is a purpose-driven modern hair care brand with uncommonly strong momentum and crossover appeal in a category that we find persuasive. We are delighted to partner with such a dynamic and authentic founder; Babba is an industry pioneer with a compelling vision to grow Ceremonia into the globally recognized leader in Latinx beauty.”

TRIBE DYNAMICS EMV: Describing itself as a “clean hair brand rooted in Latinx heritage,” Ceremonia accrued $2.4MM EMV in Q2, a 39% QoQ improvement. The brand featured in 1.8K posts from 706 creators, figures that represented slight 5% and 1% QoQ upticks, respectively. In both sponsored and organic posts, creators like Taryn Delanie Smith (@taryntino21 on TikTok) and Katrina Jean Carter (@lakatwoman.og) touted their favorite Ceremonia products, typically with an emphasis on the brand’s treatment of curly, wavy hair. Meanwhile, lifestyle influencer Andrea Pion Pierre (@asliceopi on Instagram) thanked brand founder Babba C. Rivera for the invitation to a Ceremonia launch party at Rivera’s Manhattan home.

DETAILS:

• Ceremonia has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Sandbridge Capital; investors Silas Capital and Female Founders Fund also participated in this round. 
• In May 2021, Ceremonia closed a $2 million seed round co-led by Silas Capital and Beliade.
• In December 2020, Ceremonia raised $1 million in pre-seed funding from SoGal Ventures, XFactor Ventures, and Female Founders Fund.