Talking Shop: Investing in Beauty & Personal Care

Diana Melencio, Odile Roujol and Cristina Nuñez unpacks the trends and strategies that define the next generation of beauty investments

Welcome to Talking Shop!

This new weekly newsletter dives into interviews, consumer brand investment trends, company deep dives, and other ideas I don’t always get to explore on the podcast. My conversations and interests are constantly evolving, and not every topic becomes a 45-minute episode, especially when I want to talk to multiple people—but many still spark insights and discussions I believe you’ll find valuable.

Each week will cover something different and my goal is to interview the top practitioners that I know in that specific category. If there’s a topic you’d love me to tackle, I’d love to hear from you.

In the future, Talking Shop will be available exclusively for paid subscribers. By supporting Consumer VC, you’re helping me dedicate time and energy to uncovering the most interesting stories and lessons in the future of consumer, CPG, and venture capital.

To kick things off, I asked three beauty insiders to share their insights and perspectives on investing in beauty and personal care, beauty and CPG investment insights, what they’re bullish on, etc. Sharing their thoughts in this edition are:

• Diana Melencio, General Partner, XRC Ventures

• Odile Roujol, Founding Partner Fab Co-Creation Studio Ventures

• Cristina Nuñez, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at True Beauty Ventures

Let’s get into it.

What are the challenges from a market or product perspective when investing in beauty and personal care businesses?

Diana Melencio: One of the biggest challenges in beauty and personal care is standing out in an extremely crowded and competitive market. The questions I always ask are: What true newness or differentiation is this brand bringing, and is there real consumer demand for it?

That challenge has two layers: