Live Tinted is flush with new funding.
Curate Capital has taken a stake in the brand, as has L’Oréal’s BOLD venture arm, in a funding round inclusive of existing investors Monogram Capital, Unilever Ventures and more. Terms of the round were not disclosed, though a joint statement noted investments were made at “more than double” the valuation of its series A in 2023.
Curate was among the existing investors upping their stake. “When I first invested in [founder and chief executive officer Deepica Mutyala] in 2021, I was immediately drawn to her vision, conviction, and the purpose behind Live Tinted,” said Carrie Colbert, founding and general partner of Curate Capital. “Watching the brand grow and deeply resonate with such a broad and passionate community has been incredibly rewarding. Now, Live Tinted is more than a company, it’s a movement, and I’m honored for Curate Capital to continue to be a part of this journey.”
For Mutyala, the new investment will feed into a few of her strategic priorities for the business.
“What’s working is leaning into [Ulta Beauty] and our skin tint that we launched, which sells every two minutes at Ulta. I’ve always wanted to have a hero [stock keeping unit] that falls under this idea of complexion because of the ethos of what Live Tinted stands for,” Mutyala said in a nod to the shade-inclusive range. “This funding and this milestone just help us scale and grow everything that’s going well for us.”
Mutyala has built out her executive team as well, including the return of Aminata Tall, the brand’s first vice president of marketing, as chief marketing officer. The brand has also appointed Celina Areosa senior vice president of sales.
The company is doubling down on its existing distribution, rather than immediately planning to expand its door count. “We have the footprint. This is about fewer launches — but better, stronger launches — that align with our hero parts of the business, which is complexion protection. We are owning everything relating to skin tones and products that work in that department, but also have found this success in SPF, and that’s working for us,” Mutyala said. “It’s how can we continue to be owners and be authorities in that space, it ties so critically to the Live Tinted mission.”
Jessica Phillips, Ulta Beauty’s vice president of merchandising, said via email, “Live Tinted exemplifies the kind of founder-led, purpose-driven brand we are proud to build alongside at Ulta Beauty. Deepica and her team have consistently delivered meaningful innovation rooted in inclusivity, while also demonstrating the operational rigor, collaborative approach, and consumer connection needed to scale in prestige retail. This next phase of growth — and the caliber of investors backing it — speaks volumes about the strength of the brand and its long-term potential.”
The marketing strategy for those launches is also going to shift, Mutyala said, noting she’s going to unveil new products proactively and allow her community to follow along via the brand’s platforms.
“Live Tinted started as a community brand. How do we bring them on the journey with us now and say, ‘We started as a color corrector, what do you wish we saw in this space?’” Mutyala said. “Live Tinted has to be able to double down and be known for what we uniquely stand for, and it’s skin tones and complexion.”
From a marketing perspective, the brand is going to streamline its communications around its hero products.
“We recognize and know that the soul of this brand was around a beautiful marketing story. I wanted to bring back the focus to why this brand ever existed. You’ll see a lot of interesting, thoughtful marketing partnerships and execution from us this year, more so than just new launches,” Mutyala said. “This is all about growth, scale, focusing on what’s working with us, the community, why we started.”
