Authorised Investment Fund ‘extremely proud’ of investee Aenea Cosmetics’ progress in epigenetics space
Aenea Cosmetics’ digital distribution partnership has resulted in $200,000 in pre order sales for its epigenetics products.
Authorised Investment Fund’s (ASX: AIY) 30%-owned Aenea Cosmetics has collared a global digital distribution partnership to boost its sales into the US$16.31 billion epigenetics market.
As a pooled development fund, Authorised Investment Fund provides passive equity capital to small or medium companies, with Aenea being one of those investments.
According to Aenea, a new digital distribution agreement, in addition to media coverage in the Financial Times, The Telegraph and luxury magazines across the UK and US, has had immediate effect.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times published an article on Aenea and epigenetics, which received 290,000 views.
Aenea claimed the Financial Times article and other recent articles gave the company a focused audience and further global attention and led to $200,000 in pre-order sales.
As a result of the boosted sales and orders, Aenea has projected a “healthy financial outlook” for 2019, with an expected $3.5 million in revenue.
By 2020, the company forecasts its revenue will increase to $15 million, with $50 million anticipated in 2022.
To underpin the planned revenue growth, Aenea expects to expand its brand into the European Union, Middle East and Asia Pacific regions.
This will include 70 stores throughout Spain, 850 outlets in Russia, and 1,230 across the EU and Asia Pacific.
Additionally, Aenea has started rolling out its brand across the luxury hotel spa sector with agreements in place to launch in three major Middle East-based luxury hotels in the first quarter of 2019.
Aenea founder Damien Zannetou said 2018 had been a “pivotal year” for the company.
“With the awareness of epigenetic skin care growing at an unprecedented and lightening pace, we need to embrace all possible channels for sales and distribution to enable Aenea to become a leader in this luxury market.”
“Investment has been set aside to focus heavily on programmatic media and marketing, with the assistance and support of Authorised Investment Fund’s other investee company Asia Integrated Media,” Mr Zannetou added.
What is Epigenetics?
According to Mr Zannetou, epigenetics means “above, or on top of your genes” and refers to external modifications to an individual’s DNA, without altering the DNA code.
Mr Zannetou said Aenea’s skin product range was designed to combat aging factors including pollution, UV radiation, stress and unhealthy life-style habits such as drinking and smoking.
The products include the LifeStyle Enhancer, Modern Shield, Anti-Stress Super Hero, and the Anti-Pollution Guardian.
With a value of US$5.25 billion in 2017, Grand View Research estimates the epigenetics market will expand to US$16.31 billion by 2022.
Meanwhile, Authorised Investment Fund chairman Ben Genser said the company was “extremely proud” of the “enormous traction” Aenea has gained in the “extremely difficult and competitive world of cosmetics”.
Other business progress
Earlier this week one of Authorised Investment Fund’s other investee companies, Asian Integrated Media, announced it had launched digital advertising company ‘Travel Elite’ in China.
Asian Integrated Media is gaining access to the multi-billion dollar programmatic advertising sector in the Asian powerhouse nation – a market typically walled-off to outsiders with the likes of Google and other tech giants unable to penetrate.