Miss Sophie

Miss Sophie is a German nail-care brand specialising in adhesive nail wraps, UV gel wraps and press-on nails. It was founded in Berlin in 2014 by Sophie Kühn [11] and built its business primarily through direct online sales. In 2023 the company was acquired by WildeGroup (Wilde Cosmetics GmbH) and now operates as a sub-brand within that group's portfolio [11].

The brand positions itself as an at-home alternative to the nail salon, and its founding story traces back to a study-abroad semester in Montpellier, France, where Kühn found that ordinary nail polish chipped quickly at the beach. According to the company, that frustration led her to develop thin adhesive nail wraps intended to last longer than polish or UV gel polish.

Sophie Kühn started Miss Sophie in 2014 while still a student, founding the company at the age of 24. The brand describes the moment of inspiration in plain terms: "It all started with nail polish, which simply could not stand against salt and salt water in Montpellier." From that observation she created the first nail wraps the same year.

According to a founder interview with E-commerce Germany, the business was bootstrapped from a small apartment, and Kühn drew no salary for its first four years [9]. The same account credits Instagram with building early brand awareness during the early days of influencer marketing, and notes that Facebook later invited Miss Sophie into a high-potential program that provided mentorship and helped the brand scale [9].

In April 2023 Miss Sophie was acquired by WildeGroup, the cosmetics group operating through Wilde Cosmetics GmbH [11]. The brand-site legal notice lists Miss Sophie GmbH as the trading entity, with Marius Kalow as managing director. WildeGroup describes itself as having been active in the cosmetics industry for more than 30 years, and it already held experience in the nail sector through its LCN and alessandro brands. Within the group, Miss Sophie sits alongside alessandro, LCN, Monteil and Costrade [10].

The acquisition was reported as a women-led exit, a category the trade coverage noted accounts for only about 4% of all exits in Europe [11]. At the time of the deal, the company was described as having scaled to an eight-figure turnover and close to one million customers, and as ranking first among the fastest-growing online companies in Germany's beauty sector [11].

There is a discrepancy in how the brand's location is recorded. Miss Sophie is consistently described in its own narrative as a "Berlin-based startup" [10], while the current legal notice (Impressum) gives the registered office as Große Hub 2, 65344 Eltville am Rhein — the address of Wilde Cosmetics GmbH following the acquisition [7]. Both addresses are in Germany.

Miss Sophie frames its purpose around saving time for its customers. The company states that its goal is "to enrich the daily lives of women with time-saving, innovative products," and on its parent-group page it is described as distinguished by innovation, quality and customer proximity [10]. The brand's recurring tagline is "the alternative to the nail salon," and it presents its products as a way to achieve a salon-style manicure at home.

The company also emphasises ethics and sustainability. It says all of its products are HEMA-free, cruelty-free and vegan, and describes sustainability and animal welfare as core values [6]. The brand's about page additionally states that its products are non-harmful, halal and safe for use during pregnancy. No formal third-party certifications (such as Vegan Society or Leaping Bunny) are cited alongside these self-declared claims.

The Miss Sophie range centres on nail wraps. According to the company, its classic wraps are made from a material similar to nail polish, which keeps them ultra-thin, while its UV gel wraps use a material similar to UV gel polish to make them flexible yet durable and able to last up to three weeks once cured under a UV LED lamp. Alongside these, the brand sells press-on nails, nail-care products and application accessories. At the time of its 2023 acquisition, the product line was reported to span over 400 items, including nail foils, application and removal accessories, and care products [11]. The brand also markets itself as a pioneer in the nail-wraps field [10].

Miss Sophie has been featured in German consumer media and on television. Its press page lists magazine coverage in InStyle Germany (2015), Cosmopolitan Germany (2019) and Vogue Germany (2023), as well as television appearances on ProSieben's taff, in a segment on young entrepreneurs during the coronavirus period, and on RTL's "Macht Geld" in a 2023 feature titled "Die neuen jungen Reichen" (The new young rich).

Miss Sophie's status is acquired rather than independent: since the April 2023 purchase by WildeGroup, it has operated as a sub-brand within the Wilde Cosmetics GmbH portfolio [11]. The brand remains active commercially, with a live online store carrying its current product range and press coverage continuing through late 2023. It is not dormant or defunct; the change reflected in its status is one of ownership.