Skala

Skala is a Brazilian hair- and body-care company founded in 1986 in Uberaba, in the state of Minas Gerais [1]. Built around effective, affordable products made with Brazilian botanical ingredients, it grew into one of Brazil's largest hair-care names before private equity firm Advent International acquired a majority stake in February 2024 [2]. In 2025 Skala was combined with the brand Lola From Rio to form the parent group Bora Brasil, and it continues to trade as a distinct brand within that group [3].

Skala was founded in 1986 by Maria Claudia Lacerda and Antonio Sousa [4], with a stated mission to make quality hair care accessible regardless of price. Its guiding principle, "Beleza é para todos" ("Beauty is for everyone"), frames premium-quality cosmetics as something that need not carry premium pricing. The company remains headquartered in Uberaba, Minas Gerais.

According to the brand, an early turning point came in the 1990s, when it began selling treatment cream in bulk one-kilogram tubs — a "cream bath" format the company credits with reshaping at-home hair-treatment habits across Brazil.

Skala's range centres on hair care — shampoos, conditioners, treatment creams, masks, oils, combing creams and styling gels — alongside a smaller body-care line of lotions, deodorants and soaps. Products are organised into several lines, including the fruit-based Frutástica range (built around grape, watermelon, strawberry, coconut and banana), a baby line, and a men's line.

The brand is closely associated with Brazil's textured-hair community. Its Mais Cachos line targets wavy and curly hair, and Mais Crespos is formulated for coily hair; the company links these ranges to strong demand among curly and coily consumers. Hero ingredients are described as natural Brazilian botanicals, including Amazonian plant actives.

Positioned at the drugstore price tier, Skala describes itself as democratic, accessible beauty. Industry coverage of the 2024 acquisition placed it as the fourth-largest hair-care brand in Brazil, present in more than 45 percent of Brazilian homes, and characterised it as the country's fastest-growing hair-care brand, expanding around 30 percent per year over the preceding eight years [5]. WWD reported estimated 2023 sales of roughly 200 million US dollars [2].

Skala states that it became a fully vegan brand in July 2018, and that its products contain no animal-derived ingredients [1]. The separate English-language site skalabrand.com additionally describes the company as Brazil's first cruelty-free hair-care brand "since the 1990s" [6]; the primary Brazilian site dates the vegan transition specifically to 2018, and the two claims — cruelty-free heritage and full vegan reformulation — are distinct. The company frames affordability and sustainability as compatible goals rather than competing ones.

In February 2024, Advent International acquired a majority stake in Skala through its Latin America-focused LAPEF VII fund; deal terms were not disclosed [2][5]. Founders Maria Claudia Lacerda and Antonio Sousa, together with Publio Emilio Rocha, retained shareholdings and board seats, and Cyro Gazola was appointed chief executive following the investment [5].

In 2025 Skala was merged with Lola From Rio to create Bora Brasil, described in trade coverage as one of Brazil's largest beauty groups [3]. Skala's own Brazilian site references a related entity, "Platina Cosméticos," in its footer, while the group's corporate site presents Bora Brasil (Grupo Bora) as the consumer-facing parent [7]; these appear to be nested entities within the same corporate structure.

Skala's market position has drawn international trade coverage, notably around the Advent acquisition and the subsequent Bora Brasil formation. In its 2025 reporting on the merger, BeautyMatter described Skala as the number-one brand by litres of hair-care sold in Brazil, with more than 18 percent market share and around 76 percent of points of sale for hair-treatment creams [3]. The same coverage noted that international sales had grown to more than 20 percent of revenue, with particular momentum in the United States.

Skala is active and, following the 2024 Advent International investment and the 2025 Bora Brasil merger, operates as a distinct brand within that group [3]. Its exported reach is stated inconsistently across sources: the company's own sites cite presence in more than 80 countries and the parent group cites 82, while editorial coverage tied to the 2024 acquisition — including WWD and Premium Beauty News — reported exports to around 40 countries [1][2]. The higher figures may reflect the post-merger footprint, including Lola From Rio's distribution.