Arizona Natural Resources, a Phoenix, Arizona-based portfolio company of Core Industrial Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm, has acquired Marianna Beauty Holdings Inc., an Omaha, Nebraska-based developer and manufacturer of innovative hair, skin and beauty products for prominent retail beauty brands, professional salon brands, private label clients and cosmetology schools, by Core portfolio company. 

Marianna is a full-service custom manufacturer, formulator and distributor of client-tailored hair care, hand and body products, styling aids and fixatives, hair color and dispensary products, and pet grooming products.

Mike Cate, chief executive officer for Marianna, said, “The combination of Marianna  and Arizona Natural Resources will generate immediate benefits to our customers as we build on the already formidable product capabilities of the two businesses, leverage scale advantages that come with operating a much larger company, and expand our enterprise distribution footprint across the West Coast and Midwest.  I look forward to working with the ANR and Marianna teams to continue to drive value to customers through our organic and acquisition-based growth initiatives.”

John May, managing partner of CORE, said, “We remain committed to investing in the personal care products space with a particular focus on hair and skin care companies that can further expand the combined platform.  We believe the long-term growth fundamentals of this industry coupled with CORE’s capital and resources is a winning combination to build a larger industry player that will benefit our customers.” 

Frank Papa, senior partner of CORE, said, “Marianna and ANR are highly complementary, well-established players in the beauty and personal care industry.  The two companies combine to form an industry leader with substantial operational scale, comprehensive chemical formulation capabilities, and plentiful capacity for their customers. We’re excited to work with the Marianna team to expand both their product offerings and their geographic reach.”

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP provided legal representation to Core in the transaction.