You’ve smelled it. That distinctive, warm, pistachio-and-salted-caramel scent that seems to follow every teenager and millennial down the street. It’s the smell of Sol de Janeiro, the brand that turned "Bum Bum Cream" into a household name and basically redefined what we expect from body care.
But while the brand is loud, colorful, and unapologetically Brazilian in its marketing, its ownership is a bit more corporate than the beachy vibes suggest.
Honestly, the answer to who owns Sol de Janeiro isn't just one person or a single founder anymore. Since late 2021, the brand has been a crown jewel in the portfolio of the L'Occitane Group.
They didn't just buy a little piece of it, either. The French beauty giant shell out a massive amount of cash to take over the majority of the company, and the numbers are kinda staggering when you look at how fast this brand grew from a New York startup to a global powerhouse.
The Massive Deal: L'Occitane Takes the Reins
In November 2021, the beauty industry got a bit of a shock when L'Occitane International S.A. announced it was acquiring a majority stake in Sol de Janeiro.
The price tag? The deal valued the company at $450 million.
L'Occitane officially snapped up an 83% indirect interest in the brand. If you’re wondering why a French company famous for lavender soaps from Provence would want a Brazilian-inspired brand from New York, it's all about growth. At the time of the sale, Sol de Janeiro was one of the fastest-growing premium skincare brands in North America.
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L'Occitane needed that Gen Z and Millennial energy. Their core brand is great, but Sol de Janeiro brought a digital-native savvy that most legacy brands would kill for.
What happened to the founders?
When a big corporation buys 83% of a brand, the founders usually stick around for a bit. Heela Yang, the CEO and co-founder, didn't just walk away with a check and head to the beach.
She actually kept a minority stake in the company. As of 2026, she’s still very much the face and the driving force as CEO. It’s a smart move. You don’t buy a brand built on "attitude" and then fire the person who created that attitude. Yang has been vocal about how L’Occitane’s commitment to sustainability made them the right "home" for her "baby."
The Founders: Who Actually Started Sol de Janeiro?
Even though L'Occitane holds the keys now, the brand's DNA was cooked up by three people who saw a massive gap in the market.
- Heela Yang: A Korean-American Harvard Business School grad who worked at Lancôme and Clinique. She moved to Brazil, saw how women there loved their bodies regardless of size, and realized the US market was too focused on "fixing" flaws rather than celebrating skin.
- Camila Pierotti: Born in Rio, she brought the authentic Brazilian "Cheirosa" (smelling delicious) philosophy to the table.
- Marc Capra: A branding expert who helped nail that iconic, bright yellow and orange aesthetic.
They launched in 2015. It wasn't an overnight success, but once the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream hit Sephora shelves, things went nuclear. People were obsessed with the scent (Cheirosa '62) more than the actual firming properties of the cream.
Wait, is Sol de Janeiro Actually Brazilian?
This is where it gets a little complicated and where some people feel "lied to," even though the brand is pretty transparent if you look closely.
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Sol de Janeiro is a US-based company. Its headquarters are in New York City.
The ingredients, like cupuaçu butter, açaí oil, and coconut oil, are sustainably sourced from the Amazon and elsewhere in Brazil, but the brand itself was "born" in the States. It’s "Brazilian-inspired."
Think of it like a really great Italian restaurant in Chicago owned by someone who fell in love with Tuscany. It's authentic to the spirit, but the tax returns are filed in the USA.
The Ownership Web: L'Occitane's Private Shift
Ownership got even more interesting recently. In 2024, the parent company, L'Occitane Group, decided to go private.
For years, L'Occitane was traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. But the billionaire chairman, Reinold Geiger, decided to buy out the remaining shares and take the whole company off the public market.
Why does this matter to you?
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- Less public scrutiny: They don't have to report every single quarterly penny to Wall Street (or Hong Kong) investors.
- Long-term focus: They can invest more in Sol de Janeiro’s expansion without worrying about short-term stock price dips.
- Expansion: You're going to see way more Sol de Janeiro stores and pop-ups because the group is doubling down on what works.
Why L'Occitane Paid $450 Million (And it was a Steal)
Looking back from 2026, that $450 million valuation looks like a bargain. Sol de Janeiro has basically carried the L'Occitane Group's financial reports for the last few years.
While other legacy brands struggled with "clean beauty" transitions or aging demographics, Sol de Janeiro’s perfume mists (like the 62, 68, and 71) became the "entry-level luxury" for an entire generation.
They isn't just selling cream; they're selling a "vibe." That’s much harder to compete with than just a formula.
Key Stats on the Brand's Power:
- Sales Growth: In some years post-acquisition, the brand saw triple-digit growth.
- Market Share: They’ve successfully moved from "that one cream" to a fragrance powerhouse.
- Sustainability: Since L’Occitane took over, there’s been a much heavier push on refillable packaging, which aligns with the parent company’s B-Corp status (which they achieved in 2023).
The Practical Side: What Does This Mean For Your Products?
When a big company buys a small one, fans usually worry the "formula is going to change" or "it’s going to get cheap."
So far, that hasn't happened. L'Occitane is known for high-quality manufacturing. If anything, the acquisition gave Sol de Janeiro the money to improve their supply chain and get those refills out faster.
If you're a fan of the brand, the ownership change is actually a good thing for availability. It’s the reason you can now find the Rio Radiance cream in a random airport in Europe or a high-end department store in Asia.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Investors:
If you’re tracking the brand because you love the products or you’re interested in the business of beauty, here’s the bottom line:
- Check for the B-Corp Seal: If you care about ethics, look for the B-Corp certification on the newer packaging. This is a direct result of being owned by L'Occitane.
- Don't expect a name change: Even though it’s owned by a French group, the "Brazilian" branding is their golden goose. It’s staying.
- Watch the Fragrance Space: Sol de Janeiro is moving away from being a "skin company" and toward being a "scent company." Expect more candles, home scents, and maybe even laundry products.
- Founder Involvement: As long as Heela Yang is at the helm, the "soul" of the brand is likely to remain intact. If she ever leaves, that’s when you might see a shift in the brand’s "edge."
Sol de Janeiro started as a dream to bring Brazilian joy to the world, and it ended up being one of the most successful beauty acquisitions of the decade. L'Occitane owns the majority, but the "Sun of January" spirit is still very much run by the people who built it.