Estee Lauder eyes millennials with $2 billion Too Faced buy

San Francisco - US cosmetics maker Estee Lauder on Monday snapped up the beauty products brand Too Faced, beloved by the younger demographic, for US$1.45 billion (S$2.05 billion) in its biggest acquisition to date.

The deal aims to "strengthen the company's leadership position in the fast-growing prestige makeup category globally, increase the company's consumer reach in the specialty-multi channel, and win with millennials - all in strong alignment with the company's strategy," Estee Lauder said in a statement.

The company, which has catered heavily toward older women, was impressed with the brand loyalty Too Faced has generated, and was willing to pay the price to lock in its growth strategy.

Like many younger women, fast-growing Too Faced is extremely active on social media.

It uses edgy names for products, such as "better than sex" mascara, and quirky packaging. It has a massive following on Instagram, and offers makeup tutorials on YouTube.

Too Faced has had sales of US$279 million this year, up 70 per cent in one year.

Other big players in the cosmetics market have been rolling out similar strategies. Among them, France's L'Oreal has been picking up hot brands such as Urban Decay, NYX and IT Cosmetics.