SAN FRANCISCO, CA, August 28, 2007 – Demeter Group, a boutique investment bank specializing in consumer companies, has secured equity capital for Dr. Susan Taylor’s Rx for Brown Skin from Simon Equity Partners, a family office focused primarily on consumer brands driven by innovation.

Dermatologist Dr. Susan Taylor, a leading expert in skin of color, co-founded T2 Skincare, LLC with Anne Thomas in 2006 to launch a skincare line addressing the unique, yet underserved needs of women of Latin, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Native American descent. Sephora USA, the Beauty Authority with 180 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada and a leader in launching new beauty brands and concepts, has recognized this underserved market and has launched T2 Skincare’s product line, Rx for Brown Skin, exclusively for one year.

"We are becoming recognized in the prestige beauty industry as having the expertise and industry experience to dramatically help brand owners define their growth strategy and secure the necessary funding from strategic investors," said Jeff Menashe, CEO of Demeter Group. "As a firm, we expect to remain active within the beauty space, and see many more opportunities to help brand owners access growth capital."

"Rx for Brown Skin, a brand created with the needs of the ethnic consumer in mind, is positioned to become the leader within the ethnic skincare market," said Jani Friedman, head of Demeter Group’s beauty practice. "Until now, no one has addressed specific brown skincare needs with a customized product solution, and as a result, there is a major untapped market opportunity at hand."

Ms. Friedman, who will be joining the Board of Directors of Rx for Brown Skin, has more than 20 years of experience in brand development. Previously, Ms. Friedman held the position of Vice President and Divisional Merchandise Manager of Skincare at Sephora prior to joining Demeter Group in March of 2007.

Ethnic personal care is currently a $1.9 billion market and is growing at a record pace, even though a credible skincare product line to serve this consumer has not yet surfaced. The $7 billion cosmeceutical skincare market, which comprises formulations that not only enhance appearance but also offer a preventative or therapeutic benefit, is proliferating, particularly in the prestige segment. The convergence of these major trends creates an opportunity for the right brand to capture significant market share in the ethnic beauty and personal care category.

"We identified Dr. Taylor and her plans for Rx for Brown Skin almost a year ago and have collaborated on successfully launching the brand at Sephora. Sephora is focused on providing beauty products for all women, and this helps build our assortment to meet the distinct needs of women with dark skin," said Margarita Arriagada, Senior Vice President of Merchandising at Sephora.

"People are fundamentally the same—but their skin isn’t. For the past two decades my passion has been understanding skin of color. As a practicing dermatologist, and Founding Director of the Skin of Color Center, I have treated sensitive skin, hyper-pigmentation (dark marks), acne and dull, uneven skin tone, all major problems for skin of color. I am delighted to launch Dr. Susan Taylor’s Rx for Brown Skin, which I personally formulated to provide safe and effective skincare solutions for these problems," commented Dr. Susan Taylor.