The sale of Japanese skincare brand Fancl’s Asia business outside its home country has drawn preliminary interest from buyout firms including Carlyle Group Inc. and MBK Partners, people with knowledge of the matter have said.
CMC Holdings Ltd., which is selling the business, has asked for first-round indicative bids as soon as the end of November, the people said. Hillhouse Capital and Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd. are also studying the business, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private.
Hillhouse is considering the possibility of a joint offer with its portfolio company Guangzhou Yatsen E-Commerce Co., the Chinese firm behind the Perfect Diary cosmetics brand, the people said. The cosmetics manufacturer announced last week that it has acquired skincare brand Galenic from French group Pierre Fabre for an undisclosed sum. Yatsen also filed for a U.S. initial public offering last week.