Depend Cosmetic

What Depend Cosmetic does

Depend Cosmetic is a privately held Swedish beauty company founded in 1952 and headquartered in Halmstad, Sweden, with a creative studio in Stockholm. The company develops, manufactures, and distributes a portfolio of nail care, hand care, eye care, and hair care products under the Depend brand. Core revenue is generated through unit-priced consumer SKUs priced between SEK 29 (Minilack) and SEK 149 (Gel iQ Effects Chrome), sold via a multi-channel Nordic distribution network (Lyko, Kicks, Åhléns, Apotea) and direct-to-consumer e-commerce (depend.se and country-specific sites for Denmark, Norway, Finland, and international English-speaking markets).

Product technology centers on nail lacquer chemistry and UV/LED curing systems. The flagship Gel iQ platform is a professional-grade gel nail system cured under a proprietary lamp in 30-second intervals, delivering up to 14-day wear via a patented "NO PREP" formula that eliminates filing and harsh primers. The O2 line features a patented oxygen-permeable formula claimed to deliver 30% more oxygen to the nail versus conventional polish. The 7day system is a hybrid polish that cures in natural daylight, requiring no lamp. The portfolio also includes seasonal collection drops, Gel iQ Effects (Chrome, Cat Eye, Metallic Marble, Metallic Ink), Gel Nail Strips (2024), and hand care (PT Day & Night Handcreme, O2 Aloe Vera Hand Cream, Alcogel sanitizer) plus hair bleaching and eye makeup lines. All products are vegan-formulated and manufactured in Sweden.

The business model is classic CPG unit sales across consumer/DIY beauty enthusiasts and professional salons, with no subscription, SaaS, or recurring digital revenue streams disclosed. Marketing relies on Instagram (@dependcosmetic), seasonal collection launches, the Depend Academy educational platform, a Nail Analysis recommendation tool, and newsletter capture. The customer base is described as fashion-conscious women seeking salon-quality results at home, plus professional nail technicians. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Depend Cosmetic

Legal name

Depend Cosmetic

Website

https://depend.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Depend Cosmetic is a privately held Swedish beauty company (founded 1952) that develops, manufactures, and distributes vegan, Made-in-Sweden nail care, hand care, eye care, and hair care products across the Nordics through retailers (Lyko, Kicks, Åhléns, Apotea) and its own DTC e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nail Care Cosmetics

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Nail Color & Nail Art (Polish, Gel, Dip, Press-ons, Nail Art Color) (CRABACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hand & Body Care (Lotions, Creams, Body Oils) (CRADANAC)

Keywords

• Nail care products
• Gel nail systems
• Hand care cosmetics
• Eye makeup products
• Hair bleaching products

Headquarters

HQ city

Halmstad

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Nail Care Products: Core revenue from nail lacquers, gel systems, nail care accessories, and nail decorations. Product lines include 7day, Minilack, O2, Gel iQ, Gel Builder, and Gel Nail Strips. Collections updated seasonally with trend colors.
2. Hand Care Products: Hand creams, hand sanitizers (Alcogel), and hand care accessories. Products include PT Handcreme Day & Night and O2 Aloe Vera Hand & Cuticle Cream.
3. Hair Care Products: Hair highlighting and streaking products including bleaching and streaking creams. Contains jojoba oil and Aloe Vera for moisturizing effects.
4. Eye Care/Makeup Products: Eyebrow wax, gels, false eyelashes, eyebrow and lash coloring, eyebrow pencils, makeup, and eye tools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Depend Cosmetic develops, manufactures, and sells a multi-line beauty product portfolio for nails, hands, eyes, and hair. Core revenue comes from branded nail care systems (Gel iQ UV/LED gel system, 7day hybrid polish, Minilack traditional lacquers, O2 oxygen-permeable polish), complemented by hand creams, hand sanitizer, eyebrow and lash cosmetics, and at-home hair blonding/streaking kits. Products are manufactured in Sweden under vegan formulations and distributed via the company's own DTC e-commerce platform and major Nordic retailers.

Product overview

Depend Cosmetic is a Swedish beauty brand offering a comprehensive nail care, hand care, eye care, and hair care product portfolio. The company operates a multi-brand nail polish strategy with distinct product lines: Gel iQ (professional UV/LED cured gel system lasting 14 days with effects like Chrome, Cat Eye, Metallic Marble, and Metallic Ink), 7day (hybrid polish system lasting 7 days without lamp), Minilack (affordable 5ml nail polishes), and O2 (oxygen-permeable formula). Additional categories include hand care products (PT Handcreme, Aloe Vera Hand Cream, Alcogel sanitizers), eye products (eyebrow, lash, makeup lines), and hair products (blonding/highlighting kits). The Gel iQ UV/LED lamp is a key enabling accessory. Depend also offers Depend Academy as an educational knowledge platform. Products are primarily vegan-formulated and manufactured in Sweden, with seasonal collections released several times per year following fashion trends.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gel iQ UV/LED Gel Nail System Professional-grade UV/LED cured gel nail polish system featuring a patented formula with high iQ technology. Includes base coat, color polish, and top coat that cure in 30 seconds under the specialized UV/LED lamp, lasting up to 14 days. NO PREP formula requires only light cleansing without filing or harsh primers. For consumers and professional salons.
• Gel iQ Effects (Chrome, Cat Eye, Metallic Marble, Metallic Ink) Professional effect polishes within the Gel iQ system featuring light-reflecting pigments and color shifts. Cat Eye creates magnetic patterns, Chrome provides mirror-like finishes, Metallic Marble enables marble-like designs, and Metallic Ink offers metallic look effects for full nails or creative details.
• Gel iQ Gel Nail Strips Semi-cured gel nail strips for single-step application that cure in 60 seconds under UV/LED lamp. Provides salon finish lasting up to 14 days. Long-lasting gel formula that is easy to apply and remove.
• 7day Hybrid Polish System Hybrid nail polish system combining gel and traditional polish properties. Lasts up to 7 days with super gloss and gel feeling. No LED/UV lamp required as it cures in natural daylight. Includes BASE, POLISH, and TOP components.
• Minilack (Mini Nail Polish) Compact 5ml nail polish bottles featuring a specially designed flat brush with rounded edge for easy application. Collections are regularly updated with seasonal trend colors. Affordable pricing allows collecting multiple shades.
• O2 Nail Polish Nail polish with patented formula that allows 30% more oxygen to penetrate the nail compared to regular polish, positively affecting nail quality. Available in Minilack 5ml size with various colors and finishes. Vegan formulation.
• PT Handcreme Dag & Natt (Day & Night) Practical travel-size hand cream with moisturizing formula for both day and night use. Day cream absorbs quickly leaving hands soft and fragrant. Night cream is rich and provides intensive care during beauty sleep.
• O2 Aloe Vera Hand & Cuticle Cream Specialized cream for both dry hands and cracked cuticles. Enriched with Aloe vera, Icelandic moss, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, vitamin E, and panthenol for nourishment, moisturizing, and calming effects.
• Depend Alcogel 77% Hand sanitizer with 77% alcohol content, effective against bacteria and viruses without drying out skin. Enriched with Aloe vera. Available in multiple sizes: 25ml, 35ml, 100ml, 250ml, 400ml, and 500ml.
• Depend Hair Products (Blondering & Slingor) Hair highlighting and blonding products for home use. Blondering powder features innovative protection technology using maleic acid to bind and strengthen hair's natural keratin structure. Contains jojoba oil and Aloe Vera. Available in mörkblond/ljusblond and brun/ljusbrun shades.
• Eye Products (Ögonbryn, Fransar, Makeup) Comprehensive eye product range including eyebrow wax, eyebrow gel, false eyelashes, lash and brow tint, eyebrow pencils, makeup, and tools for professional and home use.
• Gel iQ UV/LED Lamp Specially developed UV/LED lamp for curing Gel iQ products with 30-second curing time per application step. The synergy between lamp and polish provides self-leveling where any streaks disappear during curing.

Quantifiable outcome

• O2 nail lacquer allows 30% more oxygen to penetrate the nail compared to conventional polish
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered primary and secondary.

• LykoprimaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLyko is a leading Nordic online beauty retailer and perfumery chain. Depend products including nail lacquers, gel systems, and beauty items are sold through Lyko's e-commerce platform in Sweden and other Nordic markets.
• KicksprimaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKicks is a Nordic beauty retail chain. Depend distributes its full product range including O2, Minilack, 7day, and Gel iQ through Kicks retail stores and online.
• ÅhlénsprimaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorÅhléns is a Swedish department store chain with beauty departments. Depend products are available through Åhléns physical stores and online platform.
• ApoteasecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApotea is a Swedish online pharmacy that stocks and sells Depend nail and beauty products including nail lacquers and Gel iQ systems.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OPI: OPI is a global professional nail lacquer brand offering gel and traditional polish lines sold through salons and retail. Directly comparable to Depend's Gel iQ and 7day systems across product format, target consumer, and salon-channel distribution.
• China Glaze: China Glaze is a US-based professional nail lacquer brand sold through salons and beauty retailers. Comparable to Depend's Gel iQ and seasonal lacquer range on trend-driven color and pro channel.
• Zoya (Art of Beauty): Zoya is a long-wear, vegan, "10-free" nail lacquer brand positioned around nail health. Directly comparable to Depend's vegan O2 oxygen-permeable proposition and clean-beauty positioning.
• Sally Hansen (Coty): Sally Hansen is Coty's nail care and at-home gel brand (including Miracle Gel). Comparable to Depend's hybrid and gel systems via mass-market drugstore/pharmacy distribution and DIY positioning.
• Mavala: Mavala is a Swiss nail and hand care brand known for its small 5ml Mini Color bottles and ancillary nail/hand care. Highly comparable to Depend's Minilack format and O2 line on small-bottle nail, hand, and cuticle care.
• Isadora (Oriflame): Isadora is a Stockholm-based color cosmetics brand under Oriflame offering nail, eye, and face products across the Nordics. Closest regional comparable to Depend's nail-and-eye portfolio and Swedish-made positioning.
• Essie (L'Oréal): Essie is L'Oréal's mass-market nail lacquer brand with deep retail distribution and broad seasonal collections. Direct comparison to Depend's Minilack, O2, and 7day range across price points, trend cadence, and mass-channel placement.
• Butter London: Butter London is a fashion-forward nail lacquer and treatment brand sold through premium retail and D2C. Comparable to Depend's trend-led collections and effect/gel systems in the design-conscious nail segment.

Broad incumbents

• Coty Inc. Coty is a global beauty conglomerate owning Sally Hansen, Rimmel, and CoverGirl across nail, color cosmetics, and skin. Provides a broad-incumbent benchmark for category scale, distribution, and R&D intensity that Depend competes against for shelf space.
• L'Oréal Paris (L'Oréal Groupe): L'Oréal Paris is the global mass-market beauty flagship of L'Oréal, parent of Essie and Maybelline. Sets pricing, marketing, and innovation benchmarks for color cosmetics and nail care that Depend must compete against on Nordic shelves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/dependcosmetic
• Facebookfacebook.com/DependCosmetic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/depend-cosmetic-ab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Depend Cosmetic