Mercona

What Mercona does

Mercona (G.B.) Limited is a UK-based private label and exclusive-brand product development and manufacturing business focused exclusively on three personal care categories: suncare, haircare, and hair colour. The company runs a full-service platform that takes retailer and brand clients from concept through to distribution, covering concept development, R&D-led product development, packaging sourcing, compliance testing, copy development, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. Its commercial offering is built around technically demanding formulations, including 5-star UVA-rated sun protection, octocrylene-free and hybrid skincare/suncare systems, anti-dandruff and curl-specific haircare, scalp treatments, and a full spectrum of vegan permanent, semi-permanent, ammonia-free, and toning hair colour products.

The operating model is anchored in the UK for commercial, account management, category insights, and technical/compliance functions, with R&D and manufacturing located in Frankfurt and other German sites. An on-site hair salon is used for product testing, and the compliance function coordinates UK and EU regulatory requirements. Mercona is a subsidiary of the Reichardt International Group, alongside Emil Kiessling GmbH, which positions it as a small-company service provider backed by an internationally established parent.

Revenue is generated through B2B contract manufacturing and product development engagements with retailers and brand owners, priced on a quote basis tailored to product specification and volume. The company employs 11–50 staff and is privately held with no public listing, no disclosed funding rounds, and no M&A activity in the input data.

Name

Mercona

Legal name

Mercona (G.B.) Limited

Website

https://mercona.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mercona is a UK-based private label and exclusive-brand developer and manufacturer for retailers and brand owners, specialising exclusively in suncare, haircare, and hair colour products with full concept-to-distribution services backed by German R&D and manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Care Manufacturing

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Hair Care (Shampoo, Conditioner, Styling, Treatments) (CRADANAE)

Keywords

• Private label manufacturing
• Personal care products
• Suncare formulations
• Haircare products
• Hair colour products

Headquarters

HQ city

Basingstoke

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Label Manufacturing: Full-service private label product development and manufacturing for suncare, haircare, and hair colour categories. Services include concept development, product development, packaging sourcing, compliance testing, copy development, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Mercona designs and manufactures private label and exclusive brand suncare, haircare, and hair colour products for retailers and brand owners. The company provides full-service support spanning concept development, product development, compliance testing, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. It operates a dedicated manufacturing facility in Hamburg, Germany, under the umbrella of the Reichardt International Group.

Product overview

Mercona is a full-service private label and exclusive brand development company specializing in suncare, haircare, and hair colour products. The company operates a platform-plus-services model combining three core product categories (Suncare, Haircare, Hair Colour) with integrated service modules covering the entire product lifecycle: concept development, product development, compliance testing, copy development, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. The product portfolio includes high-performance vegan formulations ranging from 5-star UVA-rated sun protection to permanent and semi-permanent hair colour solutions. All manufacturing is conducted at company facilities in Germany with sustainability-focused production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Label Suncare Products Private label and exclusive brand suncare product range designed, developed, tested, manufactured, and distributed for retailers and brand owners.
• Private Label Haircare Products Private label and exclusive brand haircare product range covering concept, formulation, testing, manufacturing, and distribution for retailer and brand owner customers.
• Private Label Hair Colour Products Private label and exclusive brand hair colour product range developed and manufactured for retailers and brand owners, including on-site hair salon testing.
• Private Label Product Development Service Full-service private label product development offering covering concept development, formulation R&D, compliance testing, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution for retailers and brand owners in suncare, haircare, and hair colour.

Quantifiable outcome

• High-performance, technically advanced products in suncare, haircare, and hair colour categories
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered parent and core.

• Reichardt International GroupparentOthersMercona (GB) Ltd. is proud to be part of the Reichardt International Group, which also incorporates Emil Kiessling GmbH. As a group, they offer the personalised service of a small company with the security and resources of a larger, internationally established organisation.
• Emil Kiessling GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Reichardt International Group along with Mercona. German parent company with shared resources and international reach. Mercona transfers personal data to this parent company under UK data protection adequacy regulations for Germany.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Coast Personal Care: UK-based personal care contract manufacturer providing formulation, manufacturing, and filling services across skincare, haircare, sun care and bath & body - closely matches Mercona's product portfolio and B2B customer base in the same geography.
• Cosmax: Leading Korean B2B cosmetics ODM providing full-service product development and manufacturing for global brands and retailers; comparable full-service private label model but operating at materially larger global scale.
• McBride plc: Major UK-based private label manufacturer across household cleaning and personal care categories with a similar B2B contract manufacturing model supplying retailers and brand owners across Europe - the most directly comparable European competitor.
• Maesa: US private label beauty company offering concept-to-shelf services including formulation, packaging, manufacturing, and brand development for retailers and emerging brands; directly comparable in target customer and service scope.
• Voyant Beauty: Global personal care contract manufacturer combining formulation, manufacturing, and packaging services for beauty and wellness brands; closely comparable full-service B2B model serving retailer and brand owner clients.
• HCT Group: Global cosmetic contract manufacturer providing full-service development, formulation, and filling services for colour cosmetics, skincare, hair care, and personal care; matches Mercona's B2B service model across overlapping categories.
• Intercos S.p.A. Italian beauty product contract manufacturer serving colour cosmetics, skincare, hair care, and personal care categories globally; comparable B2B manufacturer serving brands and retailers with proprietary formulations.
• Crystal Claire Cosmetics: US-based private label cosmetics and skincare contract manufacturer providing formulation, filling, and packaging services to retailers and brand owners - comparable B2B model and personal care focus from a complementary geography.

Broad incumbents

• Crown Laboratories: US-based personal care company (now part of Church & Dwight) with significant presence in sun care, skincare, and aesthetic products; broader incumbent that competes with private label players in some retail channels through both brand and contract offerings.
• Beiersdorf AG: Global personal care major (Nivea, Eucerin, La Prairie) operating across sun care, skincare, and haircare categories; broader incumbent with proprietary brand strategies whose category footprint partly overlaps with Mercona's specialist focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mercona-gb-ltd
• Xx.com/merconacosmetic

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 Mercona