The news: Seattle-based RealSelf, the cosmetic treatment review platform, has acquired YNS Group, a portfolio of online destinations, including Multiestetica, that serve customers throughout Europe and Latin America.
About RealSelf: Founded in 2006, RealSelf operates a Yelp-like marketplace business that helps people learn more about cosmetic procedures including botox, Invisalign, breast augmentation, liposuction and more. The company has information, patient reviews and photos, treatment costs and ratings, and thousands of verified doctors on its platform.
Growth: The acquisition is expected to expand RealSelf’s reach to 100 million consumers annually across more than 170 countries. The company reported an 84% increase in traffic in 2020, and said it expects to see a 40% increase in year-over-year revenue, with plans to more than double staff because of the acquisition, adding 150 employees for a total of 340. In addition to its headquarters in Seattle, RealSelf will now have offices in Egypt, Mexico, Spain and Czech Republic.
RealSelf is ranked No. 27 on the GeekWire 200, our list of top Pacific Northwest startups. It raised $40 million as part of its first substantial round of outside capital in April 2018 and named James Coyle as new CEO last September.
Acquisition wave: Tuesday’s announcement follows news from January when RealSelf announced the acquisition of Tajmeeli, the leading cosmetic procedure resource for Arabic speaking consumers. Terms of the deals were disclosed.
Pandemic impact: The $17 billion global medical aesthetics industry was concerned at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as hospitals banned elective procedures to focus on essential patients. RealSelf made staffing cuts in April 2020. But diverted vacation dollars and a lockdown lifestyle that had many people working from home eventually contributed to a so-called “Zoom Boom,” where people could recover at home discreetly from certain elective procedures.
Last word: “With this acquisition we’re expanding our vision further across the globe and together, we’re making the experience easier for millions more consumers to make smart, confident decisions through even more patient reviews, unretouched before & after photos, access to medical experts and in-depth procedure information,” Coyle said in a statement.
