CAVU Consumer Partners Leads $11 Million Series A for Dolce Glow

Dolce Glow, which became Sephora’s top-selling self-tanning brand within six months of launch, has closed an $11 million Series A funding round led by CAVU Consumer Partners.

Founded by celebrity spray-tan artist Isabel Alysa Vita—whose client roster includes Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus—Dolce Glow will use the capital to fund inventory, retail distribution, product innovation, and team expansion. The transaction represents Dolce Glow’s first institutional funding round following earlier seed capital from friends and family. Cyrus previously invested in the company in 2023, while high-profile personalities including Sofia Richie Grainge, Olivia Culpo, Jaclyn Hill, Brianna LaPaglia, and Ash Holm participated in the Series A.

“The long-term goal is to build this into a $100 million-plus brand, continue to expand in the category, and take ownership as a leader in sunless tanning,” Vita said. “CAVU is definitely going to help us achieve that.”

“The sunless tanning category is absolutely on fire, and we’re thrilled about the product-market fit that Dolce Glow has found,” a CAVU spokesperson said. “More than that, we are thrilled about the founder-market-product fit that Isabel brings to her product, brand, and audience. We tend to back category creators and leaders, which Dolce Glow has very much proven to be.”

Vita started spray tanning in 2015 as a side hustle to pay for her daughter’s baby formula before selling formulas directly to professional artists in 2017. She launched Dolce Glow’s direct-to-consumer self-tanning line in 2021 with the Dolce Self-Tanning Mist, Lusso Self-Tanning Mousse, Mia Instant Body Glow, and gradual tanning lotions. Positioned as an Italian-inspired premium brand infused with skincare benefits, the lineup features roughly 20 stockkeeping units (SKUs) priced between $28 and $49, led by bestsellers such as the Dolce Self-Tanning Mist and Acqua Hydrating Face Mist.

In 2025, Vita launched a lower-priced sister brand, Sunnee BaeSkin, targeting younger consumers exclusively at Ulta Beauty. According to Women’s Wear Daily, industry sources projected the line to generate $3 million to $6 million in its inaugural year. While Dolce Glow has not publicly disclosed annual revenue figures, retail channels drive approximately 60% of sales. Alongside 392 Sephora doors, the brand is distributed across Nordstrom, Ulta, Revolve, Macy’s, QVC, and professional spray-tanning salons, supported by a network of roughly 200 professional spray tanners who provide retailer education.

Reflecting on the brand's rapid retail velocity, Vita noted, “We were sold out within two to three days of launching at Sephora. Productivity is insane at Sephora stores.” Similar prestige retail momentum has been seen across the beauty sector, as demonstrated by Ogee entering Sephora following major commercial scaling.

At CAVU, Dolce Glow joins a portfolio of high-growth beauty and wellness brands including Topicals, Nécessaire, 4AM, Whoop, Recess, Noom, Thrive Market, and Beekeeper’s Naturals. CAVU has built a track record of scaling consumer brands to high-value exits, with previous portfolio companies including Hims & Hers, OSEA, Poppi, and Vital Proteins. Earlier this year, the investment firm closed an oversubscribed $325 million fifth fund, bringing its total assets under management to approximately $1.4 billion.

“The long-term goal is to build this into a $100 million-plus brand.”

CAVU targets brands formulated with clean, high-performance ingredients—Dolce Glow is positioned as clean, vegan, and cruelty-free—that revitalize mature consumer categories. “4AM exemplifies this nicely, where makeup wipes are a multi-billion-dollar category dominated by legacy brands like Neutrogena that haven’t innovated. 4AM is a serum-infused beauty wipe rather than just a makeup remover,” the CAVU spokesperson explained. “There is a similar story with Dolce Glow. Self-tanners have historically suffered from streaking, and Dolce Glow completely reimagines that in its formulations. That value-add strongly resonates with consumers.”

Beyond streaking, self-tanners have long faced consumer complaints regarding unpleasant odors, skin irritation, and unnatural color payoff. Dolce Glow aims to address those friction points while expanding the scope of self-tanning product formats. This month, the brand debuted Blush Me Flushed, marketed as the industry's first self-tanning blush contour stick, with future pipeline concepts spanning sun care that won't disrupt existing tans and broader body care products.

The global self-tanning market was valued at $1.22 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $2.4 billion by 2034, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 8%, according to Fortune Business Insights. While sunless tanning represents a small segment of the broader $635 billion global beauty and personal care market, investment and M&A deal flow in the space has intensified in recent years.

Recent M&A transactions highlight strategic appetite for sunless tanning assets. In 2023, Kao acquired Bondi Sands for a reported $300 million, while Yellow Wood Partners acquired a majority stake in Future Beauty Labs—parent company of Tan-Luxe, Isle of Paradise, and Tanologist—in 2020. Additional deals in the category have involved Loving Tan and Vita Liberata.

Dolce Glow attracted strong investor interest during its fundraising process, receiving three to four verbal commitments and two term sheets alongside CAVU’s offer. Maintaining voting control was a non-negotiable priority for Vita, who sought guidance from IT Cosmetics co-founder Jamie Kern Lima (who sold her company to L’Oréal for $1.2 billion in 2016) on founder governance.

“I have grown this company pretty much by myself through the years, and it was important for me to stay on as CEO, keep my voting rights, and maintain control,” Vita said. “Maintaining control of ultimate decisions was something I was able to accomplish.”