KKR-Backed Wella Aims for IPO as Haircare Market Recovers

Wella Co., the cosmetics maker owned by KKR & Co. and Coty Inc., plans an eventual initial public offering as demand from beauty salons for professional haircare products recovers.

“That’s our ambition,” Wella Chief Executive Officer Annie Young-Scrivner said during an interview in Paris Monday. She sees a potential listing in four years, probably in New York.

Wella was spun off from Coty in 2020, when KKR became a majority investor.

Annie Young-Scrivner

Photographer: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Revenue was hit hard during the start of the pandemic due to forced closures and has recovered strongly as economies reopened. Sales increased 24% in ...