Key Takeaways
- • Lion Equity Partners' portfolio company Country Life acquired Aura Cacia, a leading essential oils and aromatherapy brand, from Frontier Co-op in the first add-on acquisition under Lion Equity's 2023 ownership, creating a four-brand natural health and personal care platform.
- • The global aromatherapy market is valued at approximately $9.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $17 billion by 2033 at a 6.8% compound annual growth rate, with the U.S. market specifically growing from $3.1 billion (2025) to $7.3 billion (2035) at 8.7% annually, according to market research data.
- • Aura Cacia ranks as the top brick-and-mortar aromatherapy brand and the top natural air care brand in its respective channels according to Nielsen and NPI data, bringing category-leading market position and established distribution relationships to Country Life's portfolio.
- • Country Life, founded in 1971 and led by CEO Rob Robillard (who joined in 2024 from roles including CMO at HSN and CEO positions at Living Proof and ICU Eyewear), now operates four brands spanning supplements, sports nutrition, personal care, and essential oils through an NSF-GMP certified manufacturing facility in New York.
- • Frontier Co-op divested Aura Cacia to focus on its core herbs and spices business under the Frontier Co-op and Simply Organic brands, while Aura Cacia's 60,000 sq. ft. facility in Urbana, Iowa will operate as part of Country Life's expanded platform.
Summary
Country Life, acquired by Denver-based private equity firm Lion Equity Partners in August 2023 from KI NutriCare (a Kikkoman subsidiary), has completed its first add-on acquisition by purchasing Aura Cacia from Frontier Co-op. The transaction expands Country Life's platform into the high-growth essential oils and aromatherapy category while leveraging the seller's strategic focus on its core herbs and spices business. Aura Cacia, founded in 1982 and part of Frontier Co-op's family of brands for over three decades, operates from a 60,000 square-foot facility near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has established strong market positioning as the leading brick-and-mortar aromatherapy brand and top natural air care brand according to Nielsen and NPI brand-ranking data.
The acquisition is strategically timed to capitalize on robust market growth. The global aromatherapy market reached approximately $9.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $17 billion by 2033 at a 6.8% compound annual growth rate, according to Grand View Research. Within North America, which represents just over 41% of the global market, the U.S. aromatherapy market specifically is valued at $3.1 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $7.3 billion by 2035 at an 8.7% annual growth rate, per Precedence Research. Growth drivers include rising consumer demand for stress relief and sleep support, increasing preference for natural and plant-based personal care ingredients, and expanding aromatherapy applications in skin and hair care formulations. Consumables such as essential oils and topical blends represent the largest product segment, while offline retail channels continue to dominate sales—a distribution advantage for Aura Cacia's established brick-and-mortar presence.
Country Life now operates as a four-brand platform under CEO Rob Robillard, who assumed leadership in 2024 following executive roles at Home Shopping Network (where he served as chief merchandising officer), Living Proof, ICU Eyewear, and Sensible Organics. Beyond Aura Cacia, the portfolio includes Country Life Vitamins (offering supplements such as Maxi-Hair biotin formulas and Omega-3 fish oil), BioChem (sports nutrition products including creatine monohydrate), and Desert Essence (personal care items including tea tree oil toothpaste and botanical formulations). Country Life also markets the Gut Connection range targeting gut-immune health through prebiotic and postbiotic formulations. The company manufactures at an NSF-GMP certified facility located 50 miles east of New York City in Hauppauge, New York, and holds B Corporation certification.
Aura Cacia's products include single-note botanical essential oils such as organic lavender and rosemary, pre-blended aromatherapy roll-ons, and bath care products, all developed using high-purity standards and verified through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry testing for botanical authenticity. Frontier Co-op CEO Tony Bedard characterized the transaction as allowing both organizations to "focus, scale and thrive," with Frontier concentrating on its Frontier Co-op and Simply Organic herbs and spices brands. For Lion Equity Partners, this acquisition represents execution of the add-on strategy outlined when the firm acquired Country Life in 2023, targeting companies with revenues between $30 million and $300 million and EBITDA of up to $15 million across business services, manufacturing, software, distribution, healthcare, and transportation sectors.
The acquisition is strategically timed to capitalize on robust market growth. The global aromatherapy market reached approximately $9.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $17 billion by 2033 at a 6.8% compound annual growth rate, according to Grand View Research. Within North America, which represents just over 41% of the global market, the U.S. aromatherapy market specifically is valued at $3.1 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $7.3 billion by 2035 at an 8.7% annual growth rate, per Precedence Research. Growth drivers include rising consumer demand for stress relief and sleep support, increasing preference for natural and plant-based personal care ingredients, and expanding aromatherapy applications in skin and hair care formulations. Consumables such as essential oils and topical blends represent the largest product segment, while offline retail channels continue to dominate sales—a distribution advantage for Aura Cacia's established brick-and-mortar presence.
Country Life now operates as a four-brand platform under CEO Rob Robillard, who assumed leadership in 2024 following executive roles at Home Shopping Network (where he served as chief merchandising officer), Living Proof, ICU Eyewear, and Sensible Organics. Beyond Aura Cacia, the portfolio includes Country Life Vitamins (offering supplements such as Maxi-Hair biotin formulas and Omega-3 fish oil), BioChem (sports nutrition products including creatine monohydrate), and Desert Essence (personal care items including tea tree oil toothpaste and botanical formulations). Country Life also markets the Gut Connection range targeting gut-immune health through prebiotic and postbiotic formulations. The company manufactures at an NSF-GMP certified facility located 50 miles east of New York City in Hauppauge, New York, and holds B Corporation certification.
Aura Cacia's products include single-note botanical essential oils such as organic lavender and rosemary, pre-blended aromatherapy roll-ons, and bath care products, all developed using high-purity standards and verified through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry testing for botanical authenticity. Frontier Co-op CEO Tony Bedard characterized the transaction as allowing both organizations to "focus, scale and thrive," with Frontier concentrating on its Frontier Co-op and Simply Organic herbs and spices brands. For Lion Equity Partners, this acquisition represents execution of the add-on strategy outlined when the firm acquired Country Life in 2023, targeting companies with revenues between $30 million and $300 million and EBITDA of up to $15 million across business services, manufacturing, software, distribution, healthcare, and transportation sectors.
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