Bradford Expands Personal Care Product Offerings with Acquisition of Solo Labs

The acquisition creates a unified manufacturing platform designed to accelerate innovation across solid, liquid, and aerosol product categories.

WEST WARWICK, RI (September 2, 2025) --- Bradford, a portfolio company of Gemspring Capital and a developer, formulator, and manufacturer of solid personal care products, announced today its acquisition of Solo Laboratories, Inc. (“Solo Labs”), a developer, formulator, and manufacturer of liquid and aerosol personal care products. Bradford and Solo Labs will continue to operate under their respective brands, and the combined business will be led by Bradford CEO Shaun Gaus, while Jim Jackson will continue as President of Solo Labs. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Broadview, Illinois, Solo Labs is a leader in custom formulation and in-house manufacturing for the beauty and personal care industry. The company provides turnkey solutions to a diverse customer base, with expertise spanning ideation, formulation and development, complex and custom manufacturing, and packaging. Solo Labs operates three facilities across Broadview and Blue Island, Illinois, and manufactures a wide range of haircare, skincare, and personal care products.

The combination of Bradford and Solo Labs brings together two longstanding leaders in the personal care manufacturing space, creating a unified manufacturing platform across solids, liquids, and aerosols. With complementary product portfolios and deep formulation expertise, the combined business will be positioned to deliver innovative solutions, expanded capabilities, and greater growth opportunities for its customers.

"Solo Labs has a well-established reputation for flexibility and innovation, and we’re excited to welcome their team and customers into the Bradford family," said Mr. Gaus. "We look forward to working alongside their talented management team and employees and building on their strengths to create a broader platform that delivers even greater value and innovation to the market."

Mr. Jackson added, “This acquisition ensures continuity for our customers while giving us the opportunity to offer an expanded set of products. By combining Bradford’s expertise in solids with our leadership in liquids and aerosols, we are well positioned to deliver new solutions and accelerate future growth together.”

Kristin Steen, Managing Director at Gemspring Capital, commented, “Bringing together Bradford and Solo Labs is transformational. It expands the combined company’s capabilities and product offerings, while preserving the service excellence and talent of both organizations, providing a strong foundation for long-term growth and success.”

About Bradford

For almost 150 years, Bradford has helped organizations build brands by formulating and manufacturing a cutting-edge platform of personal care products. We are the world’s leading manufacturer of specialty bar soap, and we offer a broad range of hair, skin, and body care products, including OTC formulations. Our vertical integration and technical expertise allow us to customize products unique to each brand. Bradford is headquartered in Rhode Island, with additional facilities in Indiana and California. For more information, visit www.bradfordsoap.com.

About Solo Labs

Since 1927, Solo Laboratories has specialized in the formulation, manufacture, and filling of personal care products. We offer a wide range of skincare, haircare, liquid, and hot-fill products. By creating partnerships with our customers, we work together to create a mutually beneficial experience. For more information, visit www.sololabsinc.com.

About Gemspring Capital

Gemspring Capital, a Westport, Connecticut-based private equity firm with $3.8 billion of capital under management, provides flexible capital solutions to middle market companies. Gemspring partners with talented management teams and takes a partnership approach to helping drive revenue growth, value creation, and sustainable competitive advantages. Target companies have up to $2 billion in revenue and are in the business services, consumer services, financial and insurance services, healthcare, industrial, software, and tech-enabled services sectors. For more information, visit www.gemspring.com.

CONTACTS:
Kristin Steen (kristin@gemspring.com)

Deborah McDonough (dmcdonough@bradfordsoap.com)