Gerry Harvey and Unilever pile into local hair care start-up Straand

Harvey Norman’s Gerry Harvey and Katie Page have invested in Straand, a hair care and scalp brand that has also snared backing from the venture capital fund operated by global consumer goods giant Unilever.

The funding round of $4 million caps an active year for Australian beauty brands. In August, the founders of Bondi Sands sold that self-tanner and skincare brand for $450 million, while Melbourne’s Aesop was acquired by L’Oréal in June for $3.7 billion.