Touchland Is Taking Self-Care to New Heights

Andrea Lisbona Vives secured a $700 million exit by breathing new life into hand sanitizer.

- BY KEVIN J. RYAN

Andrea Lisbona Vives was into hand sanitizer before it was popular.

The Barcelona-born entrepreneur founded the personal care company Touchland in 2016, when only the germ-obsessed kept a bottle of hand sanitizer handy. Lisbona Vives, 39, felt strongly that reimagining the product could move it from an unceremonious bin in the pharmacy to prime shelf space in fashion and beauty retailers. She was right. Touchland hand sanitizers are now sold in stores including Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Kohl’s. The Miami-based brand is known for its sleekly designed spray bottles and formulations that contain moisturizer but don’t leave hands feeling sticky.

Touchland benefited from a Covid bump, but maintained momentum postpandemic. Annual revenue reached over $100 million in 2024, having grown 2,200 percent since 2021. After launching a line of fragrances in January, Touchland was acquired in May by Church & Dwight, whose portfolio includes Arm & Hammer and OxiClean, for $700 million. An earn-out based on 2025 sales could bring the price to up to $880 million. Inc. recently spoke with Lisbona Vives, who is staying on as CEO, to discuss the deal and how her company’s culture helped drive its success. there would need to be a natural alignment in terms of culture, and it would have to be a partner that will give value to what we've built and be excited about helping us scale without forcing us to compromise on the essence of what made us special to begin with.

What did your board of directors think about the sale?