Mercadona cosmetics supplier RNB acquires 52.06% controlling stake in 3INA
Spanish cosmetics manufacturer RNB has acquired 52.06% of makeup and skincare brand 3INA through debt capitalization and a capital increase. The deal adds a business generating about €20 million, roughly half of it outside Spain, as RNB seeks to expand beyond Mercadona and accelerate international growth.
RNB takes control through debt and new capital
Valencia-based cosmetics manufacturer RNB has acquired a 52.06% stake in Spanish makeup and skincare company 3INA Cosmetics, giving it control of the business and a majority on its board. Economía Digital, citing information first reported by elEconomista.es, said the transaction is intended to accelerate 3INA’s expansion while helping RNB broaden its operations beyond Mercadona, the supermarket group for which it supplies creams and other cosmetics.
According to RNB’s latest annual accounts, the acquisition was completed through a capitalization of debt and a capital increase. RNB invested about €4.5 million in 3INA and converted €2.44 million of debt into shares as part of a conversion totaling €4.6 million. The Valencian group was also the main subscriber to a further €2.5 million capital increase, taking up €2.11 million. Following completion, RNB managing director Pablo Cotino was appointed chairman of 3INA. Asúa Inversiones, the family holding company of Víctor Urrutia and an existing shareholder, will remain represented on the board.
International sales provide a route beyond Mercadona
The purchase adds a business with revenue of about €20 million, around half of which comes from outside Spain. That international exposure is significant for RNB because foreign sales represented only 6.75% of its turnover in the latest reported financial year. Bringing 3INA under its control therefore gives the manufacturer an established consumer brand and a broader geographic sales base as it works to reduce its reliance on a single major retail customer.
3INA was created in 2014 by entrepreneurs Pablo Rivera and Mark Eve and launched commercially in 2016. Headquartered in Madrid, it began primarily as a digitally native vertical brand with a strong social-media image, while also investing in physical retail. Its products are now sold through Spanish beauty and department-store chains including Primor, Druni and El Corte Inglés. The brand has positioned itself around inclusive, vegan, environmentally conscious, sustainable and cruelty-free cosmetics, attributes aimed particularly at younger consumers.
Acquisition complements RNB’s investment plan
The deal follows RNB’s acquisition of a makeup company in Italy in 2022, subsequently converted into its Italian subsidiary, DBL. Together, the transactions indicate that RNB is combining manufacturing capacity with owned brands and local commercial platforms to build sales outside Spain. For 3INA, RNB’s industrial scale and retail experience could support wider distribution, while its existing international revenue gives the buyer a faster route into foreign cosmetics markets.
RNB was founded in 1989 by pharmacists Vicente Ruiz and Romualdo Bertomeu, who remain its largest shareholders. Initially focused on skincare products sold through pharmacies, it later became a supplier to Mercadona. The group recorded consolidated revenue of €302 million in the last financial year, up from close to €250 million in the preceding period, and earned €15.9 million. It also launched 632 new product references, of which 17% were items for Mercadona. RNB has separately announced a €100 million investment program through 2030 to expand its facilities in La Pobla de Vallbona, Valencia. The plan is expected to increase its workforce from 1,200 to 2,000 employees, providing additional capacity as the group develops both contract manufacturing and its international brand portfolio.
