Luna Daily, the intimate body care brand, has closed a £3m investment round as it scales up to enter into the North American market.

The funding round was led by Redrice, Joyance Partners, Velocity Juice and Angel investors and will boost global expansion plans just one year after it was founded by beauty industry veteran Katy Cottam.

The brand will become the first exclusive UK intimate care brand to launch at global beauty retailer Sephora across 260 stores in North America next month.

The brand’s Spray-To-Wipe product will be featured on Sephora’s ‘Next Big Thing’ wall and is the world’s first natural eco-alternative to single use wipes – one bottle is equivalent to 300 wipes.

In the UK, Luna Daily has secured significant retail distribution to date and in January launched onto Harrods.com and into Harrods Beauty as the first intimate care brand of its kind.

The funding will also enable the company to drive new product development and to further its mission to eradicate shame and normalise the conversation around intimate care.

Luna Daily is over 70% female owned and has a 70% female senior leadership team.

Claire Cherry, investment partner at Joyance said: “We invest in the future of health and happiness, and back businesses that delight and bring joy. Luna Daily fits perfectly within this ethos and meets a clear need in the feminine health market.”

Robert Senior, partner at fellow investor Redrice said: “We back early-stage businesses that have the courage and insight, foresight and resilience to try and rewrite the agendas and accepted norms.

“Katy has smuggled the difficult conversations into mainstream parlance with a surefooted elegance, evidenced by her partnership with Sephora, whose purpose is not to shock, rather to delight its shoppers. We felt Luna Daily is shockingly delightful and we’re thrilled to be a part of the journey.”

Katy Cottam, founder and CEO of Luna Daily said: “For so many women, their intimate skin is an afterthought, only prioritised when there is a ‘problem’ and they’re forced to use outdated feminine hygiene products which have ‘what’s wrong with her?’ associations.

“We’re proud to be leading the next evolution in the female wellness category and Sephora is the perfect retail partner, boldly championing this category and celebrating innovations from emerging brands like ours.”

Cindy Deily, VP skincare merchandising at Sephora added: “Sephora is thrilled to partner with Luna Daily and continue bringing our clients best-in-class products that support all their beauty and wellness needs. With its inclusive approach and effective, clean formulations, Luna Daily offers products that support the unique needs of women at all stages of life and helps reinforce Sephora’s commitment to this important, growing category of intimate care.

“We look forward to introducing Luna Daily to our Sephora community and know it will be a wonderful addition to our assortment.”