Miami-based Prime Matter Labs, one of North America’s leading contract manufacturers of beauty and personal care products, has appointed Aaron Paas as incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will succeed Mohamed Barakat, co-founder and current CEO.
In his new role, Paas will partner with Barakat over the coming months to transition responsibility for all the operations and strategy of the company, including the continued growth across each of Prime Matter Labs’ facilities in Miami, Southern California, and New York City.
Aaron Paas has spent his career in the consumer packaged goods and technology sectors, leading teams and organizations through every stage of product and brand development. Paas got his start at Procter & Gamble, where he led progressively larger brand, operations, and product development teams, ultimately leading the Gillette Mach 3 brand operation. From P&G he went on to technology startup Etsy.com and eventually founded his own personal care brand, Wildist, which he led until joining Prime Matter Labs two years ago as Chief Revenue Officer.
Paas has played a key role defining and executing the company’s growth strategy over that period. During his time, Prime Matter Labs has expanded from South Florida to a national footprint, in particular through the acquisitions of California-based Cosmetic Development Laboratories, in October 2021, and of beauty.art.science in November 2021. As a result, the company has increased its workforce two-fold, and has grown its customer base significantly to include some of the fastest growing emerging brands across the beauty and personal care landscape.
Over its four-decade history, Prime Matter Labs has manufactured award winning skin, sun, hair, and body care products. In early 2020, Mohamed Barakat and his co-founders, Mark Barakat and Frank Linares, partnered with private equity investment firm Monogram Capital Partners to embark on a bold new vision to position the company for long-term growth. This included a significant expansion of its operational capacity, the creation of a first of its kind product development software platform, and putting R&D and innovation at the core of everything Prime Matter Labs does.
