
Key insights:
- The FTC's ruling doesn't mean it's going after every acquisition in the space.
- Brandless and Casper are key case studies and warnings for the industry.
Between Brandless shutting down, Edgewell Personal Care backing out of its acquisition of Harry’s after the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the deal, Casper’s lackluster IPO and Birchbox laying off 25% of its global workforce, it hasn’t been the best week for direct-to-consumer brands.