Andrea Lisbona: From TikTok Sensation to Nearly a Billion Dollar Exit

Before she became one of the most successful Hispanic founders in beauty, Andrea Lisbona was a girl in Barcelona with an eye for design and an entrepreneurial spirit. Her parents ran a small family business, and she grew up watching them navigate the highs and lows of self-employment. From an early age, she was fascinated by branding. While her classmates played with toys, Andrea sketched logos and imagined building a global company of her own.

Today, she is the founder and CEO of Touchland, the personal care brand best known for transforming hand sanitizer into a design-forward product beloved by consumers and celebrities alike. What began as a bootstrapped idea turned into a viral brand sold in more than 20,000 retail locations — and in 2024, Touchland was acquired in a deal valued at up to $880 million.

Andrea’s story is not one of overnight success or industry privilege. It is a journey marked by vision, grit, and a willingness to go all in when others didn’t believe in the category.

Andrea was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, in a home where business conversations were the norm. Her parents were entrepreneurs, and Andrea absorbed their lessons about resilience and resourcefulness. After earning her degree in International Business from ESADE, one of Europe’s top business schools, she pursued a career in consumer goods. A role at a hand sanitizer import company proved pivotal.

She quickly realized that while hand sanitizer was used by nearly everyone, it had seen little innovation. The packaging was outdated. The formulas were harsh. And the user experience was uninspiring. Andrea saw an opportunity to completely reimagine what the product could be—not just in function, but in form and emotion.

In 2010, she launched Touchland in Spain with a bold concept: a sleek, flat bottle that sprayed a hydrating mist, infused with fragrance and designed to feel as good as it looked. It was sanitizer reimagined as skincare.

But the Spanish market wasn’t quite ready. Retailers passed. Investors didn’t see the potential. Andrea kept building anyway. Then, in 2018, she made the decision that would change her life. She moved to the United States with two suitcases and a prototype in hand, determined to relaunch Touchland for an American audience.

Andrea had no team and no funding, but she had a clear vision. She launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring Touchland to the U.S., setting a goal of $15,000. Within just one month, she raised more than 450 percent of her goal and secured over 1,500 pre-orders.

Touchland’s minimalist design and premium aesthetic resonated immediately. Andrea personally handled the brand’s social media and fulfillment, building a strong community of early adopters through authenticity and engagement. Her approach wasn’t built on influencers or ad budgets. It was built on connection.

Soon after, the brand landed retail distribution deals with Ulta Beauty, Urban Outfitters, Bloomingdale’s, and REVOLVE. Andrea was proving that even in a saturated category, exceptional design and customer experience could carve out new space.

In 2020, COVID-19 brought global attention to hand hygiene. The demand for hand sanitizer surged overnight. While many companies shifted into industrial-scale production with basic packaging, Andrea made a different choice. She stayed true to Touchland’s core identity: skincare-grade formulas, elevated design, and a brand rooted in joy and care, not panic.

The decision paid off. Touchland skyrocketed in popularity. TikTok creators began including the product in “what’s in my bag” videos. Celebrities like Kris Jenner, North West, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, and Tyra Banks posted about it on social media. The Power Mist became a viral phenomenon, not just for its function but for how it made people feel.

Andrea continued innovating, launching the Glow Mist, a hand sanitizer-skincare hybrid, and rolling out seasonal scents and exclusive packaging. Touchland was no longer just a hygiene product. It was a beauty and lifestyle brand.

By 2023, Touchland had reached more than a million customers and was sold in over 20,000 stores across the U.S.

In 2024, Andrea sold Touchland to Church & Dwight Co., Inc., the consumer goods giant behind brands like Batiste and Waterpik. The deal included $700 million in cash and stock, plus a $180 million performance-based payout tied to future sales milestones.

Andrea remained as CEO and continues to lead the brand’s growth. Unlike many founders who exit after an acquisition, she stayed on to ensure that Touchland’s vision and product integrity remained intact.

She is now one of the few Hispanic founders to lead a beauty brand through a near-billion-dollar acquisition while retaining operational control. And she’s done it with humility and focus, still obsessing over product details, packaging design, and the evolving needs of her customers.

Andrea’s story is a masterclass in brand-building. She didn’t invent hand sanitizer, but she made it desirable. She didn’t chase trends or pivot during a crisis. Instead, she stayed consistent with her mission: to make functional products joyful, sensorial, and worthy of a place in people’s lives.

Andrea continues to lead Touchland as it expands into new markets and product categories. And the best is yet to come.

Andrea Lisbona’s story isn’t about luck. It’s about vision and follow-through.

She didn’t wait for perfect timing or outside approval. She packed her bags, bet on herself, and built something unforgettable—out of something everyone else ignored.

It’s a reminder that you don’t need to invent the next big thing. You just need to see a familiar thing differently.

Andrea turned a daily habit into a global brand.

What everyday product could you reimagine?