NEW YORK, April 3 (Reuters) - The private equity owner

of Dr. Squatch is exploring a sale of the men's grooming brand

that it hopes will value the company at more than $2 billion,

people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The company, which is majority-owned by Summit Partners, is

working with investment banks Raymond James and Centerview

Partners to gauge interest from potential buyers, the sources

said, requesting anonymity as the discussions are confidential.

Dr. Squatch currently generates 12-month earnings before

interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of about

$90 million and is growing rapidly, the sources said.

Dr. Squatch, Summit Partners, and Raymond James did not

immediately respond to requests for comment. Centerview declined

to comment.

Launched in 2013 by founder and CEO Jack Haldrup and named

after the mythical creature Sasquatch, Dr. Squatch started out

by selling handmade bar soaps for men. Haldrup created his own

soap flavors out of his garage because natural soap for men is

not widely produced by major personal care brands.

The Los Angeles-based company currently sells deodorant,

hair care products, colognes, lotions and other personal care

products through its website and at brick-and-mortar stores like

Walmart ( WMT ) and Target ( TGT ).

Dr. Squatch is known for its Super Bowl ads targeting men

and unique scents like cold brew cleanse and grapefruit IPA.

The personal care segment has been a bright spot for

dealmaking over the past year. Carlyle-owned grooming brand

Every Man Jack has been exploring a sale, while Unilever ( UL ) agreed

to sell one of its men's personal care brands, Dollar Shave

Club, to private-equity firm Nexus Capital Management last year.