Last year, Israeli air purifier manufacturer Aura Air declared bankruptcy, limiting availability of the brand’s products. As a former retailer of Aura Air products, we at US Air Purifiers are acutely aware of the fact that this disruption affects customers who already purchased or were interested in Aura purifiers. Here’s what consumers should know about the Aura Air bankruptcy.
Why Did Aura Air Go Into Bankruptcy?
According to publicly available sources, Aura’s bankruptcy was the result of a run-up of debts that the company was unable to service. Aura took on the equivalent of about $13 million in debt, resulting in the company eventually becoming insolvent and filing for bankruptcy in the District Court of Tel Aviv. That debt included around $100,000 owed to the company’s employees.
The court granted the company its request to continue operating for a limited time, saying that the circumstances surrounding the bankruptcy were unique and favored continued operations. The alternative, had the court not granted this request from the company, would likely have been a liquidation of Aura Air and its assets to repay the company’s creditors.
In part, the bankruptcy is also attributable to a failed deal for Aura Air to be acquired by Molekule, a US air purification company. The acquisition deal valued the company at $8 million that was to be paid in Molekule stock. For reference, the company went public at an initial valuation of around $44 million during the COVID-19 pandemic and at one time had a market capitalization of nearly $60 million.
What Does This Mean for Consumers?
Although the bankruptcy allowed Aura to continue operating, even at an operating loss, for a limited period of time, it has interrupted our ability to carry their air purifiers. Regrettably, it’s unclear if or when Aura Air units will become available again. For the time being, consumers interested in smart air purifiers will have to look to other brands leading the field in data-driven air purification technology.
In addition to the unavailability of its products, Aura Air has also suspended the app that allowed users to connect to their air purifiers from their smartphones. Unfortunately, the app is unlikely to come back into use in the near future unless another company makes a deal to acquire Aura.
The good news for those who already own Aura products is that US Air Purifiers still has limited supplies of Aura Air Ray replacement filters available. We’ll continue to carry these filters while supplies remain available so that our customers who purchased Aura purifiers can continue to use their current units for as long as possible. As of the time of this writing, we still have 40 filters available to meet the ongoing needs of our customers.
What Are the Best Alternatives for Aura Air?
Fortunately for consumers, there are a number of good alternatives for Aura Air purifiers available on the market. One of these is the Airpura P700, a 2,500-square-foot air purifier that’s well suited to both VOCs and microorganisms. The IDEAL Pro AP80 is another good choice that performs an impressive two air changes per hour in spaces of up to 1,600 square feet.
US Air Purifiers is also pleased to be able to offer units from Molekule, the company that at one time was set to acquire Aura. We currently carry three models from Molekule with coverage ranging from 250 to 3,000 square feet and serving a variety of air cleaning needs. To learn more about these air purifiers and view specifications on individual models, visit out Molekule air purifiers product page.
One unit we particularly recommend is the Molekule Pro, a 1,000-square-foot air purifier capable of performing up to 2.5 air changes per hour. This unit is capable of targeting practically any organic pollutant that enters home air with a combination of true HEPA and patented photoelectrochemical oxiation (PECO) stages.
If you have questions about the right air purifier for your needs, please feel free to reach out to us with your questions! We’ll be happy to provide you with answers and product recommendations based on your unique needs to ensure you get the right air cleaning solutions for your home, office or other spaces!