Corporate Sales: $64.4 Billion
Beauty & Personal Care: $26.3 Billion

Major Products/Brands: Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care brands, including Clear, Dermalogica, Dove, Dove+Men, Liquid IV, Nutrafol, Paula’s Choice, Pond’s, Sunsilk, Tresemmé, Vaseline, Axe, Closeup, Lux, Lifebuoy, Pepsodent, Rexona.

New Products:

• Clear Men Scalp Pro Anti-Hair Fall
• Pond’s Bright Miracle
• Dove Body Wash with 24-Hour Renewing MicroMoisture
• Lifebuoy Vitamin+
• Baby Dove Ultra Gentle Foaming Wash Collection
• Dove Men+Care deodorants
• K18 (acquisition)

Comments: Unilever remained steady during the year, with a less than 1% drop in its overall 2023 corporate sales. Its Beauty & Wellbeing unit represented 8.3% of underlying sales growth and 21% of group turnover. Total Beauty and Personal Care Sales reached $26.3 billion [Beauty & Wellbeing: $12.5b + Personal Care: $13.8b].

Unilever’s full-year performance reflected strong growth in Prestige Beauty and Health & Wellbeing, which now account for a quarter of Beauty & Wellbeing’s turnover, as well as successful relaunches of some of its core Hair Care and Skincare brands.

Hair Care rose mid-single digits through a combination of price and volume growth, with strong growth in Latin America and Turkey. Sunsilk delivered double-digit growth for the year following a successful relaunch of the brand. Clear delivered mid-single digit growth driven by breakthrough innovation—its first clinically proven anti-dandruff formula powered by niacinamide concentrate to repair and strengthen the scalp’s skin barrier. Following the successful relaunch in China last year, the mix is now available in Thailand, Turkey, and Brazil.

Core Skincare grew by low-single digits, driven by price. Vaseline delivered double-digit growth in 2023. Following the launch of its Gluta-Hya range in Southeast Asia two years ago, the company further expanded the platform with the launch of serums and a Pro-Age range, tapping into a larger consumer pool by extending the patented technology to more products and new markets such as India.

In its U.S.-centric Prestige Beauty and Health & Wellbeing portfolios, Unilever brands continued to grow ahead of the market, delivering double-digit growth for the year. This was supported by strong performances from Hourglass, Dermalogica, and Paula’s Choice, which launched a Vitamin C range.

The company’s Personal Care unit, which represented 23% of the total turnover, saw an 8.9% underlying sales growth, led by the company’s “Power Brands.”

Unilever’s deodorant category grew in double-digits, led by strong volume growth, particularly in Europe and Latin America. Rexona grew double-digits and its range of products with 72-hour sweat and odor protection technology is now in over 100 markets. Dove delivered double-digit growth with the successful launch of Dove Advanced Care for women and the launch of a new range of Dove Men+Care antiperspirant. Axe grew by single digits following the launch of its new, long-lasting fine fragrance collection.

The Skin Cleansing unit delivered mid-single digit growth with positive volumes. Lux grew double-digits, driven by elevated skincare benefits in soap bars from its ProGlow technology. In the U.S., Dove grew mid-single digits supported by its Body Wash relaunch with new packaging and 24-hour renewing MicroMoisture technology. The Dove Personal Care portfolio achieved double-digit growth with balanced price and volume growth.

2023-2024 Highlights:

Restructuring was the name of the game in late 2023 and early 2024. In the fall of 2023, Unilever announced that it would sell its Dollar Shave Club brand due to lagging sales. The company also streamlined its New York facilities, ending the manufacture of its beauty and personal care products in Amityville and closing its Farmingdale warehouse. In total, 169 employees were laid off as part of a plan to realign its beauty and personal care product manufacturing.

In November 2023, Unilever extended its Baby Dove brand, launching Baby Dove Caring by Nature Collection and Baby Dove Ultra Gentle Foaming Wash Collection. And in February 2024, the company launched the Dove Bond Strength regimen, an end-to-end solution to help visibly repair and restore hair

In July 2024, Vasiliki Petrou, CEO of Unilever Prestige, stepped down. In her 10-year tenure, she helped create the brand’s Prestige division in 2014, and oversaw the acquisition of 10 brands including Paula’s Choice, Dermalogica, K18, Murad, Living Proof, REN, Kate Somerville, Hourglass, Tatcha and Garancia.

According to an August report in Sky News, Unilever was in talks to sell its luxury Kate Somerville prestige skincare and REN skincare brands.

Looking Ahead:

In Q1, Unilever group sales rose 1.5%. Specifically, Beauty & Wellbeing grew underlying sales by 7.4%, with volume growth of 5.6%. Personal care sales rose 4.8%.

In Q2, the company posted lower-than-expected sales growth; however, its Beauty & Wellbeing unit sales grew 7.1%, led by strong hair care sales from Sunsilk and Dove. Unilever additionally said it expected its 2024 total year underlying sales to grow between 3-5%.

Corporate Sales: $64.2 billion
Beauty Sales: $27.6 billion

Major Products/Brands: Axe, Dove, Lifebuoy, Rexona, Sunsilk, Vaseline. Paula’s Choice, Hourglass, Nutrafol.

New Products:

• Axe Fine Fragrance Collection
• Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint
• Lifebuoy Vita Protect Bodywash
• Dove Body Wash featuring 24-hour Renewing Micro-Moisture
• Dove Hair Therapy
• Sunsilk Stunning Black Shine Shampoo
• Degree Advanced 72H
• Vaseline Intensive Care lotions with Ultra-Hydrating Lipids

Unilever’s Sales Climb

Corporate sales climbed 14.5% to about $63.1 billion led by 14 “billion-euro” brands that include Dove, Rexona, Lux, Lifebuoy, Sunsilk and Axe which accounted for 53% of group turnover in 2022. The company also pointed to “simpler, more category-focused organization, in place since July 1, as a driver of greater operational focus and faster decisions.

Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing unit, which accounted for 20% of the group turnover, saw its underlying sales grow by 7.8% driven by price. Volumes were slightly positive at +0.3%. Growth was price-led in core Skin Care and Hair Care, while it was volume-led in Prestige Beauty and Health & Wellbeing.

Hair Care grew mid-single digit, helped by strong performances of Sunsilk and Nexxus. Growth was driven by Latin America, India and Turkey, partially offset by Europe and China where sales were affected by pandemic-related restrictions. Skin Care grew low-single digit. South Asia and South East Asia delivered strong growth, helped by Lifebuoy and rollout of the Vaseline premium Gluta-Hya innovation, while sales of AHC declined in North Asia.

Prestige Beauty delivered another year of double-digit growth, with strong contributions from Paula’s Choice and Hourglass which continued its expansion into China, as well as Living Proof, which entered the bond-building premium hair care category. Liquid IV and Olly drove strong double-digit growth in Health & Wellbeing. The acquisition of Nutrafol, a leading provider of hair wellness products, was completed in July.

Unilever’s Personal Care unit, which represented 23% of group turnover, saw underlying sales grow 7.9% with 12.1% from price while volume declined 3.7% from volume. The volume decline was higher in Skin Cleansing.

Deodorants performed strongly, delivering double-digit price and positive volume growth. This was supported by continued premiumization and innovations, such as the 72-hour protection technology from Rexona. Skin Cleansing grew high single-digits with strong price increases in response to the input cost inflation. While this led to a volume decline, volumes held up better in North America, supported by premium innovations such as the Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash with microbiome nutrient serum that delivers a further improved skincare experience.

Unilever’s 2022-2023 Highlights

In January 2023, Unilever appointed Hein Schumacher its new CEO, replacing Alan Jope who retired in September 2022. Schumacher was previously CEO of the global dairy and nutrition business Royal Friesland Campina and became a non-executive director of Unilever in October last year. He began his role as Unilever CEO on July 1, 2023.

In February 2023, Unilever announced the sale of its Suave brand in North America to Yellow Wood Partners LLC. The Suave beauty and personal care brand includes hair care, skin care, skin cleansing and deodorant products. Suave will continue to be owned and operated by Unilever outside of the U.S. and Canada.

In May 2023, CFO Graeme Pitkethly, announced he would retire from the company in May 2024.

Looking Ahead

Outgoing CEO Alan Jope commented that he expected Unilever to deliver strong underlying sales growth in 2023, with improving volume performance and competitiveness as the year progressed. He also predicted cost inflation to continue in 2023, noting that it was too early to say whether volume will turn positive in the second half. “We expect 2023 underlying sales growth to be at least in the upper half of our multi-year range of 3-5%,” he said.

Corporate Sales: $59 billion
Beauty/Personal Care Sales: $25 billion

Major Products/Brands: Axe, Dove, Clear, Dermalogica, Ren, Lifebuoy, Rexona, Sunsilk, Vaseline.

New Products: Dove Care by Plants Deodorant, Dove Kids Care bath collection (Canada), Dermalogica Circular Hydration Serum with Hyaluronic Acid, Ren 3-Step Barrier Boosting Set, Axe 100% Natural Origin Scent, Lifebuoy Charcoal and Mint, Rexona Clinical Protection, Vaseline Derma Care, Paula’s Choice

Financial Summary: Alongside a 1.6% volume gain, Unilever enjoyed a 4.5% increase in fiscal 2021 sales, reaching $25 billion. According to CEO Alan Jope, the company’s 13 billion-Euro brands grew 6.4%, with the priority markets of China, India and the U.S. growing a combined 31% and overall e-commerce leaping 44%.

In Unilever’s Beauty & Personal Care division, underlying sales grew 3.8%, with 3% from price and 0.8% from volume. All categories delivered positive growth apart from skin cleansing which declined following elevated demand in the prior year.

The company’s skincare sector turned in high single-digit growth. Vaseline performed strongly throughout the year, supported by several premium innovations across brightening, therapeutics and hydration. Deodorants grew as the market continued to recover, with good growth and restored competitiveness in North America. Unilever launched Dove refillable deodorant in the U.S. and it was well-received by consumers.

Hair care sector growth was led by Sunsilk, Dove and Clear in North America being restored to competitive growth. E-commerce and the overall recovery of the beauty channel helped Unilever’s Prestige Beauty division tally double-digit growth compared to the prior year. New innovations in Prestige Beauty include Dermalogica’s biolumin-c and sound sleep cocoon and Ren’s zero waste packaging.

Jope noted that the underlying operating margin in Beauty and Personal Care was flat, with high material inflation in palm oil having a particularly high impact on gross margin, despite stepped up pricing. “Brand and marketing investment was lower overall due to reductions in Europe and South East Asia where COVID-19 restrictions impacted market growth,” he said. “We invested more in the U.S. and China and benefited from efficiencies in advertising production costs.”

2021-2022 Highlights: In September 2021, Unilever, Henkel, L’Oréal, LVMH and Natura &Co announced a global collaboration to co-develop an industry-wide impact assessment and scoring system to help consumers understand the environmental impact of cosmetic products. The “brand-agnostic” guidance will be based on a common science-based methodology and cover formula, packaging and usage with the ultimate goal of helping consumers make more sustainable consumption choices.

Looking Ahead: In a forward-looking statement, Jope said he expected underlying sales growth in 2022 to be in the range of 4.5% to 6.5%. “We currently expect very high input cost inflation in the first half of over €2 billion,” he commented. “This may moderate in the second half to around €1.5 billion, although there is currently a wide range for this that reflects market uncertainty on the outlook for commodity, freight and packaging costs.”

In January 2022, Unilever announced organizational changes that would help focus its business around five Business Group categories, each responsible and accountable for their strategy, growth and profit delivery; running their businesses in all geographies. Jope said he expected the restructuring to generate around €600 million in cost savings over two years.

In May, Unilever announced it would be acquiring a majority stake in Nutrafol, a provider of hair wellness products.

Corporate Sales: $63 billion
Beauty Sales: $26 billion

Major Products/Brands: Cosmetics, Skin Care, Hair Care, Personal Care, mass to prestige, including Axe, Dove,  Hourglass, Dermalogica, Lifebuoy,  Lux, Rexona, Signal,  Sunsilk, Aviance, Badedas,  Brut, Caress, Dove,  Fair & Lovely, Pond’s, Suave,  Tigi, TreSemme, VO5, Vaseline, Dawn, Geisha, Hamam, Kalina, Paula’s Choice

New Products: Dove body wash reformulation, Dove Hair Therapy, Dove Refillable Deo, Lux Botanicals, Hourglass Red 0 vegan beauty, Axe Texturizing Cream, TreSemme Color Gloss Conditioners

Comments: With products available in 190 countries, in 25 million retail outlets, Unilever is the second largest advertiser in the world based on media spend and owns 14 of the world’s top 50 global consumer brands.

In total, Unilever’s Beauty & Personal Care division accounted for 52% of Unilever’s operating profit in 2020. The division also represented 41% of turnover (totaling about $26 billion), a decline of 3.4%. Its underlying sales growth was 1.2% and its operating margin was 20.4%. Beauty & Personal Care revenue was led by Skin Cleansing products at 12% (+2 compared to 2019), Hair Care products at 11% (-1%), Deodorants at 8% (no change), and Skin Care products minus cleansers at 7% (-1%).

2021 Highlights

When the pandemic started, the company realized it did not have a significant hand hygiene portfolio available in key regions like Europe and North America so it mobilized to expand its hygiene offerings. Lifebuoy was introduced into 58 new markets. And during the year it became Unilever’s latest billion-euro brand. Vaseline also expanded production of antibacterial hand creams to 18 markets.

With hair salons, spas and specialist stores temporarily closed, the company shifted its focus to helping people look after themselves at home. Its “All Things Hair” website shared advice for how to create hairstyles at home, and Lux launched a lockdown campaign. The uptick in virtual shopping also encouraged Unilever to shift the focus of its Prestige Beauty brands towards e-commerce, and Dermalogica introduced one-to-one virtual skin consultations.

The company also announced new goals to achieve net zero carbon emissions from all their products—from sourcing to point of sale—by 2039, and to eliminate deforestation from their supply chain by 2023. Unilever said that it will prioritize partnerships with new suppliers who already have science-based emissions targets in place, while asking existing suppliers to adopt targets to cut emissions.

Further, the company also committed to reducing the use of virgin plastic in its packaging by 50% by 2025, which is equivalent to about 350,000 tons. First it will eliminate more than 100,000 tons of plastic from its packaging by accelerating multiple-use packs and reusable, refillable, and no-plastic product innovations. The remainder will happen via the increased use of recycled materials.

In March, Unilever announced it would eliminate the word “normal” from all of their beauty and personal care brands’ packaging and advertising, as part of the launch of their new Positive Beauty vision and strategy.

In April, the company sought to stimulate growth by teasing out smaller beauty and personal care brands through a spinoff management team named Elida Beauty. The brands under that umbrella are Q-Tips, Caress, Tigi, Timotei, Impulse and Monsavon, and combined for sales of about $700 million last year.

Looking Ahead

In its most recent statement regarding half year results for 2021, Unilever reported an underlying sales growth of 5.4%, with a 4% volume, with increased price growth in Q2. Beauty & Personal Care underlying sales grew 3.3% with 1.8% from volume and 1.4% from price, with an acceleration to 4.2% underlying sales growth in Q2. In an accompanying statement, CEO Alan Jope said growth was led in part by Prestige Beauty. He also pointed to the June acquisition of digitally native skin care brand, Paula’s Choice.

Skin care grew by double digits and deodorants returned to growth. In skin care, Vaseline and Ponds each enjoyed double digit growth. Unilever launched a refillable iteration of its Dove deodorant in the U.S., one of many Dove projects exploring sustainable packaging solutions, according to the company.

Skin cleansing rose in light of the sharp increase in demand in the prior year. Hair grew mid-single digit. Wash and care and styling both grew, and there was “good growth” in China, India and Brazil. Premium brand Shea Moisture grew by double digits in the U.S.

Corporate Sales: $58.2 billion
Beauty & Personal Care Sales: $24.5 billion

Major Products/Brands

• Axe
• Clear
• Dermalogica
• Dove
• Hourglass
• Lux
• Pond’s
• Suave
• Vaseline

New Products

• • Pond’s Glow Up

• • Garancia and Tatcha skin care

• • Schmidt’s Here+Now baking soda-free natural deodorant

Comments: Unilever’s 2019 net sales grew 2%, slightly below the 3-5% target, due to factors such as a decline in developed markets because of European deflation. Overall, a strong performance turned in by emerging markets contributed to an underlying 5.3% sales growth.

The company’s Beauty & Personal Care segment grew 6% to $24.5 billion, led by strong, double-digit growth from its Prestige unit, with strength coming from Dermalogica, Hourglass and Living Proof. Acquisitions of Garancia, a French derma-cosmetic brand, and Tatcha, a modern skin care brand rooted in classical Kyoto rituals, brought breadth and depth to the company’s Prestige portfolio.

Elsewhere, the deodorant unit, which accounted for 8% of sales, delivered strong, broad-based growth, supported by double-digit growth from Dove, which delivered well-received innovations in “microbiome-friendly” technologies. The Rexona Clinical range and Dove’s zero aluminum range also performed well. Skin care and cleansing units accounted for 8% and 10% of sales (respectively) and was muted by price reductions because of lower commodity prices, though Pond’s and Vaseline performed well, and on-trend innovations such as Pond’s Glow Up cream, and the Simple brand was expanded to 30 markets including Turkey and the Gulf regions. The hair care unit, which accounted for 12% of sales, suffered from weak growth attributed to intense competition in the U.S. and continued pressure from local players in China.

In packaging-related news, Unilever made two sizable commitments to reduce plastic waste and help create a circular economy for plastics. The company pledged that by 2025 it will reduce its virgin plastic packaging by 50%, with one third (more than 100,000 tons) coming from an “absolute plastic reduction;” increase its use of recycled plastic; and collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells. The company said it is already on track to achieve its existing commitments to ensure all of its plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and to use at least 25% recycled plastic in its packaging, also by 2025.

Alan Jope, CEO, commented: “This demands a fundamental rethink in our approach to our packaging and products. It requires us to introduce new and innovative packaging materials and scale up new business models, like re-use and re-fill formats, at an unprecedented speed and intensity.”

In related packaging news, Unilever committed to moving its Dove packaging in North America and Europe to bottles made from 100% post-consumer resin packaging. It also announced the use of plastic-free packs for its bar soap.

2020 Highlights

In July, Unilever announced it had experienced an overall sales decline of 0.1% and a decline of 0.3% for in its personal care and beauty sales for the first half of 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic helped bolster the skin cleansing unit, however there was a lower demand for skin care, deodorants and hair products.

“Performance during the first half has shown the true strength of Unilever,” Jope said. “We have demonstrated the resilience of the business–in our portfolio, in a continued step-up in operational excellence, and in our financial position–and we have unlocked new levels of agility in responding to unprecedented fluctuations in demand.”

Corporate Sales: $58.4 billion
Beauty Sales: $23.6 billion

Major Products/Brands

• Aviance, Axe, Brut
• Caress, Dove, Pond’s
• TRESemmé, Vaseline, Caress
• Clear, Degree, Dermalogica, Dollar Shave Club
• Hourglass Cosmetics, Lever 2000, Lifebuoy
• Lux, Madam C.J. Walker, Nexxus
• Noxzema, Nyakio, Hourglass Cosmetics
• Kate Somerville, Living Proof, Nubian Heritage
• Murad, Pears, REN
• Seventh Generation, SheaMoisture, Simple
• St. Ives, Suave, Sunsilk
• Tigi, Quala, VO5

New Products

• Dove Foaming Hand Wash
• Dove Whipped Body Cream
• St. Ives Facial Mists
• Vaseline Clinical Care
• Dove Derma seriesDove Facial Cleansing series
• ApotheCare Essentials
• Hijab Fresh
• K-Bright
• K-Ju
• Korea Glow
• Pure DermPurifi
• Skinsei

Comments: Against a backdrop of “widespread economic and geopolitical uncertainty” and currency depreciation in key markets, Unilever experienced a 5% slip in overall sales. Beauty and personal care sales also dipped a modest 0.3%; however underlying sales grew 3.1%, thanks to skincare and skin cleansing gains that were partly offset by a slowdown in deodorants and oral care products. In an effort to bolster the category, Unilever went on a tear of acquisitions. The company finalized ownership of French derma-cosmetic brand, Garancia; acquired a 75% stake in Italian personal care brand Equilibra; and obtained the beauty & personal care and home care brands of Quala, a Latin American consumer goods company; Schmidt’s Naturals, a Portland, OR, beauty and personal care company; and Sundial Brands, a New York-based haircare and skincare company distinguished for using culturally authentic ingredients in its brands which include SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, Madam C.J. Walker and Nyakio.

Driven by the credo “Beauty that cares for people, society and our planet,” Unilever’s Beauty & Personal Care division is its largest segment and accounted for 40% of the company’s total turnover and 33% of its operating profit in 2018. With profits held steady by solid performances from brands like Sunsilk, TRESemmé, Signal, Lifebuoy and Vaseline, the company’s prestige business also helped “premiumize” its portfolio, led by brands including Ren, Dermalogica and Hourglass.

At the start of 2018, Alan Jope, previously president, Beauty & Personal Care, took over the helm as CEO from Paul Polman, who retired from the position after 10 years. The company also appointed Sunny Jain president, Beauty & Personal Care, in March.

Unilever also continued to work on improved ecological responsibility. In October, the giant brand manufacturer signed a three-year collaboration agreement with Veolia to develop technologies to improve waste collection and recycling infrastructure, and to help create a circular economy for plastics waste with work initially beginning in India and Indonesia. The partnership ties into Unilever’s 2017 commitment to ensure all its plastic packaging would be designed to be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. The work will focus on material collection, which will help channel recycled content back into the value chain.

The company developed new packaging solutions with less plastic, better plastic and no plastic.

For example, REN launched a sea kelp and magnesium body wash in a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic, with 20% from recovered ocean plastic. Simple launched biodegradable face wipes made from renewable plant fibers and sustainable wood pulp.

On the formulating front, Unilever declared its support for a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics in collaboration with animal protection leader, Humane Society International. Shortly thereafter, its largest personal care brand, Dove, gained PETA cruelty-free accreditation, with more brands to follow.

News of Note in 2019

In the spring, Unilever began global trials of its Loop waste-free shopping system whereby premium durable packaging is delivered directly to the consumer, returned and refilled. The project fulfills a reduction in the company’s reliance on single-used plastic and also comprises an aspect of its “circular” material aims. REN Clean    Skincare, Love Beauty and Planet, Love Home and Planet and Seventh Generation will test run new reusable packaging made from aluminum and glass. Dove, Degree and AXE will test a premium, refillable deodorant stick called minim that’s made from compact and sustainable stainless steel. Depending on use, the product will last on average one month, with the packaging designed to last at least 100 cycles.

In June, Microsoft announced a partnership with Unilever to create a new X-box personal care range under the Lynx brand, to be launched exclusively in Australia and New Zealand.
Unilever also added to its Prestige beauty portfolio with the acquisition of niche, J-Beauty skincare brand Tatcha. Founded in 2009 by Victoria Tsai in San Francisco with an innovation center in Japan known as the Tatcha Institute, Tatcha is described as a modern skincare brand rooted in classical Kyoto rituals.

This May, the rumor mill shifted into high gear when word spread that Unilever could be in pursuit of dropping $1 billion for Drunk Elephant, a “clean” skincare brand with a cult following. The unconfirmed report was bolstered by Unilever’s activity in global start-ups, namely in Australian skincare company Dr Roebuck’s and in Plum the first cruelty-free and vegan brand from start-up Pureplay Skin Sciences.

Just last month, Unilever announced that, ahead of its 2020 goal, it had achieved full renewable energy across five continents, with its factories, offices, R&D facilities, data centers, warehouses and distribution centers—all now powered by 100% renewable grid energy.

Corporate Sales: $64.3 billion

Beauty (Personal Care) Sales: $24.8 billion (FY 2017 Beauty Sales: $21.3 billion)

Major Products/Brands
Personal Care remains the global manufacturer’s leading category. Brands include:

• Axe, Dove, Lifebuoy, Love Beauty & Planet, Lux
• Rexona, Signal, Sunsilk, Kate Somerville, Gallinée
• Aviance, ApotheCare, Schmidt’s Naturals, Badedas
• Equilibra, International Breeze, Brut, Carver Korea
• Hourglass Cosmetics, TRESemmé, Caress
• Citra, Clear, Closeup, Fissan Baby
• Hazeline, Pears, Pond’s Simple
• Suave, Sunlight, Tigi VO5, Vaseline, Williams,
• Zwitsal, Aim, Baba, Elefante, Elle 18, Folicure,
• Gabi, Geisha, Glysolid, Good Morning, Hamam,
• Kalina, Le Sancy, Lever Ayush, Liril, Matey, Monsavon,
• Organics, PS, Proderm, Ultrex, Zendium, and Zhonghua

New Products

• TRESemmé Beauty-Full Volume Collection
• Hourglass Vanish Foundation Stick
• Dove DermaSeries skincare collection
• ApotheCare Essentials
• Dove, Lynx and Radox shower foams
• Ayush Therapy
• Schmidt’s Body Wash
• Baby Dove
• Hijab Fresh
• Signal White Now

Appealing To A New Generation of Eco-Conscious Consumers

In 2017-2018, Unilever made major strides in appealing to a new generation of environmentally conscious global consumers—focusing on recycling and reducing packaging waste and developing more “natural” brands, in some cases developing its own incubated products. In fact, Marijn Dekkers, the company’s chairman, noted, “Unilever has a clear purpose—to make sustainable living commonplace.”

In Personal Care, turnover was up 2.6% over the previous year, reaching $24.8 billion, accounting for 39% of Unilever’s turnover for the period.

The Personal Care category is Unilever’s largest of four, and includes five €1 billion brands: Axe, Dove, Lux, Rexona and Sunsilk. Prestige brands, a more recent focus of Unilever, achieved a turnover of €425 million from brands such as Dermalogica.

Four of the Anglo-Dutch personal care giant’s markets—U.S., India, Brazil and Indonesia—generated turnover of more than €1 billion.

Growing the core and evolving areas such as naturals, prestige and baby was a key focus of innovation and investment in 2017.

Five new brand launches benefited Personal Care, while acquisitions in 2017 included Living Proof, Hourglass, Carver Korea, Sundial Brands and Schmidt’s Naturals. Previous acquisitions of Dollar Shave Club and Kate Somerville grew in double digits, while Dermalogica grew 5%. Skincare growth was boosted by Dove shower foam, and Baby Dove.

The Simple sensitive skin care range was rolled out to new markets, while several brands such as Dove and Sunsilk launched natural extensions. In India, Lever Ayush, a brand formulated using ayurvedic ingredients was launched and offers a range of skin, hair and oral care products. Hijab Fresh, a hand and body lotion specifically developed for Muslim consumers, was launched in Indonesia.

North America launched two brands: the millennial-focused hair care and skin cleansing brand, Love Beauty & Planet and ApotheCARE Essentials, a range of apothecary-inspired haircare products.

Several acquisitions were completed including Carver Korea, Hourglass, Schmidt’s Naturals and Sundial Brands.

Unilever’s Personal Care category includes several Sustainable Living brands such as Axe, Dove, Lifebuoy and Smile (Signal and Pepsodent), which aim to achieve Unilever’s goal of improving health and wellbeing for more than one billion people by 2020.

Toward the end of 2017, Unilever made a major acquisitions charge, picking up a number of brands aligned with its targeted goals.

In September 2017, Unilever announced its acquisition of Carver Korea, a leading skincare business in North Asia.

In November, Unilever announced ApotheCare Essentials—not an acquisition, but a hair and body brand they had incubated in less than a year as more of a “start-up” operation.

Also in November, the global manufacturer reached an agreement with Sundial Brands, a New York-based personal care products company, and appointed Esi Eggleston Bracey—a seasoned beauty executive with a strong track record—as EVP & COO of Unilever North America Personal Care, effective January 1, 2018, to work closely with Richelieu Dennis, founder and CEO, Sundial Brands. Sundial’s brands include SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, Madam C.J. Walker and nyakio.

In December, Unilever announced an agreement to acquire Schmidt’s Naturals, a personal care company based in Portland, OR.

Also in December, came Love Beauty and Planet, a haircare and shower line packed in 100% recycled bottles, made with post-consumer recycled plastic. With this launch, Unilever announced numerous plans to lessen the impact of plastic waste, saying plastic packaging is particularly damaging to the environment.

Love Beauty and Planet product labels are easy to remove so that nothing can interfere with the recycling process and bottles can be recycled. The brand also encourages customers to save water through a new conditioning technology that rinses fast to reduce shower time.

Brands that fall under what Unilever identifies as “Sustainable Living” grew more than 50% faster than the rest of the company’s business last year, and also delivered more than 60% of Unilever’s 2016 growth, according to Alan Jope, president, personal care.

2018 Highlights

In January 2018, one year after Unilever made its industry-leading commitment to ensure 100% of its plastic packaging was fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, the company called for the consumer goods industry to step-up its efforts to tackle the mounting challenge of ocean plastic waste and create a circular economy for plastics. CEO Paul Polman said he welcomed the news that 10 companies had made similar pledges. He urged more to step forward to accelerate the industry’s progress toward the circular economy and address plastic leakage into the world’s natural systems including waterways and oceans.

Alongside its commitment to 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging by 2025, Unilever pledged to source 25% of its resin from post-consumer recycled content by 2025, and to publish its full plastics palette before 2020.

In February, Unilever acquired Gallinée Ltd, a skincare range focusing on the skin’s microbiome.

In June, the company signed an agreement to acquire a 75% stake in the Italian “natural” personal care and well-being business, using plant-based ingredients with functional benefits.

Also in June, Unilever furthered its eco-friendly efforts, announcing that Kate Somerville Skincare would have 100% recyclable packaging by 2022, and that it had partnered with the Plastic Oceans Foundation.

Looking Ahead

In July, Unilever announced its results for the first half of 2018, which showed a “solid” performance in the midst of some challenging markets.

As far as Beauty & Personal Care, CEO Paul Polman, said the category continued to grow the core with innovations behind global and local brands, while expanding the portfolio in attractive segments and channels. Skin care performed well, driven by Vaseline’s successful market development campaign, Pond’s and Lakme in India.

The prestige business demonstrated broad-based first half growth of more than 6%. The 2017 acquisitions Carver, Sundial Brands and Schmidt’s all grew strongly and will contribute to underlying sales growth from twelve months after completion.

Skin cleansing delivered good growth helped by new premium formats. These included aerosol mousse which delivers an improved sensorial experience and was launched across five brands in Europe, and the launch of Dove body polish in North America which exfoliates and nourishes at the same time.

Corporate Sales: $55.5 billion
Beauty Sales: $21.3 billion

Major Products/Brands: Axe, Dove, Pond’s, TRESemmé, Vaseline, Caress, Clear, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Lever 2000, Dermalogica, Nexxus, Noxzema, Hourglass Cosmetics, Simple, St. Ives, Suave, Tigi, Living Proof, Kate Somerville, Murad, REN, Seventh Generation, Quala, Hourglass Cosmetics.

New Products: Dove DermaCare Scalp 2in1, Caress Forever Collection, Axe Find Your Magic, Noxzema Clean Blemish Control, St. Ives Apricot Oil Scrub, Baby Dove Rich Moisture Tip to Toe Wash, TIGI Bed Head Motor Mouth Volumizer Gloss, TRESemmé Beauty-Full Volume, Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum, Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick.

Comments: Following a somewhat difficult global economic situation in 2016, Unilever said it had been “a year of solid progress and achievement.” Certainly an achievement in the global giant’s acquisitions department, it expanded and diversified its personal care categories, snapping up Dollar Shave Club for a billion dollars and shoring up deals with Seventh Generation, Living Proof (the Jennifer Aniston-backed hair care company), Seventh Generation, Murad, Dermalogica, Quala—and prestige beauty brand Hourglass, among others.

With this focus on personal care—and particularly on brands that Unilever has identified as “appealing to Millennials,” the company has kept its core business vital while also evolving the corporate portfolio in faster growing areas of the market—like Personal Care/Beauty—which now accounts for 38% of Unilever’s total business (up from 28% eight years ago).

Following this approach, despite “the impact of demonetization in India and the economic crisis in Brazil”—two major markets for Unilever—the company achieved an underlying sales growth of 3.7% in 2016, for a total of $21.3 billion in Personal Care sales, in which Unilever holds five 1-billion euro brands: Axe, Dove, Lux, Rexona and Sunsilk. Corporate sales reached $55.5 billion.

Still, when looking at the past year’s achievements, CEO Paul Polman commented on the increasing challenges of market disrupters such as local competitors who have always been present but are increasingly sophisticated and well-attuned to local consumers’ needs; and the steady stream of Indie entrepreneurs and the effective ways in which they relate to targeted groups, such as through various digital strategies and direct-to-consumer models.

In 2016, Unilever made progress with some of its brand campaigns, especially with denouncing stereotypes. Dove continued its global Self Esteem Project, and unveiled a new campaign in India. Axe took a progressive point of view on masculinity and attractiveness, launching a number of products along the way.

Growth in hair care was led by innovations such as TRESemmé Beauty-Full Volume, a unique reverse system, that first uses conditioner to soften hair, then shampoo to wash away weight, to improve volume.

Deodorants and antiperspirants continued to perform well in 2016 with Anti-Marks Antiperspirant Technology, featured in five of Unilever’s global brands; the formulation helps prevent white marks on dark clothes and the formation of yellow stains on white clothes.

In the premium segment of the global Personal Care market Unilever continued to build the prestige skin care brands they acquired in 2015: Dermalogica, Murad, Kate Somerville and REN.

Meanwhile, the acquisition of Dollar Shave Club brought the giant brand manufacturer a direct-to-consumer business model with strong subscriber relationships.

2017 News of Note

At the start of 2017, Unilever announced a commitment to ensure that all of its plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, as it called on the entire fast-moving consumer goods industry to progress toward a circular economy. As part of its membership in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Unilever will publish a list of plastics materials used in its packaging by 2020 to help create a plastics protocol for the industry.

New technology is always a base for sales, and Unilever’s new additions to the Caress line—The Caress Forever Collection of Body Washes—is billed as “the world’s first body wash with Fragrance Touch Technology.” The breakthrough formula delivers bursts of fragrance with every touch of skin for up to 12 hours.

Following a rebuffed takeover bid by its rival Kraft Heinz in February, Unilever announced a tightening and restructuring of its corporate brands across segments, combining food and refreshment into one unit. When questioned on the decision to keep food and beauty working together, Polman said “the two help each other to develop business in emerging markets” as they are often grouped on the same stalls “in countries that rely on networks of small-scale vendors rather than on supermarket giants.”

In line with its sustainability goals, in May, Unilever unveiled new technology to recycle sachet waste, with the co-development of a new technology called CreaSolv Process, based on an innovation used to recycle TV sets. Using the process, the plastic will be recovered from the sachet, which can be used later to develop new sachets for Unilever products. Unilever is also planning to collect sachets for recycling.

With an eye on global opportunities, Unilever acquired the personal care and home care brands of Quala, the Latin American consumer goods company founded in 1980. Quala’s Savital/Savilé is the No. 1 brand in hair care by volume in Colombia, and has a good presence in the rest of the North Latin America region.

Looking Ahead

Second quarter corporate sales for 2017 reached $16.4 billion; Personal Care contributed $6 billion. Despite challenging market conditions in some of Unilever’s key markets, such as India, Brazil and Indonesia, the company reported that Personal Care continued to grow the core while expanding in high-growth segments and building in premium positions. In skincare, Baby Dove was introduced to 19 markets overall, and the new Lifebuoy with Activ Silver formula for enhanced germ-protection was rolled out across Asia. In Indonesia, they launched Hijab Fresh, a new brand said to offer a solution to the specific needs of the Muslim population. In hair, Sunsilk was a leader, especially with Millennials. Dermalogica and recent acquisitions Dollar Shave Club and Living Proof are expected to contribute to underlying sales going forward.

Corporate Sales: $58.2 billion
Beauty Sales: $22.3 billion

Key Personnel: Paul Polman, chief executive officer; David Blanchard, chief research and development officer; Marc Engel, chief supply chain officer; Alan Jope, president, personal care; Kees Kruythoff, president, North America; Jan Zijderveld, president, Europe.

Major Products/Brands: Axe/Lynx, Dove, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Rexona, Signal, Close-Up, Sunsilk, Lux, Vaseline, Tigi, Dollar Shave Club, Dermalogica, Kate Somerville, REN and Murad, Camay and Zest.

New Products: Dove Advanced Hair Series, Dove Cream Oil Intensive Body Lotion, Lux Luminique (Japan), TRESemmé Perfectly (Un)done, BedHead Fully Loaded Volumizing Conditioning Jelly.

Comments: Unilever’s philosophy sounds somewhat similar to L’Oréal’s: “To make sustainable living commonplace and the foundation of business. To accelerate growth in the business, while reducing our environmental footprint and increasing our positive social impact.” By 2020, the multinational’s goal is “to halve the environmental footprint of the making and use of our products as we grow our business.”

Sales-wise, with corporate results totaling $58.2 billion, Unilever reported that in 2015, they had once again grown ahead of their markets despite what CEO Paul Polman called “a challenging year with slower global economic growth, intensifying geopolitical instability, and high currency and commodity volatility.”

Personal Care sales reached $22 billion in 2015, a growth of 4.1%. This category made up 38% of total sales, and was nearly double each of Unilever’s three other categories. Personal Care accounts for 38% of Group turnover and represents 48% of Group operating profit.

Polman said growth in Personal Care had improved from the slower movement in the previous year thanks to “innovations that grow the core of our brands and extend into more premium segments.”

In total, Unilever counts 13 one-billion euro brands—with 5 in the Personal Care Category. At the top of the chart are Axe and Dove, followed by Rexona, Lux and Sunsilk among other categories’ leaders. Also like L’Oréal, Unilever strives to succeed at both ends of the market, mass to prestige. In the past year, the multinational marketer has made a major play toward capturing sales in the growing luxury category, by acquiring high-growth premium skin care brands Dermalogica, Kate Somerville, REN and Murad.

Deodorants are also a Unilever mainstay, and in 2015, benefited from the launch of dry sprays in North America and compressed formats in Latin America. In hair, the Dove Advanced Hair Series rollout and the launch of Lux Luminique in Japan proved positive. The improved Dove body wash formulation achieved good results in skin and is now available in more than 30 countries.

Outside Prestige, Unilever took steps to strengthen its core skin care brands further, such as with the launch of the Dove DermaSpa range in Europe. Vaseline has also been the subject of a major initiative through a partnership with Direct Relief. In addition to Vaseline, the category has several other Sustainable Living brands, such as Dove, Lifebuoy and Signal, which Unilever says “meet consumers’ demand for responsible business and enjoy stronger, sustainable growth.” The Dove Self-Esteem Project has reached more than 19 million young people in 115 countries, encouraging women to develop a positive relationship with the way they look, and to make beauty a source of confidence rather than anxiety.

A major innovation in 2015 was the launch of Dry Spray deodorants across Dove, Degree (Rexona globally) and Axe. Reinventing the benefits of the spray format, the innovation delivered on the consumer need for a deodorant that goes on cleaner and drier.
In readying for 2016, Polman expressed jaded optimism: “We are preparing ourselves for tougher market conditions and high volatility in 2016. Therefore, it is vital that we drive agility and cost discipline across our business.”

News of Note in 2016

At the start of 2016, Unilever announced that in April, Dr. Marijn Dekkers would succeed Michael Treschow as chairman of Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC. Dr. Dekkers was formerly CEO of Bayer AG. Treschow retired from Unilever.
In July, Unilever raised beauty eyebrows around the world with the announcement that it was purchasing Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion—and an instant share of the men’s grooming market.

Looking Ahead

For first-half 2016, Unilever’s sales increased by 5.4% at constant exchange rates and decreased by 2.6% at current exchange rates. Polman stated: “Our first half results further demonstrate the progress we have made in the transformation of Unilever to deliver consistent, competitive, profitable and responsible growth.” But he added: “We have been preparing ourselves for tougher market conditions in 2016 and do not see any sign of an improving global economy.”

Still, Personal Care sales improved across all sub-categories. Deodorants did well, supported by new variants of the successful dry sprays in North America and by the roll-out of Rexona Antibacterial that provides 10X more odor protection, into 36 new countries. The Axe range has been expanded to meet the growing Men’s Market. Hair was supported by the successful Sunsilk re-launch and by the TRESemmé Beauty-Full Volume range with a reverse conditioning system. In skin cleansing, Lifebuoy showed strong volume-driven growth across emerging markets driven by the brand’s handwashing campaign.

Corporate Sales: $58.8 billion
Beauty Sales: $21.5 billion (Personal Care)

Major Products/Brands: Axe/Lynx, Dove, Camay, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Regenerate, Rexona, Signal, Close-Up, Lux, Vaseline, Tigi, Iluminage, Ioma, Nexxus.

New Products: Lifebuoy Activ Naturol, Dove Nutrium Moisture Body Wash, Dove Oxygen Moisture Hair Series, Comfort Intense, Tigi Cosmetics, Axe Black, Kate Somerville, Ren, Dermalogica, Murad, TRESemmé 7 Day Keratin Smooth range.

Comments: In general, 2014 was a nail-biting year for Unilever. Corporate chairman Michael Treschow described it as “one of the most challenging years that the industry and Unilever have faced for some time,” due to a slowdown in emerging markets’ growth and ongoing caution in developed markets. Currency fluctuations added to the uncertain mix. Still, the international powerhouse brought in sales growth ahead of the market and achieved solid margin expansion. It was the fifth consecutive year of top and bottom line growth. Paul Polman, chief executive officer, noted,” Weakening consumer demand certainly impacted our underlying sales growth yet it provided a great opportunity to accelerate our efficiency effort.”

According to the UK/Dutch manufacturer, competition remained strong in many regions and in all categories, particularly in Personal Care.

The multinational is increasingly betting on prestige skin care, acquiring Dermalogica, Murad, Kate Somerville and Ren, all in the past year. But its mass offerings are not falling behind: Late in 2014, Unilever snatched up two of P&G’s first divestitures— the Camay brand globally and the Zest brand outside of North America and the Caribbean. In February, Unilever partnered with Naterra International to produce, market and distribute Tigi Cosmetics, an offshoot of the UK/Dutch manufacturer’s successful hair care brand.

Personal care sales for 2014 rose 3.5% (a decline from 7.3% the previous year) to $21.5 billion, accounting for 37% of corporate sales. Personal Care is Unilever’s largest category, and includes five of Unilever’s 13 €1 billion brands: Dove, Rexona, Axe, Lux and Sunsilk.

Unilever reported that Personal Care grew ahead of weaker markets thanks in part to strong new product launches, including deodorants such as the compressed aerosol range in Europe, Dove innovations, and dry sprays in North America. Growth in skin cleansing was attributed to Lifebuoy and to the improved Dove Nutrium Moisture body wash. The launch of Baby Dove in Brazil was also well received by consumers.

In hair, the Dove Advanced Hair series successfully established the premium Oxygen Moisture range in North America, and this has now been extended to Europe. Hair growth was also boosted by strong performances from Sunsilk Naturals in Asia, the TRESemmé 7 Day Keratin Smooth range and the successful introduction of Clear in Japan.

In general, Dove, Unilever’s largest brand, delivered another year of strong performance, driven by double-digit growth in deodorants and consistent performance in skin cleansing. In hair, Dove’s success was helped by the strong launch of the Advanced Hair Care range launched in the U.S. and Europe. The brand is also building a premium offering with its new Oxygen Moisture hair care range in Europe and the launch of Dove Advanced Care solid deodorant sticks in the U.S.

Lifebuoy achieved 15% growth, aided by the re-launch in South Asia of the core range, with Activ Naturol Shield, which reportedly protects against 10 infection-causing germs. The brand also entered China in 2014.

Regenerate, which Unilever calls “a completely new Personal Care brand,” was launched in the UK in 2014. It is described as the first dental care system to regenerate tooth enamel mineral, reversing the early enamel erosion process.

News of Note

Unilever continues in its commitment toward sustainability. One example is its new Dove bottles that feature less plastic and lower costs. In 2014, Unilever launched a newly developed packaging technology for Dove Body Wash bottles that uses 15% less plastic. Projected cost savings for the whole portfolio are €50 million.

The MuCell Technology for Extrusion Blow Molding was created in partnership with two packaging suppliers—ALPLA and MuCell Extrusion. By using gas-injection to create gas bubbles in the middle layer of the bottle wall, it reduces the density of the bottle and the amount of plastic required. With up to 59 million Dove Body Wash bottles sold across Europe, the new technology will save approximately 180 tons of plastic a year. A full rollout across every Unilever product and packaging format could save up to 27,000 tons of plastic per year. Unilever waived exclusivity rights from January 1, 2015, so that other manufacturers can also use the technology.

In 2014, Unilever formalized its commitment to respecting human rights as part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, the company’s blueprint for sustainable and responsible business.

Looking Ahead

For the first half 2015, Unilever reported good performance “in challenging conditions.” Corporate sales increased 12% to nearly $30 billion. Commenting on the results, Polman said: “The first half demonstrates again the progress we have made in the transformation of Unilever to deliver consistent, competitive, profitable and responsible growth, now in the seventh year.”

However, Polman conceded that consumer demand remained weak and volumes flat in the markets Unilever serves. He said emerging markets continue to be subdued, while in Europe and North America,  growth is negligible.

Growth in Personal Care was driven by volume and price. Polman credited innovation and said they expected growth in the second half of the year. Deodorants have been a success especially due to the dry spray launch in North America, as well as compressed formats, now rolling out from Europe into Latin America. The Dove Advanced Hair Series and TRESemmé premium ranges continued to add to the bottom line.

Corporate Sales: $68.6 billion
Beauty Sales: $24.9 billion

Major Products: Axe/Lynx, Dove, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Rexona, Signal, Close-Up, TRESemmé, Sunsilk, Clear, Lux, Vaseline, Tigi, Iluminage.

New Products: Dove True Tone, Dove Advanced Hair Series, Dove Men+Care, IOMA, Regenerate Enamel Science, Iluminage Youth Cell Skincare, TreSemmé 7 Day Keratin Smooth range, St. Ives Oatmeal Scrub & Mask, Vaseline Spray & Go, Axe Apollo.

Comments: While Unilever’s overall sales decreased by 3% to $68.6 billion, due mostly to a negative impact from foreign exchange, corporate growth was driven by Personal Care and Home Care, which CEO Paul Polman said continue to outperform the markets. Here, as in other categories, most of the growth came from emerging markets.

Personal Care, Unilever’s largest category, proved strong, with sales topping $24.9 billion, though they remained flat with those of the previous year.

In the company’s annual report, Polman said that 2013 had been another year of top and bottom line growth.

Underlying sales growth of 7.3% in Personal Care was spread almost equally across all sub-categories, with hair care, skincare, deodorants and oral care each growing more than 5%. Innovations such as Dove Repair Expertise, launched in more than 50 markets, Vaseline Spray & Go moisturizers and the Axe Apollo campaign across more than 70 countries, contributed to the bottom line. The acquisitions of Alberto Culver, Sara Lee, Kalina and Toni & Guy reportedly helped to transform the portfolio.

Polman said, “Our Personal Care category continued to grow significantly and accounted for 36% of Group turnover in 2013, but could improve its share of the more premium segments of the market.”

Because the aspirations and budgets of consumers are different, Unilever has focused on a segmented market strategy, reaching high—and low.

Eye on Premium

The consumer goods manufacturer has begun developing—or boosting through acquisitions/collaborations—its Premium business in Personal Care (and other segments), because, as Polman states, “Products which consumers prefer can command higher prices than their competitors—and we are increasingly focusing on the premium segments of our markets, which offer the potential for better margins and higher profits.”

For example, IOMA, a recent acquisition, is a premium skincare brand for consumers who want the finest quality. It uses state-of-the-art diagnostic technology to study an individual’s skin and tailor a custom skincare regimen. It gives Unilever access to the premium skincare market and channels where they are under-represented.

The same is true for Dove’s premium hair care portfolio, which Unilever reports has grown almost two times faster than the premium hair market.

But while a move toward “premiumization” delivers growth and drives higher margins, Unilever is also committed to offering a variety of affordable brands, which can also boost sales. Take Lifebuoy, for example. It serves a vital purpose in basic hygiene, one of Unilever’s key social causes, and has had an average underlying sales growth of 18% per year in the last three years. According to Unilever, the soap has become the world’s No. 1 antibacterial brand.

First Half 2014 Results

For the first half of 2014, Unilever reported top and bottom line progress despite many economic and global challenges, including a slowdown in market growth in emerging countries, especially in Asia, and a still-weak North American and European base. Personal Care was a positive note, as it continued to grow ahead of slowing markets due to what Unilever calls “a strong innovation program.”

Compressed deodorants in Europe and Regenerate Enamel were flagged as standouts, as were launches of Lifebuoy in China, Omo in Arabia and Clear in Japan. TRESemmé benefited from the success of the 7-Day Keratin Smooth range, and Dove Oxygen Moisture made good progress in the U.S. In skin care, Fair & Lovely delivered strong growth and the Dove Purely Pampering range was extended into nourishing body oil.

In the first half, Unilever announced a couple of its premium product launches, including new higher-end ranges as part of its Dove, Dove Men+Care and Lynx brands; its Iluminage Skin Smoothing Laser (a joint venture; please see beautypackaging.com for details on this multi-product anti-aging skincare line launch); and the toothpaste and tooth serum called Regenerate Enamel Science. Additional premium launches are in the works, based on extensive R&D.

Like L’Oréal, Unilever also stresses a drive toward reducing its global footprint and improving the lives of all those it serves, through sustainability efforts, social programs and more.

In an acknowledgement of the need for improved packaging, in April of this year, Unilever announced what it called a “packaging breakthrough,” in which new technology will use “far less plastics in bottles for personal care.” The company said it was adopting technology that will cut the amount of plastic it needs to use in each bottle by 15%. The technology, developed with Zotefoams PLC of Britain, injects tiny gas pockets into bottle walls, reducing the weight and amount of plastic used, without sacrificing robustness.

Unilever said it would be introducing the technique first in its Dove Body Wash bottles, which—with the 33 million sold in Europe in 2013— would mean a savings of 275 tons of plastic.
The multinational company then intends to expand the technique to other product lines. It also plans to relinquish patent rights by 2015 so that other companies can use the method.

Corporate Sales: $67.8 billion
Beauty Sales: $23.9 billion (Personal Care)

Major Products: Skin care, hair care, deodorants and oral care brands including Axe/Lynx, Dove, Tresemmé, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Rexona, Signal, Close-Up, Sunsilk, Lux, Vaseline, Tigi.

Dove Men+Care launched a new skin care range to help men care for their faces.

New Products: Axe Black Chill, Tigi Bed Head Oh Bee Hive, Vaseline Spray & Go, Alberto VO5 Salon Series, Dove Nourishing Oil Care Anti-Frizz Serum, Dove Men+Care Face Lotion-Revitalize, Tresemmé Keratin Smooth, Rexona Crystal Womens Range.

Comments: Unilever’s sales in emerging markets grew by more than 11% for the second year in a row and now account for more than 55% of corporate business, keeping it on an impressive growth path in 2012. The company grew by 30% in four years. In a tough economic climate, this year’s results saw growth across all its markets and categories. Corporate sales for the Anglo–Dutch multinational consumer goods company rose nearly 7% last year to $67.8 billion, driven by a 10% increase in personal care and household product sales.

Personal care volume increased 10% to nearly $24 billion. Market shares increased across all geographies, with strong gains in Latin America, NAMET & RUB (North Africa, Middle East, Turkey and Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) and North America, driven by hair care, deodorants and skin cleansing. Personal Care accounted for 35% of Unilever’s sales.

Kees Kruythoff, president Unilever North America

While 2012 proved to be another good year under its belt, Paul Polman, Unilever’s chief executive officer, admitted it had held its challenges: “Overall,” he said, “it is a ‘bi-polar’ economic world—one of sluggish growth in most developed markets contrasted by still relatively healthy consumption and growth in emerging markets.”

In part, Unilever credits its strengthening grasp on the global marketplace to its focus on its sustainable living plan. The idea, along with the company’s Compass plan, is based on a vision to double the size of Unilever’s business while reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact.

Unilever continued to build on its success from the previous year with what the company refers to as “high impact innovations.” The addition of Magnum and Sunsilk brought Unilever’s holdings to 14 brands with sales of more than €1 billion a year; these brands accounted for nearly half of Unilever’s growth in 2012. The launch of Tresemmé in Brazil last year was one of Unilever’s most successful ever, adding almost €150 million in turnover.

Unilever re-thought—and re-packaged—Vaseline as an instantly effective spray moisturizer.

Personal Care remained on a strong growth trajectory again in 2012, with credit going to innovation, the rollout of brands in new markets, and the strength of recently acquired brands.

Hair Care closed the year with a strong quarter of double-digit growth. Tresemmé had an excellent quarter, partially due to vibrant sales in Brazil and recent launches in Indonesia and India. Sales of Dove Damage Therapy continued to climb. Clear also made good progress, completing a good first year among heavy competition in the U.S. market. Sunsilk became a €1 billion brand driven by the growth of the core business as well as successful recent innovations such as the natural oils range.

Innovation also played a key role in generating increased sales in Skin Care. Dove Nutrium Moisture continued to drive growth in body wash and the Dove Purely Pampering range, which was successful in skin cleansing, was extended to hand and body. Dove Men+Care continued to grow while also adding male face care in the UK. Lifebuoy saw sales climb on its core products, the success of Lifebuoy Clini-Care 10 and the recent launch of its color-changing germ protection hand wash in Indonesia and India.

Deodorant growth proved strong due in part to Rexona’s Maximum Protection in Latin America and the extension of the MotionSense technology to North America. Dove deodorant was boosted by the rollout of Dove Men+Care.

In Unilever’s quest to ameliorate global challenges such as access to water, hygiene and sanitation, the company also made progress, with initiatives including the Lifebuoy hand-washing campaign and Dove’s focus on helping adolescent girls around the world with self-esteem.

In the first half of 2013, Unilever sustained its growth momentum.

Hair performed well despite highly competitive markets. Dove benefited from the roll-out of Dove Repair Expertise and Men+Care hair. TRESemmé also delivered broad-based growth, boosted by the Keratin Smooth range and progress in new markets. Sunsilk grew in popularity due to the successful essential oils variant in Indonesia.

Skin cleansing continued its success with the improved Dove Nutrium Moisture shower range and Dove Men+Care. Vaseline growth accelerated, helped by the successful launch of the Spray & Go moisturizer. Pond’s Flawless White BB was rolled out to new markets after the successful launch in Thailand and Pond’s Men entered Indonesia.

TRESemmé shone as the official hair care sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for the 11th consecutive season.

In January 2013, Unilever reported that it had achieved a sustainability milestone, with all 26 of its manufacturing and non-manufacturing headquarter facilities now classified as zero waste to landfill (ZLF).

Also in January, Unilever continued to capitalize on its highly successful Axe brand as it celebrated the biggest product launch in its 30-year history—the launch of the Apollo line of products.

In February, packaging directly turned deodorant to additional profits as Unilever introduced its compressed deodorant cans as an aerosol that’s half the size of a traditional can, but lasts just as long. The product was rolled out for Sure, Dove and Vaseline brands. The new deodorants require less propellant to deliver each spray, allowing the can to be reduced in size, resulting in a carbon footprint reduction of 25% on average per can. In addition, the cans use about 25% less aluminum and, due to the smaller size, more can be transported at once.

Later in the month, Dove Men+Care, targeted the growing men’s market, launching a full line to help men care for their faces in three easy steps with a variety of solutions for different men’s skin types.

Corporate Sales: $60.2 billion

Beauty Sales: $20 billion (personal care)

Major Products: Skincare and hair care products, deodorants and oral care products including TRESemme, Brylcreem, Clear, St. Ives, Simple, Alberto VO5, Timotei, Tony & Guy, Axe/Lynx, Dove, Suave, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Rexona, Signal, Close Up, Sunsilk, Lux, Vaseline, Tigi.

New Products: VO5 Choppy Cream Wax, Lifebuoy Clini-Care 10, Axe Anarchy For Him + For Her, Axe Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, Close Up Fire-Freeze toothpaste, Timotei Organic Delight, Dove Colour Radiance, Dove Revival Shampoo.

Comments: While P&G has seen its struggles in walking the line between developed and emerging markets, Unilever seems to see its way more clearly and continues full speed ahead, with sales growing in both sectors, while maintaining a good balance of price and volume growth. In emerging markets, sales rose 11%, and now account for more than half of the company’s annual revenues, as opposed to P&G’s third.

And there’s no sign of a slowdown. Chairman Michael Treschow stated the UK-Rotterdam-based company aims to double its size—and all while reducing its environmental impact, a key proponent of its future plans. Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan affects all aspects of its business, from sourcing materials, developing brands and manufacturing products, to the way they are used and disposed of by their consumers.

Despite the tough global economic environment, Unilever delivered a good performance in 2011, achieving a 6.5% rise in corporate net sales to $60.2 billion, with double-digit growth in emerging markets (11.5%) and mid single-digit growth overall. Growth proved strong in Personal Care.

Double-digit growth was achieved in a wide range of countries including China, India, Turkey, South Africa and Mexico—largely due to innovation. Unilever’s largest developed markets—the U.S., Germany, the UK and France—which together represent 61% of the company’s developed world business, grew between 1% and 4%. The launch of new brands into new markets was key, such as the case with Alberto Culver (Unilever’s largest acquisition in a decade). To ensure consumer awareness, Unilever also added nearly $200 million in advertising and promotional spending.

Unilever’s Tigi Bed Head line of products continues to be a top performer.

Personal Care accounted for about 33% of the corporate total, at $20 billion. Strong gains in North America, were attributed to hair care and deodorants; in China, skin cleansing and hair care proved strong. Personal Care became Unilever’s largest category, with underlying sales growth of 8.2%. The acquisitions of Alberto Culver (including brands TRESemmé, VO5 and Simple) and the Sara Lee brands started to contribute positively.

Following the integration of the Sara Lee personal care business and Alberto Culver, the company acquired the Russian personal care company, Concern Kalina. Unilever moved quickly to capitalize on these brands and within nine months, introduced TRESemmé into Brazil, Simple into the U.S. and Motions into South Africa.

Rexona for Women with Motionsense technology—a new way of incorporating time-released fragrance— gave Rexona a step up over its key competitors.

Sales of Dove reached nearly $4 billion in 2011, becoming Unilever’s first Personal Care brand to reach this level. Success has been attributed to three key objectives: better marketing—making Dove a premium brand; better innovation—for example, applying its leading-edge expertise to Dove hair care; and expansion into new markets, as with the Dove Men+Care range.

Sales of Dove reached nearly $4 billion in 2011.

Unilever also continued its direct sell approach to penetrating certain emerging markets, such as India. The company’s Shakti program features a direct distribution network of entrepreneurs. Door to door local distribution programs such as this have added more than $100 million in incremental turnover.

Unilever has installed new premium counters for Pond’s skin care, making the product more appealing and upmarket in a competitive environment. Innovations included LED counter lighting to reduce environmental impact and a handheld skin diagnosis iPhone tool for beauty advisers. These initiatives have resulted in significantly improved customer sales.

On the other hand, Unilever approached financially pressured shoppers in developed markets with new options. For example, its launch of new pack sizes across many brands in the UK allowed retailers to sell their products at about $1.29. In emerging markets, Unilever continues to offer small, affordable product sizes of its brands, and plans to do the same in Africa—with Lifebuoy, for one.

In 2012, Unilever expanded rollouts to more markets, including with successful brands Toni & Guy, Axe Hair, Dove Men+Care and Pond’s Anti Aging premium range.

In January 2012, Axe added a women’s fragrance, Anarchy, to its wildly popular men’s brand name.

Unilever’s Tigi Bed Head line of products headed for Olympic gold of sorts, by naming 22-year-old gymnastic medalist Nastia Liukin as its newest spokesperson.

In March, Degree Men’s Adrenaline Series of anti-perspirant/deodorant added what Unilever called the “world’s first movement-activated anti-perspirant technology for men.” While the average anti-perspirant/deodorant releases scent upon contact with sweat, Degree Men with MotionSense starts working to block wetness when you start to move. The technology contains motion-activated micro-capsules that sit on the surface of the skin. On first movement the technology activates causing the capsules to break and release bursts of freshness.

With Unilever’s penchant for launching and expanding brands at rapid-fire pace, this past spring, Gina Boswell, executive vice president-North American personal care at Unilever—who was brought on board along with her former employer Alberto-Culver in May 2011—launched two new brands in the U.S. within a few months of each other: Simple, billed as the No. 1 UK skincare range, which came to the U.S. in February, and Clear, a hair care brand sold in 40 countries and which arrived in the U.S. in May.

Beauty Sales: $18.2 billion (Personal Care)

Corporate Sales: $58.7 billion

Major Products/Brands: Sales of skin care and hair care products, deodorants and antiperspirants, and oral care products from brands including Axe/Lynx, Dove, Lux, Rexona, Sunsilk, Clear, Suave, Pond’s, Lifebuoy, Brylcreem, VO5.

New Products: Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Clinical Protection Antiperspirant/Deodorant, Dove Nutrium Moisture, Dove Damage Therapy, Rexona Clinical, Axe Touch, Axe Africa, Axe Hold + Touch Normal Hair Spiking Glue, Clear Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, Magnum Gold.

Comments: With competition stronger than ever, Unilever focused the year on giving Procter & Gamble a run for its money as the UK-based multinational expanded, divested and acquired, in efforts similar to those of other leading Top 20 firms aiming to add a billion or two global consumers over the coming years. Helped in part by cost savings measures and world currency rates, Unilever experienced a sales growth of 4.1% over the previous year—which corporate chairman Michael Treschow reported was its best volume growth in more than 30 years. Volume share grew in all regions and most categories, with double-digit growth in Asia, Africa and Central & Eastern Europe. About 61% of turnover occurred in emerging markets.

Axe remains one of Unilever’s top-selling brands.

Unilever’s push toward R&D and innovation paid off, resulting in more than 100 launches into new markets. Unilever claimed global leadership in deodorants and mass skin care, and second position in daily hair care.

Sales in the personal care division grew 7.9% to $18.2 billion.

By category, growth was strongest in deodorants, led by the launch of Dove Men+Care, Rexona Clinical, and the ongoing popularity of the Axe brand. Global market share continued to grow despite high levels of competition. Skin care also showed success, especially in cleansing, where Dove Nutrium moisture performed well and several new Lifebuoy launches hit the shelves.

The hair care category also strengthened during 2010 with healthy volume growth and improved market share in the U.S., China and India. Innovation and new market launches led the way, with the successful release of Dove Damage Therapy, the expansion of the Clear brand into Latin America and a series of new products under the TiGi brand. The White Now range has proved successful across more than 30 markets, and launches of anti-age products in Western Europe have also proved successful.

Acquisition activity in 2010 was concentrated in Personal Care. In September, Unilever announced an agreement to acquire the Alberto Culver hair and skin care business. In December, the company announced the acquisition of the personal care business of Sara Lee. Alberto Culver added a significant collection of hair and skin care products, with brands such as TRESemmé, Nexxus and St. Ives.

Skin care for men made great strides with the hugely successful match to Unilever’s largest personal care brand for women. The Dove men’s line debuted in more than 30 countries, and rang up more than $150 million in sales. The Dove Men+Care ad campaign tied the U.S. launch to the Super Bowl.

In India, Dove quadrupled its turnover between 2007 and 2010, becoming the leading personal care brand across skin cleansing, skin care, hair and deodorants in just three years.

D0ve Men+Care led Unilever’s strong antiperspirant/deodorant sales.

In Thailand, according to Euromonitor International, Unilever Thai Holdings Ltd. launched a new range of hair treatments in five variants under its Sunsilk brand last year. This range included bundled products containing shampoo, conditioner and hair care treatments together as another method of increasing volume sales at a price attractive to consumers.

Unilever revealed an ambitious Sustainable Living Plan, and Polman announced plans to help over 1 billion people take action to improve their health and wellbeing, mostly in developing countries, over the next 10 years.

In first-half 2011, Unilever continued on a positive trend. Turnover for the half-year was up 4.1% to $32.8 billion.

Personal Care delivered underlying sales growth in the first-half of 5.5%.

In June, Unilever announced a number of management changes, meant to accelerate growth in emerging markets such as Asia, Africa, South America and Central Europe over the next decade.
Unilever’s top tier reorganization followed the departure of Michael Polk, president of global foods, home and personal care, who left the company to become chief executive of Newell Rubbermaid Inc.

Among the executive moves, Harish Manwani was named to a new role as chief operating officer of global markets. Dave Lewis transitioned from president of the Americas to president of personal care.

In September, Unilever agreed to sell the Alberto VO5 brand in the U.S. and Puerto Rico from the Alberto Culver portfolio and the Rave brand globally from the Unilever portfolio to private equity firm Brynwood Partners VI L.P.

The Unilever brand logo is now displayed on all of the consumer goods giant’s products, and increasingly displayed in its advertising, to increase exposure.

Beauty Sales:$17 billion (Personal Care)

Corporate Sales: $57 billion

Dove Body Wash with proprietary NutriumMoisture technology promises to maintain the skin’s natural moisture barrier.

Major Products: Personal care—Skin care and hair care products, deodorants and antiperspirants, and oral care products, including Axe/Lynx, Dove, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Rexona, Signal, Close-Up, Sunsilk, Lux, Vaseline, TIGI.

New Products: Dove Minimizing Deodorant, Clear shampoo, Dove for Men, Axe Dark Temptation.

Comments: When speaking of Unilever’s success in 2009 despite trying times, chief executive officer Paul Polman remarked, “With confidence in our ability to grow, we launched a renewed, bold vision for the company—to double our size while improving our environmental footprint.”

The vision, which he admitted fell short in some areas, was on target in others. All regions delivered an improving trend in volumes and market share, driven by innovation and advertising and promotional support. Steps were taken to ensure that pricing remained competitive and, in some cases, prices were lowered to reflect reduced commodity costs. Corporate cost cutting programs also boosted the bottom line. By year’s end, Unilever was generating more than half of its turnover in developing and emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Central & Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Personal care sales were a highlight, rising 4% to $17 billion. In personal care, six global brands comprise the core of Unilever’s business in the mass skin care, daily hair care and deodorants product areas: Dove, Lux, Rexona (including Sure and Degree), Sunsilk (including Seda/Sedal), Axe/Lynx and Pond’s. Other important brands include Suave, Clear, Lifebuoy and Vaseline.

Unilever joined other beauty companies in taking advantage of a still sluggish year to plan for the future, boosting market share potential by adding brands with global potential. The purchase of professional hair products business TIGI marked a return to strategic acquisitions, further strengthening Unilever’s brand portfolio. In September 2009, Unilever announced the acquisition of Sara Lee’s personal care brands, which it is counting on to strengthen its European business in a big way.

Personal care emphasis in developing regions focuses on basic sanitary routines, including hand washing and tooth brushing, with Lifebuoy one of Unilever’s fastest growing brands in this category.

In 2009, Unilever also launched a new Dove Body Wash with proprietary NutriumMoisture technology. The product’s streamlined teardrop packaging makes it eco-friendly, too. Launched in the competitive U.S. market, Dove Body Wash will be rolled out elsewhere in 2010.

Like its global competitors, Unilever regards R&D as key to future success. The company continued to invest heavily in R&D, despite the economic environment. In 2009, it opened a new R&D center in Shanghai.

At its UK plant in Leeds, new technology was developed that allows for a wider range of fragrances in deodorants—at no additional cost. This advance allows for the production of a common, un-perfumed base for aerosols, adding the fragrance only at the very last stage.

For the first quarter of 2010, corporate sales rose 6.7% to $14 billion. Sales of personal care products jumped 7.9% to $4.3 billion. Unilever credited the gain to the introduction of Dove Men+Care body wash that was launched in Europe using patented NutriumMoisture technology and Dove Hair Damage Repair.

In the second quarter, personal care became Unilever’s largest category, reporting sales of about $4.55 billion.

Just announced: Unilever is set to acquire U.S.-based Alberto Culver for $3.7 billion in cash. Alberto Culver, manufacturer of top-selling brands including TRESemmé, VO5, Nexxus, St. Ives, Simple and Noxzema, generated sales of nearly $1.6 billion last year. According to the now-even-more-giant Anglo-Dutch manufacturer, the acquisition makes Unilever the world’s leading company in hair conditioning, the second largest in shampoo and the third largest in styling, and significantly enhances its hair care presence in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Mexico and Australasia, all of which will be significant hair care markets for years to come.

Beauty Sales: $16 billion (Personal care) Corporate Sales: $57.1 billion

Major Products: Axe/Lynx, Dove, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Rexona, Sunsilk, Lux, Vaseline, TiGi. New Products: Dove Visibly Smooth hairminimizing deodorant, Dove dryness reversing shower gels, Axe hair care range, Axe Primate range.

Comments: Unilever was a bright spot in personal care sales in 2008, with a turnover of $16 billion and an underlying sales growth of 6.6%. Growth was driven by increased pricing as the Anglo-Dutch company moved quickly to offset an unprecedented rise in commodity costs.

Axe, with its seductive fragrances and cool packaging, has become the world’s top male grooming brand.

Like P&G and L’Oréal, Unilever’s new leadership serves as part of its reorganization strategy for growth. During 2008, Paul Polman was appointed CEO, replacing Patrick Cescau, who retired after 35 years with the company.

Corporate strategy continues to focus on investing resources in markets and segments that are attractive, where it has competitive advantage, and where it can grow sales and margins competitively. With R&D holding the key to future growth for all beauty companies in the Top 20 (and elsewhere), Geneviève Berger joined the Unilever team as chief R&D officer. The R&D structure under Berger not only unifies the company’s 6,000 plus R&D professionals, it also allows the company to focus on fewer, bigger innovations, which can be rolled out more swiftly around the world. In 2008, for example, Unilever launched Dove Go Fresh in January in two markets; within six months it was in eight markets, and by the end of the year in 55.

R&D is also critical to Unilever’s continued commitment to sustainability. For example, the manufacturer found a way to use 1,000 tons less plastic per year in its new Rexona roll-on.

Unilever also focused on beefing up its supply chain, appointing a global supply chain officer to better leverage its scale in global buying to reduce the overall cost of raw materials. In 2008 the company’s supply chain savings were $140 million greater than in the previous year.

Overall consumer demand grew solidly in the U.S. in 2008, although market growth in personal care slowed somewhat in the second half of the year.

In personal care, six global brands comprise Unilever’s core business: Dove, Lux, Rexona, Sunsilk, Axe/Lynx and Pond’s; all except Pond’s have achieved the status of 1 billion euro brands. Other winning beauty brands include Suave, Clear, Lifebuoy and Vaseline. Unilever has now also entered the salon sector of the hair care market with its acquisition of the TIGI hair product business.

Dove remains the world’s No. 1 cleansing brand, with sales of over $3.5 billion a year in more than 80 countries. Dove outsells all other skin care bars combined in the U.S.

Axe, with its seductive fragrances and cool packaging, has become the world’s top male grooming brand, and has been expanded into shower and hair gels.

In 2009, Personal Care grew by 4.6% for the first half of the year, reaching $8.2 billion. Deodorants continue to perform strongly across both developed and developing markets. Following a successful launch into Europe and Latin America in 2008, Dove hair minimizing deodorants have been introduced into North America.

Skin cleansing performed well with new advertising for Dove, the rollout of Lux Soft Skin in Latin America and campaigns that address current heightened needs for hygiene. In North America, the consumer goods giant also introduced new Dove shower gels, which reverse dryness. In hair care, the company benefited from the launch of Lux Shine in China and Japan, continued momentum for Clear anti-dandruff shampoo in developing and emerging markets and good growth for Suave, its value brand in the U.S.

In 2009, Polman said, “Huge progress has been made, but there is still work to do. In order to invest behind our brands and win the battles for the hearts and minds of an increasingly value conscious consumer, we must eliminate all the costs that consumers are unwilling to pay for.” Polman said that in the second half, they’re seeing widespread growth—volume is starting to grow (at 2%).

Unilever continues to push ahead to gain market share. In late September, the giant consumer products manufacturer submitted a binding offer of more than $1.8 billion to acquire Sara Lee’s global body care and European detergents businesses, which generate about $1 billion in annual sales.

Beauty sales: $15.5 billion
Corporate Sales: $55.1 billion

Paul Polman, a former executive at P&G and Nestlé, was named chief executive of Unilever. He will replace Patrick Cescau in early 2009.

Products/Brands: Soaps, deodorants, skin care and hair care under brands including Dove, Caress, Lux, Axe/Lynx, Rexona/Sure, Degree, Pond’s, Vaseline, Organics, Salon Selectives, SunSilk, Suave, ThermaSilk.

New Products: Vaseline Cocoa Butter range, Clear anti-dandruff shampoo, Sunsilk Captivating Curls Collection, Pond’s Flawless White skin lightening range.

Comments: Unilever made good progress in 2007, reported its group chief executive Patrick Cescau, with an overall underlying growth of 5.5%, the third consecutive year of accelerating sales growth. Results were in large part due to carrying out strategies in three primary areas: fast-growing markets of Asia, Africa and Latin America; growth in personal care; and a higher proportion of sales from vitality products (the company’s term for brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life; for example, Sunsilk helps you feel happier because your hair looks great).

Personal care continued strong growth, at nearly 7%, with sales of $15.5 billion. Beauty/personal care continues to be the company’s fastest-growing business, with strong global brands like Dove (the world’s No. 1 cleansing brand), Pond’s, Lux and Rexona leading the way.

In 2007, the international powerhouse focused on a global approach to innovation and sales growth. Clear, a new anti-dandruff shampoo was launched in several countries, including three of the biggest hair care markets in the world—China, Russia and Brazil; it also rolled into markets in Arabia, Egypt and the Philippines.

Dove, Lux, Rexona and Sunsilk are all one-billion euro brands. Dove has annual sales of over 2.5 billion euros, and outsells all other skin care bars in the U.S. combined. Lux hair is the market leader in Japan. Rexona is the world’s largest deodorant in sales and market share and holds the No. 1 position in more than half the world. Sold in more than 80 countries, Sunsilk is the leading brand in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Lifebuoy leads every Asian market in which it’s sold; nearly half of the Lifebuoy brand’s consumption is in rural Asia, where most of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

In skin care, the Pond’s brand continued strong sales in southeast Asia, China and India, powered in part by the launch of a new anti-aging range. Vaseline was its fastest-growing global skin brand, with underlying sales growth of more than 8%. Vaseline Cocoa Butter range was the company’s most successful launch in the U.S. in 10 years. Pond’s Flawless White, which claims to help deliver lighter skin and a reduction in dark spots and blemishes in just seven days, has rung up sales in Asia, where Hindustan Unilever Ltd. plans to launch a range of skin care products that offer protection from pollution.

First half 2008 results revealed underlying sales growth of 7%, with personal care up 5.7%. At a global level, all categories grew by more than 5% in the first half year, but the company was plagued by a softening of the market and increasing commodity costs, and reported that price increases to counter rising commodity prices had slowed sales growth in the second quarter. A restructuring program was put into place, including closing 23 factories and selling low-growth businesses.

On the heels of the report, a major management change was announced. Paul Polman, a former executive at two of Unilever’s competitors, P&G and Nestlé, will replace Patrick Cescau as CEO in early 2009. He will become the first outsider to lead Unilever.