Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing division is valued at €13.2 billion and includes Power Brands such as Dove, Vaseline, Nutrafol, Liquid I.V., and Paula’s Choice.
According to our research, 9 out of 10 people believe that beauty and well-being are inextricably linked. However, 90% of our respondents believe the beauty industry prioritises appearance at any cost.
Unilever is transforming to bring beauty and wellbeing together, leveraging leading science to create products that meet consumers’ demand for both.
Unilever Beauty & Wellbeing is a €13.2 billion behemoth with a diverse array of haircare, skincare, and wellness goods. In 2024, this prospering company group’s underlying revenues increased by 6.5%, while volume increased by 5.1%.
At Unilever, we believe that beauty and wellness are intimately connected, and that understanding this relationship drives our innovation, creativity, and business expansion.
The link between looking good and feeling good
Beauty and wellness are inextricably linked. Enhancing one improves the other, while sacrificing one undermines both. How you feel affects the way you appear. Your physical appearance has an impact on your emotional state.
We are restructuring our company by integrating beauty and wellness together inside Unilever, reflecting a significant change in customer behavior. People do not see beauty and wellbeing as distinct. They are looking for answers that improve physical beauty, emotional well-being, and general health. We are offering items that perfectly combine the need for beauty with the requirement for health advantages.
Why we’re blurring the boundaries between beauty and wellbeing
Earlier this year, we commissioned a large survey of 4,000 individuals from the United Kingdom, United States, India, and Brazil. Nine out of 10 individuals feel beauty and wellness are linked, and 93% say the sector should take steps to promote both.
So we’re doing just that. Beauty and well-being categories will continue to merge as customers seek goods that can meet both needs at the same time.
We provide individualized beauty and wellness solutions at scale, suited to the various requirements of the communities we serve. And we’re working on ways to improve global access to our goods.
A plan founded on superior science.
Scientific evidence supports the numerous links between beauty and well-being. For over two decades, Unilever’s R&D teams have created deep, practical insights into this field, identifying correlations between wellness and beauty as digital and genetic data revolutionized our world.
Over the years, our domain specialists in skin and hair biology, microbiology, nutrition, neurological and sensory science have conducted extensive research into this confluence. For example, we have led research on the relationship between systemic cortisol levels and perceived aging. We’ve pioneered studies into how sleep affects the look and health of the scalp and hair.
And we have accumulated a plethora of knowledge to create the world’s largest proprietary connection between the skin microbiome and wellbeing. Unilever scientists, in collaboration with the microbiota Innovation Centre and the Brain & Behaviour Lab at the University of Liverpool, were the first to identify a link between the skin microbiota and wellness.
Our results, published in over 13,000 research publications and protected by more than 20,000 patents, demonstrate compelling connections and an opportunity to combine our beauty and wellness knowledge, skills, and global reach to surpass customer expectations and build our brands.
Dove cream serum goods are shown on a white backdrop. Some of the product squeezes out of a single bottle.
Developing a trigger for growth
We are unleashing talent, knowledge, and expertise throughout the company by bringing together and further linking our knowledge and skills through digital and AI technologies. That means we can drive market-leading innovation at scale and create goods with wellbeing benefits that go beyond face value.
It also enables us to present ourselves as a portfolio of highly attractive beauty brands, supported by insights, innovation, product sensorials, scents, packaging, formats, and marketing. We’re producing items that satisfy both aesthetic wants and beauty advantages, and we’re better able to fit into people’s lifestyles, giving them precisely what they want.
We are generating growth in key areas and categories by providing our brands with unrivaled superiority.
Beauty & Wellbeing Strategy in Action
The fast growth of our Nutrafol, OLLY and Liquid I.V. brands demonstrates that people are looking for lifestyle-driven, science-based solutions that support how they look and feel while producing proven results.
Taking another example from one of Unilever’s most established brands, the Vaseline Gluta-Hya range remains one of our top-performing premium innovations, having been launched in Thailand four years ago and now being marketed in over 20 regions. Hyperpigmentation and sunspots are serious cosmetic issues; however, they can also cause emotional anguish, exacerbating skin ageing. The Gluta-Hya Serum Burst SPF50 incorporates Vaseline’s unique GlutaGLOW technology, which combines high sun protection with radiance-boosting and hyperpigmentation-reducing cosmetic benefits.
Unilever’s biggest brand, Dove, is also witnessing growth from SKUs that combine beauty and wellbeing. Hair thinning and fall can have a significant impact on a person’s well-being and self-esteem. The Dove Scalp + Hair Therapy range transforms what was once a clinical and generic category into one that provides a delightful sensory experience. The range promotes scalp health by feeding and caring for the scalp to lay the groundwork for hair to thrive, while transforming daily care into a holistic wellness experience through distinctive sensorials, scents, textures, and packaging design.
