Key Takeaways:
Unilever’s Beauty and Wellbeing division is rewriting the rules of the category. In 2024, Unilever Beauty and Wellbeing achieved underlying sales growth of 6.5%, accompanied by an additional 5.1% in volume growth. Worth over €13.2 billion ($15.46 billion), Unilever’s Beauty and Wellbeing division is blurring the boundaries between beauty and well-being.
Unilever has learned from its consumer base that beauty and well-being are not in fact separate but are deeply interconnected. The company understands that enhancing one inevitably supports the other, while neglecting either comes at a cost. Reflecting this insight, Unilever has merged its beauty and well-being segments, signaling a commitment to solutions and innovations that seamlessly unite physical health with mental and emotional well-being.
Earlier this year, Unilever commissioned a study of 4,000 people across the UK, US, India, and Brazil. Nine in ten people felt like well-being and beauty were connected, and 93% of respondents felt that it was important for the industry to take action in promoting both beauty and well-being.
The Scientific Importance of Combining Beauty and Well-Being
The link between beauty and well-being is not only driven by consumer demand but is also supported by scientific evidence. Over the years, Unilever has looked into this connection through an investigative lens, uncovering insights such as the relationship between perceived aging and systemic cortisol levels and examining how sleep quality influences the health of the scalp and hair.
Unilever scientists, along with the Microbiome Innovation Center and the Brain and Behaviour Lab at the University of Liverpool, were the first to establish a clear link between the skin microbiome and well-being. Unilever has written over 13,000 academic articles and secured more than 20,000 patents, illustrating the importance of drawing the connection between beauty and well-being.
Beauty and Well-Being in Action
The growth of Unilever-owned brands, such as Nutrafol, Olly, and Liquid I.V., highlights the increasing consumer demand for products that bridge the gap between beauty and well-being. Dove, one of the company’s largest brands, has also leaned into this space by addressing issues like hair thinning and scalp health with its Hair Therapy range. These offerings reflect a broader industry trend: Products once considered purely clinical are being reframed to meet both functional needs and emotional well-being, positioning beauty and well-being as interconnected rather than separate categories.
Unilever reported that Beauty and Wellbeing delivered a 3.7% increase in underlying sales growth in the first half of 2025. On a recent earnings call, management noted expectations for stronger volume growth in the second half, supported by improvements in India, China, and Indonesia, as well as increased investment in the US and India. Prestige beauty remained stable while brands like Dove and Vaseline supported with new product launches and marketing campaigns. The company reiterated its guidance for approximately 2% volume growth for the full year across its portfolio.
