Unilever acquires British beauty brand Wild

Unilever has acquired British personal care brand Wild. With its plastic-free and plant-based products and social media marketing, Wild should help the multinational in its focus on premiumisation.

Room to expand again

Wild was only launched in 2020, but has already become the number one refillable deodorant brand in the United Kingdom. The brand’s premium deodorants, lip balms and hand soaps are made from plant-based ingredients and sold in plastic-free, refillable packaging. The digital brand also has a loyal customer base through its direct-to-consumer and retail model, Unilever points out.

The acquisition may be surprising to many, as in recent months, Unilever has been in the spotlight mainly because of divestments. The group divested its ice cream brands last month, sold The Vegetarian Butcher on the same day and cut one in three European office jobs. These measures seem to have created the necessary space to allow Unilever to expand again. The multinational itself calls the acquisition “another step in the optimisation of Unilever’s portfolio towards premium and high growth spaces as part of the Growth Action Plan 2030”.