LONDON – Double-digit growth at beauty “power brands” Dove, Sunsilk and Vaseline helped to drive Unilever’s underlying sales up nearly 5 percent in the first half to 25.6 billion euros, with overall growth accelerating in the second quarter.
Sales in Unilever’s beauty and wellbeing division were up 5.9 percent to 6.5 billion euros on the back of double-digit growth at Dove, Sunsilk and Vaseline and strong performance at the prestige beauty brands, which include Dermalogica, Paula’s Choice and Tatcha.
The company said the wellbeing brands saw “low-single digit” growth with an acceleration in the second quarter.
The personal care division, anchored by Dove, grew 4.8 percent in the six months to 6.8 billion euros.
Operating profit rose 2.6 percent to 4.9 billion euros on a reported basis, reflecting operational performance and lower restructuring costs, the company said.
