Unilever (LSE: ULVR, NYSE: UL, AEX: UNA) is a publicly listed company headquartered in London, United Kingdom that owns 55 consumer brands across 5 categories, and has 22 recorded transactions.[1]
Unilever is a British consumer goods company formed in 1929 by the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie and British soap maker Lever Brothers. It reports through four business groups: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and Foods. Its ice cream business was demerged as The Magnum Ice Cream Company in December 2025.
Unilever agreed to combine its Foods business, home of Knorr and Hellmann's, with McCormick in a Reverse Morris Trust: Unilever would receive $15.7 billion in cash, and Unilever and its shareholders would own 65 per cent of the combined company with McCormick's existing holders owning 35 per cent. McCormick valued Unilever Foods at an enterprise value of about $44.8 billion. It would be the largest reshaping of Unilever since the ice cream demerger, leaving it a beauty, personal care and home care company.
Unilever acquired 80 per cent of the shares of Grüns, a United States maker of daily greens and nutrient gummies founded in 2023, on 1 June 2026 for consideration of €767 million, and recognised a liability for the future purchase of the remaining non-controlling interest. Grüns joined Unilever's Wellbeing business alongside Liquid I.V. and Nutrafol, which were also bought as young supplement brands.
Unilever acquired Paula's Choice, a skincare brand founded by a writer who had built an audience by criticising the cosmetics industry's claims. Press reports suggested around $2 billion; neither party disclosed a figure.
Unilever acquired Liquid I.V., an American hydration powder brand sold largely online. The price was not disclosed, and the brand has since become one of the faster-growing products in the group's portfolio.
Unilever acquired GlaxoSmithKline's Indian consumer nutrition business, including Horlicks, in a transaction valued at about €3.3 billion and settled largely in Hindustan Unilever shares. It is one of the largest deals ever done in Indian consumer goods.
Unilever acquired Tatcha, a skincare brand drawing on Japanese ingredients and ritual. Press reports put the price near $500 million, but neither party disclosed it, so no figure is recorded here.
Unilever acquired The Vegetarian Butcher, a Dutch meat substitute company founded by a former farmer. It later supplied the plant-based patty used by Burger King across Europe. The price was not disclosed.
Unilever acquired Sundial Brands, owner of SheaMoisture, a company built around hair and skin care for Black consumers that mainstream brands had long underserved. The price was not disclosed.
Unilever separated its ice cream business as The Magnum Ice Cream Company, whose shares were admitted to trading on Euronext Amsterdam, the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange on 8 December 2025. Unilever shareholders received shares in the new company as a demerger dividend, and Unilever retained a 19.9% stake at admission.
Unilever sold its spreads business to KKR, which established it as a standalone company named Upfield. Unilever had been trying to exit margarine for years as consumption declined, and the sale followed its rejection of a takeover approach from Kraft Heinz that had prompted a strategic review.
Hormel acquired Skippy from Unilever for about $700 million, buying the second largest peanut butter brand in the United States. Unilever had held it since taking over Bestfoods in 2000 and was narrowing its food portfolio; Hormel was broadening beyond tinned meat.
Colgate-Palmolive bought Sanex from Unilever for about EUR 672 million. Unilever was selling because competition authorities required it to divest Sanex before it could complete its purchase of Sara Lee's personal care business, so one company's remedy became another's acquisition.
Unilever controlled these 23 brands in the past. Each row shows when the ownership ended and who holds the brand now, so a page that once said Unilever owned it still shows why it no longer does.
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Official recalls involving Unilever products
8 recall notices from government regulators matched to Unilever.
Each applies to the specific products, sizes and lot codes named in the notice, not to every product sold under the name.
Reason given: Undeclared allergens and mislabeled product. Rocky Road Ice was packaged with Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream labeled tub and a Rocky Road Ice Cream lid. Tub said "may contain tree…
Recalling firm: Unilever Manufacturing (US), Inc. · Brand: Breyers
Matched automatically from FDA, USDA FSIS, UK Food Standards Agency and CPSC records only when the recalling firm corresponds to this ownership record and, for a brand, the brand name appears in the product description. Check the linked notice for exact products and lots. Method.
Frequently asked questions
What brands does Unilever own?
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Unilever owns 55 consumer brands tracked here, including Persil, Bango, Marmite, Rexona, Lifebuoy and Horlicks.
Is Unilever a British company?
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Yes. Unilever is headquartered in London, United Kingdom and was founded in 1929.
Who owns Unilever?
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Unilever is a publicly listed company owned by its shareholders; it trades as ULVR on the LSE, UL on the NYSE and UNA on the AEX.
What was Unilever's most recent acquisition?
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The most recent completed acquisition recorded here is Grüns on 1 June 2026.
Sources (17) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.