Our thinking

Wild success

21 February, 2025

This week, Unilever confirmed that it is close to finalising its £230 million acquisition of Wild. The purchase is a major step for Wild, which began only six years ago, when its founders set out to create a completely biodegradable deodorant bar, packaged in an aluminium, refillable container. Their product, which paired quality with natural ingredients and a premium aesthetic, found success very quickly; by 2021, Wild was the number one natural deodorant in the UK, and by 2023, sales increased by 77% from the year before. They have expanded to produce lip balms and body-washes and have gathered a pack of loyal consumers. 

Broken down, their rise to success makes a lot of sense, as does Unilever’s desire to be a part of it. The multinational, who owns Sure, Dove and Lynx, already controls over half of the UK deodorant market, but the acquisition of Wild reflects their shift to revamp their personal-care market, and refocus the spotlight on sustainability, taking learnings from Wild along the way and integrate into its broader business. 

The merger will no doubt make Wild’s sustainable products more mainstream, available and profitable, but the question will be whether they’re able to retain their transparent business practice and sustainable ethos in the hands of a giant multinational, and whether they can create change within Unilever. While Ben and Jerry’s has been able to continue its activist agenda within the Unilever family, other similar transactions have had a less than happy ending, attracting criticisms of selling out (see L’Oreal’s purchase of The Body Shop) or with the parent company walking away from its investment (for example, The Coca-Cola Company’s purchase of Honest Tea). Only time will tell how this will play out, but Wild’s trajectory reflects that there is plenty of room and appetite for sustainable businesses, they just need to make themselves seen (and smelled).

By Rosie Serlin