Unilever: Less Reliance on Foods, More on Personal Care
Unilever is finding success as a smaller, more focused company, and that includes a lot less reliance on foods.
The company sold off a handful of small food brands last year, although the biggest subtraction was the December spinoff of its ice cream business into Magnum Ice Cream Co.
By the end of 2025, foods accounted for €12.9 billion in sales, down 3.2% from the prior year. “Food & Refreshment,” when that was a reporting segment, accounted for 38% of Unilever sales in 2021; it was 26% at the end of last year.
In the future, foods and home care, another reporting segment that singly accounted for 23% of sales last year, together look like they’ll amount to about a third of the company, although a specific percentage was not given. Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care are the two segments the company appears to be focusing on.
Sharing all that data at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York meeting today (Feb. 17) was Fernando Fernandez, who was appointed CEO in March of 2025 – he had been CFO. He still talked positively of the contribution made by Hellman’s, Knorr and Liquid I.V.
Unilever has been shrinking itself over the past few years. In 2025, sales were €50.5 billion, down 3.8%, although underlying sales growth was +3.5%, including 1.5% volume growth. Net profit was €6.2 billion, up 2.9%.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.