Unilever acquires Murad skincare

Unilever has signed an agreement to acquire Murad, a clinical skincare brand. This follows the recent acquisitions of Dermalogica, Kate Somerville and REN, which jointly position Unilever as a key player in the personal care prestige segment.

Founded in 1989 in Los Angeles, Murad is the first modern doctor brand, with a mission to provide proven, efficacious products. Howard Murad MD, a dermatologist, pharmacist, and UCLA professor, developed a recipe of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and hydrators to address virtually every skin care concern, from acne to anti-ageing. Murad has a significant presence in the US through professional salons and spas such as Massage Envy, and specialist retailers such as Sephora, Ulta and Nordstrom; as well as through direct sales. It also has a regional hub for Europe located in the UK, and the brand can be found in over 42 countries, in department stores, pharmacies, spas and salons.

Paul Polman, Unilever CEO, said: “As an expert ‘Doctor brand’, Murad offers products in a differentiated clinical and holistic well-being segment. It has a loyal following that gives it potential for expansion, and complements the brands recently acquired.”

Dr Howard Murad added: “With Unilever, we can broaden our reach and significantly grow our brand while remaining faithful to the founding principles of Murad.”

Murad’s heritage and success is grounded on the principle that beauty and good health are vitally linked and best achieved through an Inclusive Health lifestyle. Murad products combine a recipe of high performance ingredients that deliver solutions for healthy, beautiful skin. The brand, which had a turnover of US$115m in 2014, will be incorporated into Unilever’s Prestige division, which is exclusively dedicated to select distribution and premium personal care brands.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

About Unilever:

Unilever is a global supplier of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. It has 172,000 employees and generated sales of €48.4 billion in 2014. Over half (57%) of the company’s footprint is in developing and emerging markets. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Persil, Dove, Knorr, Domestos, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Wall’s, PG Tips, Ben & Jerry’s, Marmite, Magnum and Lynx.