What’s behind Unilever’s first half results?

Our financial results for the first half of 2025, which we announced on 31 July, show that underlying sales growth was up 3.4%, balanced across volume and price. A strong gross margin and productivity gains ahead of plan fuelled increased investment in our brands and premium innovations.

Here are the results highlights from each of our five business groups.

Beauty & Wellbeing

Beauty & Wellbeing underlying sales grew 3.7% with 1.7% from volume and 2.0% from price. Growth was led by continued momentum in Wellbeing, which was partially offset by subdued growth in beauty.

Hair Care

Hair Care was flat, with low-single digit price offset by a decline in volume. Dove grew mid-single digit, supported by a significant relaunch featuring fibre repair technology and refreshed packaging. Growth was offset by a decline in Clear, which was impacted by slow market growth in China, and a volume decline in TRESemmé.

Core Skin Care

Core Skin Care delivered low-single digit growth, with performance varying across brands and markets. Vaseline and Dove grew double-digit supported by innovation and strong execution. Growth was partially offset by declines in China and Indonesia, where we are resetting our business.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing delivered strong double-digit growth for the 21st consecutive quarter. Performance was led by Liquid I.V. and Nutrafol, as both brands continued to expand household penetration and deliver successful multi-year innovations, including Liquid I.V.’s sugar-free platform.

Prestige Beauty

Prestige Beauty was flat as the prestige beauty market remained subdued. Hourglass, Tatcha, and K18 continued to grow double-digit while Paula’s Choice and Dermalogica declined.

Personal Care

Personal Care underlying sales grew 4.8%, with 1.4% from volume and 3.3% from price. Performance was led by Dove which grew high-single digit with strong volume and positive price. Second quarter volumes were impacted by a decline in Latin America where significant share gains were offset by subdued markets.

Deodorants

Deodorants grew low-single digit with positive volume and price. Volume growth in North America and Europe was offset by a decline in Latin America. Dove grew double-digit with high-single digit volume, supported by the launch of whole-body deodorants.

Skin Cleansing

Skin Cleansing grew low-single digit, led by price. Dove grew mid-single digit, driven by the continued success of its multi-year innovations, including its premium serum shower collection. Lifebuoy declined as volumes were impacted by commodity-driven price increases.

Oral Care

Oral Care grew mid-single digit led by mid-single digit growth in Pepsodent and Closeup.

Home Care

Home Care underlying sales grew 1.3%, with 1.1% from volume and 0.2% from price. Growth improved in the second quarter, supported by continued good growth in Europe and a sequential improvement in key markets in Asia. This improvement was partially offset by a decline in Latin America.

Fabric Cleaning

Fabric Cleaning declined low-single digit, with slight decreases in both volume and price. Performance was impacted by challenging market conditions in Brazil, Home Care’s second-largest market, as volumes declined due to headwinds from recent price increases and some destocking. Wonder Wash continued to perform well, having now launched in 22 markets.

Home & Hygiene

Home & Hygiene grew mid-single digit, with strong performances from Cif and Domestos. Cif was supported by the launch of its Infinite Clean range in key European markets. Infinite Clean is a multi-purpose reloadable cleaner powered by probiotics that break down dirt for up to three days.

Fabric Enhancers

Fabric Enhancers grew high-single digit, led by volume, as Comfort continued to perform well.

Foods

Foods underlying sales grew 2.2%, with 0.3% from volume and 1.9% from price. Growth improved in the second quarter, led by continued momentum in Hellmann’s and volume gains in Unilever Food Solutions.

Cooking Aids

Cooking Aids grew low-single digit, driven by price, with flat volume. Volume turned positive in the second quarter, led by Knorr, which represents the majority of Cooking Aids’ turnover.

Condiments

Condiments delivered low-single digit growth, driven primarily by Hellmann’s, which grew mid-single digit with positive volume and price. Flavoured mayonnaise remained a key growth driver, with strong performances from several new variant launches and continued global expansion, now in over 30 markets.

Unilever Food Solutions

Unilever Food Solutions was flat, with positive volume offset by negative price. Performance was supported by good growth in North America, which was offset by a decline in China. China was flat in the second quarter following a mid-single digit decline in the first quarter, which lapped a particularly strong 2024 that benefited from a later Chinese New Year.

Ice Cream

Ice Cream underlying sales grew 5.9%, with 3.8% from volume and 2.0% from price, as strong innovations and improved execution continue to enhance the fundamentals of the business.

In-home and Out-of-home Ice Cream both grew mid-single digit, with positive volume and price. Magnum led performance with double-digit growth, supported by the successful launch of its Utopia range and continued momentum of its Bon Bons range. Cornetto grew high-single digit, benefiting from the launch of Disc cones and its relaunch in H2 2024 with enhanced formulation and new packaging.

On 1 July, the Ice Cream Business Group transitioned into a standalone operating company within Unilever: The Magnum Ice Cream Company. We remain on track to demerge and separately list the business by mid-November 2025.