Unilever Seals Deal to Acquire Refillable Deodorant Brand Wild

Image Credit: Wild

With its acquisition of Wild, a British refillable deodorant brand, Unilever has made waves, igniting fresh discussions on the implications of buy-outs for sustainability-driven challenger brands.

On April 1, the Anglo-Dutch FMCG titan confirmed its deal with Wild, which had been in the works for over six months after initial talks with co-founders Freddy Ward and Charlie Bowes-Lyon.

While the price tag remains undisclosed, industry sources suggest Wild’s valuation stands at an impressive £230 million. Ward and Bowes-Lyon are poised to pocket around £100 million from the deal, a figure widely reported across media outlets.

Launched in 2019 in Brixton, London, Wild started with a bold concept: a subscription-based service for refillable deodorants sold exclusively online. Over time, the brand expanded its footprint, evolving from a direct-to-consumer operation into a brick-and-mortar retail. Wild boasts stockists across the UK today, including Boots, Superdrug, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Holland and Barrett. Globally, the brand has reached 57 retail partners.

Wild’s original product—a refillable deodorant—set the brand apart in the eco-conscious market. Customers received a sleek, refillable aluminium case with their first deodorant stick, and subsequent refills arrived in plastic-free packaging. This model and its sustainable ethos quickly gained traction in a crowded personal care space.

But Wild didn’t stop there. The brand expanded its offering to include body washes, lip balms, hand washes, shampoo, and soap bars. Yet, it remains synonymous with deodorants, still reigning as the UK’s top seller of refillable options.

With premium pricing across its product range—deodorant cases starting at £9 and refills at £4.80—Wild positioned itself as a high-end, environmentally responsible choice. Other items, such as a body wash starter pack (£10), lip balm pack (£7.20), and hand wash starter pack (£15.40), follow suit in the premium pricing strategy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Wild into the Unilever family,” said Unilever’s president of personal care, Fabian Garcia.

“The brand’s innovative approach to formulations and packaging, and its social-first marketing, has made Wild an unmissably superior brand and a perfect complement to our personal care portfolio.”

The deal has stirred a significant debate within the sustainability community. For some, the acquisition by a corporate giant like Unilever signals an opportunity for Wild to scale and amplify its impact—gaining the resources to bring its sustainability-focused products to a global audience. However, critics fear the sale could erode the very values that made Wild appealing in the first place.

The conversation is far from new. In 2013, Coca-Cola acquired the popular smoothie and juice brand Innocent Drinks. Unilever made headlines in 2000 with its purchase of the beloved ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s. Both cases have fueled arguments about whether such acquisitions help or hinder the core values of more minor, purpose-led businesses.

In a striking development last month, it was reported that Ben & Jerry’s founders are eager to buy back their company. Their goal? To regain control and steer the brand in a direction that aligns more closely with its activist roots.

Commenting on the Wild acquisition, A Plastic Planet co-founder Sian Sutherland said it is “a brilliant example of why entrepreneurship and innovation are intrinsically connected and big CPGs struggle to build brands of the future themselves”.

Sutherland noted that Unilever-owned brand Dove piloted a refillable deodorant in 2021 but has yet to make it available in markets outside the USA.

“Huge congrats to Unilever for spotting a future giant with ethics and ambition,” Sutherland wrote on LinkedIn. “Please, please do not now destroy this company’s uniqueness by squashing it into the big CPG constraints.”

Sian Conway-Wood, founder of Ethical Hour and Green Ambassador for the UK Government, said: “Wild didn’t sell out – they broke through. Unilever’s acquisition unlocks scale, distribution, and affordability that a challenger brand can’t achieve alone.

“This could mean lower prices, wider supermarket listings, and most importantly, greater accessibility.

“If sustainability is only viable for those who can afford a £12 deodorant, we have a problem. If we want real impact, we need mass adoption, not purity tests.”