Unilever Sells Elida Beauty to Yellow Wood Partners Amid Investor Pressure

The sale is part of a wider shake-up under new CEO Hein Schumacher, who aims to streamline the company's focus on its main brands.

Unilever has agreed to sell its subsidiary Elida Beauty, which includes 20 brands such as Q-Tips and Timotei, to American private equity company Yellow Wood Partners.
The sale is seen as an attempt by Unilever to address concerns that its business had become too unfocused, with new CEO Hein Schumacher vowing to focus on the 30 main brands which account for the majority of its sales.
The sale comes amid pressure from investors over Unilever’s flagging share price and strategy, with the share price having fallen by more than 10% over the last twelve months.
Unilever has been criticized for its approach to 'social purpose' and ESG, with investors arguing it was distracting from generating profits. In response, Schumacher has rolled back Unilever’s focus on 'social purpose'.
Unilever has also faced scrutiny from the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) over green claims made on packs of its products, and criticism for continuing to sell products in Russia since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.