{"id":705,"date":"2025-04-02T09:54:05","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T09:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/?p=705"},"modified":"2025-04-02T16:47:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:47:23","slug":"unilever-goes-wild-startups-100-brand-acquired-for-9-figures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/02\/unilever-goes-wild-startups-100-brand-acquired-for-9-figures\/","title":{"rendered":"Unilever goes Wild \u2014 Startups 100 brand acquired for 9-figures"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Refillable deodorant brand <\/span>Wild<\/span><\/a> has been bought by the multinational consumer goods company Unilever for an undisclosed sum, in a deal that will reportedly value the brand at £230m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wild has twice been featured in the <\/span>Startups 100 Index<\/span><\/a> and was also previously nominated for the <\/span>Startups 100 Sustainability Award<\/span><\/a> in 2023. <\/span><\/p>\n

Co-founder Charlie Bowes-Lyon yesterday announced the sale on LinkedIn, stating it would help to supercharge Wild’s <\/span>mission<\/span><\/a> to eliminate single-use plastics in toiletries.<\/span><\/p>\n

The move is a major step forward for the company. Unilever’s expansive distribution networks will enable Wild to grow faster while staying true to its eco-friendly mission. <\/span><\/p>\n

Who is Wild?<\/h2>\n

Wild Cosmetics is a premium, Brixton-based cosmetics startup <\/span>that was co-founded by<\/span><\/a> Bowes-Lyon and Freddy Ward in 2019. It offers eco-friendly personal care products that are also refillable, serving to reduce plastic waste and promote natural ingredients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from being recognised multiple times in the Startups 100 Index, Wild has built a significant customer base over the years. It is today available in many stores across the UK, including Sainsbury’s, Booths, and Selfridges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun <\/span>branding<\/span><\/a>, effective <\/span>marketing strategies<\/span><\/a>, and authenticity have also helped to build Wild a loyal community of customers who share the company’s <\/span>core values<\/span><\/a> and commitment to sustainability. In 2024, the brand saw its sales <\/span>more than double to £14.9 million<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does the deal mean for Wild?<\/h2>\n

According to reports, Bowes-Lyon and Ward will land a near-£100m payday for the sale. Both founders will stay on to run the firm alongside their 100-strong team of ‘Wildlings’.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bowes-Lyon says that this change will see the company “doubling down on innovation, investing in cutting-edge sustainable technologies and working with Unilever’s world-class formulators” to further improve its offerings.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an <\/span>interview with The Guardian<\/span><\/a>,  Bowes-Lyon hinted that joining Unilever could also lead to lower prices for Wild’s loyal fans. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some may be concerned about how the change in ownership will impact Wild’s core values. Bowes-Lyon certainly isn’t. In the full <\/span>announcement post on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>, he wrote “Our promise remains: “Great for your body, great for the planet.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Unilever’s latest acquisition comes as the group carries out major cost-cutting changes, including making 7,500 <\/span>workplace layoffs<\/span><\/a> globally.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fabian Garcia, president of Unilever’s personal care department, added: “The brand’s innovative approach to formulations and packaging, and social-first marketing, has made Wild an unmissably superior brand and a perfect complement to our personal care portfolio.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The post Unilever goes Wild \u2014 Startups 100 brand acquired for 9-figures<\/a> appeared first on Startups.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Refillable deodorant brand Wild has been bought by the multinational consumer goods company Unilever for an undisclosed sum, in a deal that will reportedly value the brand at £230m. Wild has twice been featured in the Startups 100 Index and was also previously nominated for the Startups 100 Sustainability Award in 2023.  Co-founder Charlie Bowes-Lyon…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":706,"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705\/revisions\/706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/portraitsbylorie.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}