Unilever Buys Seventh Generation. What About Honest Co.?

Image courtesy of Seventh Generation

Days after Unilever was rumored to be discussing a deal to purchase The Honest Company — the line of household and personal care products co-founded by actress Jessica Alba — the company behind everything from Ben & Jerry’s to Vaseline added a different high-profile independent brand to its portfolio: The eco-friendly cleaning supply folks at Seventh Generation.

Unilever announced Monday that it would continue its shopping spree — the company purchased Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion in July — by acquiring Vermont-based Seventh Generation.

While the financial details of the deal were not revealed, Unilever notes that Seventh Generation posted sales of more than $200 million last year and has more than doubled its growth over the last decade.

The purchase gives Unilever a more unobstructed path to the increasingly popular “natural” and “green” household and personal care product sector.

“This addition to Unilever’s product portfolio will help us meet rising demand for high-quality products with a purpose,” Nitin Paranjpe, president of Unilever’s Home Care business, said in a statement.

Seventh Generation, which has been in business for nearly 30 years, will be a part of what Unilever considers its “purpose-driven brands” portfolio, demonstrating “our continued commitment to Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.”

The purchase of Seven Generation doesn’t necessarily mean that Unilever is over its possible acquisition of The Honest Co. just yet, analysts tell Bloomberg.

Ali Dibadj, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, says that Seventh Generation and The Honest Co., while both focused on “green” and “natural” products have different concentrations. For example, The Honest Co. offers items targeted toward baby care and personal-hygiene products, while Seventh Generation is more well-known for leaning products.

[via Bloomberg]

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