Global consumer brands company Unilever announced that it has acquired Wild, a personal care brand focused on sustainable packaging and materials.

Based in London, Wild was founded in 2020 by CEO Freddy Ward and CMO Charlie Bowes-Lyon, with an ambition of “making sustainable bathroom products mainstream,” according to a post by Bowes-Lyon. The company produces premium deodorants, lip balms, bodywashes and handwashes using plant-based ingredients and packaged in refillable plastic-free materials.

In a post by Ward and Bowes-Lyon announcing the acquisition, the founders said:

“We started Wild five years ago with a simple mission: to remove as much single-use plastic from personal care routines as possible. Thanks to your support, to date we’ve diverted over 750,000 kg of single-use plastic and planted over 1.2 million trees.”

The post added that the transaction will enable the company to pursue its ambition to take sustainable products mainstream, “by leveraging Unilever’s global network and capabilities,” as well as by providing access to “cutting-edge research and development to create the best new products and to improve what we already offer.”

The founders added:

“With this partnership, sustainable options like Wild can become available to everyone. It’s a huge step forward for us and for sustainable personal care.”

Unilever added that the acquisition will support its initiatives to optimize its portfolio towards premium and high growth spaces, as part of its “Growth Action Plan 2030.” The plan includes a focus on Unilever’s four key sustainability priorities, “climate, nature, plastics and livelihoods.” Unilever’s plastics goals include targets to reduce its virgin plastic footprint by 20% by 2026 and 40% by 2028, on a 2019 baseline, and to have 100% of its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030 for rigids and by 2035 for flexibles.

Fabian Garcia, President of Unilever Personal Care, said:

“We are thrilled to welcome Wild into the Unilever family. 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. Charlie, Freddy and the team have put consumers at the heart of the brand which is a testament to its success.”