Who Owns Dove? The Unilever Beauty Empire Explained

The Brand You Trust, the Company You May Not Know

If you use Dove soap in the morning, spray Axe deodorant, and eat Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the evening, you are supporting the same company with all three purchases. Dove, one of the world's most trusted personal care brands, is owned by Unilever, the British-Dutch multinational that controls over 400 brands across beauty, food, home care, and nutrition.

Dove generated an estimated $6 billion in annual sales as of 2024, making it one of Unilever's most valuable properties. But Dove is just one piece of a much larger beauty and personal care empire. This article breaks down Dove's ownership history, Unilever's beauty strategy, and what this means for the products you buy every day.

Who Owns Dove?

Dove is owned by Unilever PLC, one of the world's largest consumer goods companies.

Dove was introduced in 1957 by Lever Brothers, which later became part of Unilever through the 1929 merger of Lever Brothers (UK) and Margarine Unie (Netherlands). The original Dove Beauty Bar was marketed as a "cleansing cream" rather than soap because it contained one-quarter moisturizing cream.

Unilever's Beauty and Personal Care Portfolio

Beauty and Personal Care is Unilever's largest division, accounting for approximately 42% of total revenue as of 2024. The segment includes dozens of brands across skincare, hair care, deodorants, and oral care.

• Dove (global skincare and body care)
• Vaseline (petroleum jelly and lotions)
• Pond's (skincare, strong in Asia)
• St. Ives (scrubs and skincare)
• Simple (sensitive skincare)

• TRESemme (salon-quality hair care)
• Sunsilk (global hair care)
• Dove Hair (hair care line extension)
• Clear (anti-dandruff)

• Rexona (known as Degree in the U.S. and Sure in the UK)
• Axe/Lynx (men's grooming)
• Dove deodorant (line extension)

• Lux (soap and body wash)
• Lifebuoy (antibacterial soap)
• Pepsodent (toothpaste, select markets)

This portfolio allows Unilever to compete across price points and consumer segments in nearly every personal care category.

The Dove Brand Story: From Soap Bar to Global Icon

The 1957 Launch

Dove launched in the United States in 1957 as a single product: the Dove Beauty Bar. Its key differentiator was the claim that it would not dry skin like regular soap, backed by its moisturizing cream formula. This positioning proved remarkably durable and remains central to Dove's marketing in 2026.

The "Real Beauty" Revolution

In 2004, Dove launched its "Campaign for Real Beauty," which became one of the most influential marketing campaigns in history. The campaign featured real women rather than professional models, challenging beauty industry conventions and generating massive media attention.

According to Unilever, the Real Beauty campaign helped Dove's sales grow from $2.5 billion in 2004 to over $4 billion by 2014. The campaign won numerous advertising awards and established Dove as a brand with purpose, a positioning that aligns with Unilever's broader "Brands with Purpose" strategy.

Product Line Expansion

• Body wash and shower gels
• Deodorants and antiperspirants
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Face care products
• Baby care (Baby Dove)
• Men's grooming (Dove Men+Care)

This brand extension strategy is common among Unilever's top brands, where a trusted name is leveraged across adjacent categories to capture more consumer spending.

How Unilever Builds Its Brand Portfolio

Unilever builds its portfolio through three strategies: organic growth, brand acquisitions, and strategic divestitures.

Key Beauty Acquisitions

Strategic Divestitures

Unilever has also sold brands that no longer fit its growth strategy. In March 2025, the company completed the separation of its ice cream division (including Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, and Wall's) into an independent publicly traded company. This move allowed Unilever to sharpen its focus on beauty, personal care, home care, and nutrition.

CEO Hein Schumacher described the strategy as concentrating resources on "fewer, bigger, better innovations" across Unilever's remaining portfolio.

Unilever vs. the Competition

Unilever competes with several major corporations in the beauty and personal care space:

L'Oreal remains the world's largest beauty company by revenue, but Unilever's scale across multiple consumer goods categories gives it unique cross-selling and distribution advantages.

What This Means for Consumers

Brand positioning is deliberate. When you choose between Dove (gentle, moisturizing) and Axe (bold, masculine), you are choosing between two carefully positioned Unilever brands designed to appeal to different demographics. Both purchases generate revenue for the same parent company.

Price tiering is strategic. Unilever offers Lux as an affordable soap option, Dove in the mid-range, and premium acquisitions like Tatcha at the high end. This "good-better-best" portfolio strategy captures consumers at every income level.

"Purpose-driven" branding is a business strategy. Dove's Real Beauty campaign is genuine in many respects, but it is also a highly effective commercial strategy. Unilever reported that its "Brands with Purpose" grew 69% faster than the rest of its business between 2019 and 2023.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dove owned by Procter & Gamble?

No. Dove is owned by Unilever, not Procter & Gamble. P&G owns competing brands like Olay (skincare) and Old Spice (men's grooming). The two companies are fierce rivals in the consumer goods space.

What other brands does Unilever own?

Beyond beauty, Unilever owns food brands like Knorr (its largest brand by revenue), Hellmann's, and Lipton, as well as home care brands like Omo and Domestos. The company operates over 400 brands worldwide.

When did Unilever acquire Dove?

Dove was not acquired separately. It was created by Lever Brothers in 1957, and Lever Brothers was already a founding part of Unilever from the 1929 merger. So Dove has been a Unilever brand since its inception.

Has Dove's quality changed under Unilever's ownership?

Dove has been a Unilever brand since launch, so there is no "before and after" to compare. However, Unilever has invested heavily in the brand, expanding it from a single soap bar into a multi-billion dollar portfolio spanning body care, hair care, deodorants, and baby care.

The Bottom Line

Dove's journey from a single moisturizing soap bar in 1957 to a $6 billion global brand illustrates how large consumer goods companies build value through brand extension, purpose-driven marketing, and strategic portfolio management. As a consumer, knowing that Dove sits within Unilever's 400+ brand portfolio helps you understand the corporate landscape behind the products you trust.

Want to explore more about Unilever's brands? View Unilever's complete brand portfolio or browse all beauty and personal care brands.

Explore Related Brands

• Olay - P&G's premium skincare brand, a direct Dove competitor
• Lux - Unilever's affordable soap brand
• Vaseline - Iconic petroleum jelly brand, also owned by Unilever
• Pantene - P&G's leading hair care brand
• Neutrogena - Dermatologist-recommended skincare, owned by Kenvue/J&J
• Lancome - L'Oreal's luxury skincare line

Browse all Beauty & Personal Care brands

Sources

1. Unilever Investor Relations. Annual Report and Accounts 2024. unilever.com/investors 2. Unilever. "Dove Brand Fact Sheet." 2025. unilever.com/brands/dove 3. Unilever. "Ice Cream Separation Completed." March 2025. unilever.com/news 4. Harvard Business Review. "Dove's Real Beauty Campaign: A Case Study." hbr.org 5. Euromonitor International. Beauty and Personal Care Market Data, 2024.

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com's research methodology. Last updated: January 23, 2026.