Who Owns the Deodorant Market

Unilever Leads, but the Field Is Competitive

Deodorant is one of the largest and fastest-growing segments within personal care. It is also one of the most consolidated, with three companies controlling the vast majority of global brand volume. Unilever has publicly described deodorants as one of its biggest and fastest-growing categories within its 13.6 billion euro Personal Care business. The company's portfolio spans every major global market and demographic segment.

Procter and Gamble holds the second-largest position in the US market specifically, led by Old Spice and Secret. Henkel AG holds a meaningful international position, particularly in Germany and broader European markets. Below the three incumbents, a cohort of natural and DTC deodorant brands has attracted significant consumer attention since the mid-2010s, with mixed fortunes under corporate ownership.

Unilever: The Global Dominant Force

Unilever's deodorant portfolio is the largest in the world by volume and is spread across multiple brands targeting different demographics, price points, and geographic markets.

[Rexona](/brands/rexona) is Unilever's flagship global deodorant brand, known under the name Sure in the United Kingdom and Degree in the United States. Rexona is sold in over 100 countries and is the world's best-selling deodorant brand by global volume. The brand's core product proposition is 48- or 72-hour protection and its MotionSense technology, which responds to movement to release fragrance. Unilever has invested heavily in premiumising the Rexona/Degree/Sure range with whole-body deodorant extensions in 2025 and 2026.

[Dove](/brands/dove) has one of the most significant deodorant lines in the Unilever portfolio. Dove deodorant is an extension of the broader Dove skincare brand and competes in the premium personal care segment, with a positioning around skin gentleness and moisturising properties. Dove also owns the Dove Men+Care deodorant line. In 2026, Unilever expanded the Dove deodorant portfolio into whole-body formats as part of a broader strategic push in the whole-body deodorant category.

[Axe](/brands/axe) (known as Lynx in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia) is Unilever's male-targeted deodorant and body spray brand, one of the most recognisable personal care brands among young men globally. Axe/Lynx is positioned in the mass market and competes with P&G's Old Spice directly. The brand experienced a cultural relevance decline in the early 2010s but has been repositioned with more modern masculinity messaging.

[Sure](/brands/sure) (the UK name for Rexona) and [Degree](/brands/degree) (the US name) are operationally the same global Unilever brand. The naming difference reflects historical regional brand acquisitions rather than different products.

Unilever has stated publicly in 2026 that it is the global leader in deodorants, with double-digit growth in the category in key markets. The company's strategy includes a major push into whole-body deodorants, a newer format that applies deodorant to the entire body rather than only the underarm.

Procter and Gamble: Old Spice and Secret

Procter and Gamble holds the second-largest position in the US deodorant market and is the dominant player in two specific positioning pillars: heritage male grooming and female-targeted antiperspirant.

[Old Spice](/brands/old-spice) was originally acquired by P&G as part of the Shulton Company in 1990 and has since become one of the most successful brand revitalisations in consumer goods history. The brand was virtually irrelevant to younger consumers in the early 2000s. Between 2010 and 2015, P&G relaunched Old Spice with a series of viral advertising campaigns featuring absurdist humour and the "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" character. The repositioning transformed Old Spice from an ageing heritage brand into one of the leading deodorant and body wash brands for younger men in the United States.

[Secret](/brands/secret) is P&G's primary women's deodorant brand in the United States, positioned around strength and clinical protection. Secret competes directly with Dove and Degree/Rexona in the women's antiperspirant segment.

P&G's deodorant portfolio is smaller than Unilever's in terms of brand count, but Old Spice and Secret together hold a significant share of the US market. P&G's global deodorant position is less dominant than Unilever's because Old Spice has lower international penetration outside North America.

Henkel: International Specialist

Henkel AG is a German consumer goods and industrial adhesives company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Henkel's consumer brands business includes several meaningful deodorant properties, particularly in European markets.

[Fa](/brands/fa) is Henkel's global deodorant and shower brand, sold across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Fa competes in the mass market against Dove and Rexona, with a positioning around freshness and value.

Right Guard is a deodorant brand with a complicated ownership history. The brand was sold by Gillette to Dial Corporation (later Henkel) in 2006 after Gillette's acquisition by P&G raised antitrust concerns about P&G owning both Old Spice and Right Guard. Henkel subsequently sold the Right Guard brand to Prestige Brands Holdings in 2018 as part of a portfolio rationalisation. Right Guard is now owned by Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc., a smaller consumer health company focused on niche brands.

[Dial](/brands/dial) deodorant is also in the Henkel stable as part of the broader Dial personal care range.

The Natural and DTC Wave

A significant disruption to the deodorant category since the mid-2010s has been the rise of natural deodorant brands, driven by consumer concern about aluminium compounds in antiperspirants and preference for cleaner ingredient formulations.

[Native](/brands/native) was the most successful DTC natural deodorant brand and was acquired by Procter and Gamble in November 2017 for approximately $100 million in cash, P&G's first direct-to-consumer acquisition. Native uses aluminium-free formulas and has expanded from deodorant into body wash and other personal care categories.

[Schmidt's Naturals](/brands/schmidts) is a natural deodorant brand acquired by Unilever in 2017, part of a broader Unilever push into natural personal care alongside brands such as SheaMoisture (owned by Sundial Brands, which Unilever acquired in 2017) and other natural beauty acquisitions.

[Tom's of Maine](/brands/toms-of-maine) is a natural personal care brand, including natural deodorant, owned by Colgate-Palmolive since 2006. Tom's of Maine is one of the oldest natural personal care brands in the United States.

[Lume](/brands/lume) and [Mando](/brands/mando) are independent natural whole-body deodorant brands that have grown significantly through DTC channels and are often cited as the brands accelerating Unilever's 2025 and 2026 push into whole-body deodorant formats.

Brand Ownership Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns Dove deodorant? Dove deodorant is owned by Unilever. Dove is one of Unilever's flagship personal care brands and the deodorant line is an extension of the broader Dove skincare brand. Unilever also owns Rexona (Degree in the US, Sure in the UK), Axe, and Lynx in the same category.

Who owns Old Spice? Old Spice is owned by Procter and Gamble. P&G acquired Old Spice as part of the purchase of the Shulton Company in 1990. The brand became one of P&G's biggest marketing success stories after a viral advertising campaign beginning in 2010 repositioned it as a leading choice for younger male consumers.

Is Degree deodorant the same as Rexona? Yes. Degree (in the United States), Rexona (in most international markets), and Sure (in the United Kingdom) are all the same Unilever brand marketed under different names in different regions due to historical trademark ownership. The products share the same core technology and formulation approach.

Who owns Native deodorant? Native is owned by Procter and Gamble, which acquired the DTC natural deodorant brand in November 2017 for approximately $100 million. It was P&G's first direct-to-consumer brand acquisition and came as natural deodorant was emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments in personal care.

Explore Related Brands

• Dove - Unilever's flagship personal care brand including deodorant
• Axe - Unilever's male body spray and deodorant brand (Lynx in the UK)
• Old Spice - P&G's successfully revived male deodorant brand
• Native - Natural aluminium-free deodorant, acquired by P&G in 2017
• Who Owns the Razor and Shaving Market - Related personal care industry breakdown

Browse all beauty and personal care brands on WhoBrands

Sources

• Unilever: Sweating the Science - Deodorant Innovations 2026 — https://www.unilever.com/news/news-search/2026/sweating-the-science-how-innovation-is-boosting-unilevers-deodorants-business/
• Unilever: Dove enters whole body market 2026 — https://www.unilever.co.uk/news/press-releases/2026/dove-enters-whole-body-market-as-unilever-expands-deodorant-portfolio/
• P&G Annual Report FY2025 — https://www.pginvestor.com
• Henkel Annual Report 2024 — https://www.henkel.com/investors

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