Who Owns Axe?

Axe is subject to Unilever's group-wide sustainability commitments, which apply across the company's brand portfolio following the restructuring completed in 2025. Unilever's overarching framework, the Compass strategy, includes commitments to halve the use of virgin plastic, ensure 100% of plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025, and achieve net zero emissions across the value chain by 2039.

Axe aerosol body sprays are among the product formats that present sustainability challenges due to the use of compressed gas propellants and aluminium cans. Unilever has worked to reduce the propellant content in aerosols and to increase the recycled content of aluminium packaging. The aluminium used in Axe cans is recyclable and Unilever participates in extended producer responsibility schemes in multiple markets.

Axe gained PETA approval and joined PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies program in 2024, certifying that Axe does not conduct or commission any animal tests on ingredients or finished products. However, Axe does not hold Leaping Bunny certification, and parent company Unilever sells products in markets where animal testing is required by local regulation, including mainland China. This creates a complex situation for consumers who prioritise independently verified cruelty-free status, as the brand itself is PETA-approved while the parent company is not cruelty-free.

Unilever has reduced the environmental footprint of Axe and Lynx formulations through its Clean Future programme, which aims to eliminate fossil-fuel-derived ingredients from product formulations. The Axe Fine Fragrance Collection and newer product lines have been developed with a higher proportion of nature-derived fragrance ingredients compared to earlier formulations.

In 2024, Unilever announced a strategic review of its personal care portfolio, including consideration of divesting certain brands to focus on higher-growth segments. As of March 2026, Axe remains within Unilever's Personal Care division.

Axe has earned recognition primarily for marketing effectiveness and brand strength in the men's grooming category rather than sustainability or corporate responsibility.

• Cannes Lions (Multiple Years): Axe advertising campaigns, particularly the "Find Your Magic" campaign launched in 2016, received Cannes Lions recognition for effective and culturally relevant men's grooming marketing that shifted away from the brand's earlier objectification-focused advertising.
• Effie Awards: Axe has received Effie Awards recognising the marketing effectiveness of campaigns that connected brand identity with measurable sales performance in competitive grooming markets.
• Brand Finance Personal Care 50: Axe/Lynx has been ranked among the top 50 most valuable personal care brands globally by Brand Finance in annual valuations.
• Unilever Internal Recognition: Axe has been cited by Unilever as one of its billion-dollar brands, a designation applied to brands generating over EUR 1 billion in annual retail sales, reflecting its scale within the portfolio.

Advertising and Gender Stereotypes: Axe's earlier advertising strategy, built around the premise that using its products would make men sexually attractive to women, attracted sustained criticism from consumer advocates and gender equality organisations from the mid-2000s through early 2010s. The UK Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints against specific Axe (Lynx) advertisements for objectifying women. This led to a significant brand repositioning starting in 2016 with the "Find Your Magic" campaign, which emphasised individuality and self-expression rather than sexual conquest.

Aerosol Safety Incidents: Individual incidents of aerosol misuse by teenagers, including deliberate inhalation of propellants, led to safety concerns in several markets. Unilever responded with updated product labelling and consumer safety messaging. A small number of serious incidents were reported in the UK and United States between 2005 and 2015.

Lynx/Axe Fire Incident (UK, 2009): A widely reported incident involved a 12-year-old in the UK suffering burns after accidentally igniting Lynx body spray near a flame. The case raised awareness about aerosol flammability and was discussed in UK consumer safety media.