Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know
Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.
CPGiant Unilever partnered with Walmart to develop and launch Find Your Happy Place, an exclusive line of candle and body care products, this month. The goal: create affordable retail aromatherapy sessions sold in-stores and online.
Back of the label: Across Unilever’s 20+ existing personal care brands, none directly addresses the idea of self-care and de-stressing. “When there is a space in the portfolio or an unmet consumer need, we will look to expand our product offering—whether it’s through product innovation, incubation of a new brand, or collaborating with a retailer,” Greg Ross, Unilever VP of U.S. Skin Cleansing, told Retail Brew.
To enter the category...
- Unilever and Walmart polled consumers on their ✨happy places✨, landing on categories like “catching the sunrise” and “home for the holidays.”
- Those places inspired scent profiles developed with Ann Gottlieb, the name behind fragrances from Dior to Dove.
Smells like holiday spirit
Unilever was hardly the first entity to turn nostalgia into wax. Just look at home fragrance brands like...
- Homesick, which has poured scents based on states and cities since 2016.
- Cancelled Plans, which has had a 2020 renaissance with aromas like “Remember Hugs?” and “I Miss High Fives.”
Spark ➡️ flame. Without places to go and people to sniff, 2020 shoppers are flocking to custom scents as an accessible luxury. Home fragrance sales grew 13%% YoY in the January–September period, per NPD Group data reported by CNBC. Scented gift sets (with lotion and candles) grew 22%.
Any brand with body butter and three-wick candles has likely noticed this lift. At home spa regulars like Bath & Body Works, these categories were two-thirds of its record Q3 sales growth. Unilever may be a latecomer, but partnering with the U.S.’s largest retailer puts scale on its side—and will allow it to catch up quickly.
Looking ahead...Unilever anticipates sensory escape products aren’t a passing fad. “This past year has illuminated the importance of self-care and we anticipate increased focus on self-care [and] mental health will continue,” Ross said.