Sales: $10.2 billion

Key Personnel: Carsten Knobel, chief executive officer; Marco Swoboda, executive vice president, finance (CFO), purchasing and global business solutions; Sylvie Nicol, executive vice president, human resources, infrastructure and sustainability; Wolfgang König, executive vice president, Henkel Consumer Brands

Major Products: Beauty—Schwarzkopf, Dial, Syoss, Alterna, Blendax, Blonde, Color & Art, Diadermine, Fa, Gliss, Joico, Kenra, Naturelle, SexyHair, Taft, Zotos; Laundry & Home Care—Persil, All, Bref, Combat, Dixan, Dynamo, Fab, Le Chat, Mir, Oust, Pril, Renuzit, Soft Scrub, Sun, Snuggle, Somat, Spee, Vim

New Products: Beauty—Color Alchemy, SalonLab&Me; Home Care—Somat cleaning gels, Persil Power Bars

Comments: Corporate sales rose 11.6%. Beauty care accounted for 32% of sales and laundry and home care, 17%. Adhesives account for half of corporate sales. At the start of 2023, Henkel merged beauty and home care to create an integrated Consumer Brands business unit. The move is expected to raise profitability of the unit and “create additional positive growth stimulus.” At the same time, the move is expected to create a leaner, faster Henkel. The first phase of the integration is expected to eliminate 2000 jobs. At the end of 2022, Henkel employed 51,200.

Beauty care sales rose 2.6% last year. After a tough 2021, beauty sales in North America and Western Europe posted strong gains, as consumers returned to hair salons. Emerging markets achieved double-digit growth. The lone exception was Asia-Pacific, where covid-related lockdowns stifled growth in China.

Laundry and home care sales increased 8.3%. Laundry care accounted for 74% of business unit sales last year. Emerging markets posted double-digit gains, led by Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa/Middle East. Products successfully launched onto the market in the previous three years accounted for half of laundry and home care sales, according to the company. Demand for Persil created double-digit gains in the heavy-duty laundry detergents category. Specialty detergent sales recorded double-digit gains, as well, thanks to demand for Perwoll. Home care results were mixed. Dishwashing products and toilet cleaners sale posted good gains on the strength of Pril, Bref and Somat brands. In contrast, hard surface cleaners sales fell.

In 2022, Henkel acquired Shiseido’s hair salon business in the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, the company discontinued businesses representing about €200 million in sales, including the European oral care business. It’s all part of a corporate-wide review of businesses and brands with sales volume of up to one billion euros.

By region, emerging markets represent 42% of sales, followed by North American and Western Europe, 27% each; and Japan, Australia and New Zealand, 3%.

In November, Henkel partnered with Cyclos-HTP Institute (CHI) to enhance recyclability of packaging and consumer goods. CHI specializes in the classification, assessment and certification of recyclability of packaging and goods. By working together, they hope to simplify the value chain for all stakeholders.

At the end of the year, Bruno Piacenza retired as EVP, laundry and home care, following the merger of beauty and home care into the consumer brands business. Piacenza spent 30 years with Henkel, the last 12 leading the laundry and home care business. Wolfgan König is the executive vice president of the new Consumer Brands unit.

In Q1 2023, Group sales rose 6.4% to €5.6 billion. Consumer brand sales did even better, climbing 7.3% to €2.772 billion. Laundry and home care sales rose 5.8% due to double-digit gains in fabric care and dishwashing product sales. Meanwhile, hair care sales jumped 14.7%. Sales rose on the strength of styling product sales in the consumer business.

In April, Henkel announced it sold its business in Russia to a consortium of local financial investors for €600 million.

A treatment for thin, chemically-treated hair.

Sales: $12.1 billion
Corporate sales rose 4.2% last year to more than $23.7 billion. Beauty accounted for 18% of sales and laundry and home care, 33%.

In 2021, beauty sales fell 2%. Divestments reduced sales by 0.9%. The professional division accounted for 29% of sales. Within the beauty segment, demand in North America and Western Europe sagged, as sales of personal cleansers dropped after posting good gains during the pandemic. Hair colorants also recorded a very substantial market decline, as hair salons reopened. In contrast, demand rose for hair care, hair styling and skin care products. Overall, the professional business achieved significant, double-digit organic sales growth. Henkel said the proportion of sales from beauty products successfully launched in the past three years was about 55%.

Home care sales fell 1.5%. Henkel said demand rose in North America and mature markets in Asia-Pacific posted good gains. But sales fell in Western Europe. Growth was very strong in Africa/Middle East. Sales also rose in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Sales fell in Asia (excluding Japan).

By category, laundry care achieved strong organic sales growth driven, primarily, by demand for Persil. The brand was expanded with the launch of 4-in-1 discs and other variants. The specialty detergent category recorded significant growth, due to the popularity of Perwoll. Within home care, demand for dishwashing and bathroom cleaners drove gains. The core brands, Pril, Bref and Somat, all made contributions with double-digit gains. In contrast, demand for household cleaners sagged as consumption returned to pre-pandemic levels. By business area, laundry care accounted for 71% of sales, with home care making up 29%.

For Q1 2022, group sales rose 6.1%. Emerging markets posted doubled-digit gains. However, beauty sales fell 3.5% due to “implementation of planned portfolio measures.” Laundry and home care sales rose 2.2%.

During the quarter, Henkel announced the merger of laundry and home care and beauty care business units into the integrated multi-category platform called Henkel Consumer Brands. The first phase of the measure will be implemented by the end of 2023. According to Henkel, the move strengthens growth momentum and margin profile in the consumer business. Approximately €500 million in gross savings are expected in the mid-term. About 2,000 jobs will be affected worldwide. Henkel said it expects annual savings of about €250 million.

Looking ahead, Henkel expects organic sales growth of 3.5-5.5%. However, beauty care organic sales are expected to fall 3.0-5.0%, due in part to discontinued businesses. Laundry and home care organic sales are expected to grow 2.0-4.0%.

Last month, Henkel successfully closed its acquisition of the professional hair business of Shiseido Company. However, Shiseido retains a 20% share in Japan.

Sales: $11.9 billion
Corporate sales: $21.9 billion

Corporate sales fell 4.3% in 2020. Like so many other FMCG companies, some business units thrived during the pandemic, while others wilted. At Henkel, beauty care sales fell, and laundry and home care sales rose. The non-related adhesives business also declined.

More specifically, beauty care sales fell 3.2% as gains in North America were more than offset by declines in Europe, Asia and Latin America. By product category, body care recorded very strong growth due to higher sales of hygiene and soap products. Consumer hair colorant sales posted gains, but demand declined for hair care, styling and skin care. The global hair salon market suffered significantly negative impacts in all regions, particularly in the first half of the year, as governments grappled with the pandemic. Yet, Henkel insisted that its professional hair care business held up better than the competition, decreasing low-double digits. Last year, 85% of beauty care sales came from Henkel’s top 10 brands. About 55% of beauty care sales came from products introduced in the previous three years.

Laundry and home care sales rose less than 1% in 2020. Dishwashing products and hard surface cleaners were the biggest contributors to growth. Top brands like Pril, Bref and Somat all posted double-digit increases. By region, Asia-Pacific posted double-digit increases, while North America and Western Europe also recorded sales gains. Last year, about 65% of laundry and home care sales came from Henkel’s top 10 brands. Approximately, 45% of laundry and home care sales came from products launched in the previous three years.

Sustainability is front and center for all FMCG companies and their suppliers. In 2020, Henkel launched Love Nature, a line of laundry detergents, bathroom and general cleaners, and dishwashing products. The new product range offers high-performance plant-based products in fully recyclable packaging that can be refilled at designated stations to help reduce plastic waste. Love Nature was recognized with the EU Ecolabel seal of approval. Similarly, new Somat All-in-1 Pro Nature automatic dishwashing tabs and Biff Pro Nature toilet cleaner were added to the Pro Nature range of household cleaners. Somat All-in-1 Pro Nature contains 94% natural raw materials and is fragrance-free. Biff Pro Nature WC cleaner consists of more than 90% natural raw materials. The bottle is made of 50% recycled polyethylene, and the printed film cover can be removed to make the packaging fully recyclable. Like the existing product range, the new products have also been awarded the Blue Angel certification.

Henkel got back on track in Q1 2021. Corporate sales rose less than 1%, due to a 7.5% drag from forex. Volume expanded 6% and pricing was up 1.7% year-over-year.

“Beauty care delivered a good organic sales growth of 2.3% although having been affected by pandemic-related market effects. Growth was supported by both the consumer business, and in particular, the professional business. Despite ongoing salon closures in many countries, especially in the beginning of the quarter, this business area achieved very strong growth,” said CEO Carsten Knobel. “Although developments in key mature markets started to slow, laundry & home care recorded very strong organic sales growth of 4.1% in the first quarter. This was mainly driven by double-digit growth both in our home care business and in the emerging markets.”

In a key personnel move, on June 1, Wolfgang König joined Henkel’s management board as executive vice president for the beauty care business. König has more than 25 years’ experience in the FMCG industry, including stints at Beiersdorf and Colgate.

Sales: $11.7 billion
Note: $11.7 billion for beauty and home care products.
Corporate sales: $22.5 billion

Corporate sales rose 1.1% last year. Beauty care accounted for 19% of sales, while laundry and home care represented 33%.

Beauty care sales fell 1.8% last year to $4.3 billion, which the company blamed, in part, on a weak retail environment in Western Europe and Asia. The hair salon business, however, was a bright spot. Taking a closer look at beauty, within the branded consumer goods business, North America posted gains. Growth in Western Europe was positive despite persistent promotional activity and severe price and trade pressures. Market growth was very strong in Eastern Europe and and strong in Latin America. Sales in Asia-Pacific grew at a double-digit rate. The professional hair salon business got a boost from gains in North America and Asia-Pacific, but Western Europe results were hampered by intense competition, according to Henkel.

Laundry and home care sales rose 3.7% last year, due to several innovations launched under the Persil flagship brand. Specifically, the launch of Persil 4-in-1 Discs was well-received. Strong gains in home care were propelled by demand for hand dishwashing products and WC toilet cleaners. At the same time, demand was very strong in emerging markets, with Africa/Middle East achieving double-digit gains. Growth was also strong in Eastern Europe and Latin America, but slightly negative in Asia (excluding Japan). Elsewhere, Henkel characterized its laundry and home care business as good in the mature markets of North America, Western Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Two key personnel moves took place on January 1. Carsten Knobel was appointed chairman of the management board, replacing Hans Van Bylen who served Henkel for 35 years. Also, Marco Swoboda succeeded Knobel as chief financial officer.

For Q1 2020, sales fell less than 1%. While the beauty business suffered from global salon closures, demand within the laundry and home care sectors soared.

“The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its breadth across the globe put us in a highly challenging, even more demanding situation,” explained Knobel. “Despite these extraordinary circumstances, our diversified portfolio of the three business units overall delivered a robust top line performance and recorded only slightly negative organic sales growth of minus 0.9%.”

Core home care brands Somat, Bref and Pril all posted double-digit gains on the back of new product development and media spend. During the quarter, Henkel launched Persil ProClean with Oxi Power in the US as well as Persil 4in1 Discs with malodor technology in North America and Europe.

“With Persil Green Power, we have started entering the green laundry detergent segment, combining sustainability with a very high product performance,” said Knobel.

In home care, Henkel continued the rollout of Pril Power & Perls as well as Bref De Luxe.

In personal care, Dial, Henkel’s largest US brand, benefitted from increased focus on personal hygiene—you sell more soap when consumers wash their hands for 20 seconds at a clip! On the downside, of course, salon closures around the world brought professional hair care sales to a halt. To help its customers, Henkel created a Help Your Salon initiative.

Looking ahead, Henkel brass is confident that the company will emerge from the crisis, in large part, by delivering on consumer hygiene needs with highly relevant SKUs, a ramp up in manufacturing and purposeful brand communication. For example, Henkel increased global soap production by 30%. In Mexico, Henkel launched Persil Hygiene, and expanded its disinfecting product range under the Lysoform brand in more countries. In the recently concluded second quarter, Henkel launched an antibacterial hand dishwashing product in Egypt and in Turkey, and in both laundry and home care and beauty care, Henkel rolled out Pril and Fa hand sanitizers.

Sales: $12.2 billion for beauty and home care sales.
Corporate sales: $23.3 billion.

Forex pressures sliced 5.4% off the top line and as a result, Henkel’s corporate sales dipped 0.6% last year. Overall organic sales growth was 2.4%, which was in line with the full year target of 2-4%.

Beauty sales rose 2.1% to $4.7 billion, but forex reduced sales by 4.8% and acquisitions/divestments accounted for 7.6% of growth. The professional hair care business topped €1 billion for the first time, thanks to strong organic growth in both mature and emerging markets. Hair color sales were up as Henkel reported market share gains across all regions, helped along by new brands such as got2b Color, as well as existing brands such as Syoss Color. Salon sales were strong, especially within the Schwarzkopf Professional, which received a lift from new products within the Igora and BlondMe lines.

On a regional level, Eastern European sales rose on the strength of the hair and body categories. Latin America also posted significant increases. On the downside, sales in North America declined due to shipping difficulties; while sales were off in Western Europe and major markets of Asia/Pacific.

Laundry and home care sales fell 3.5% to $7.5 billion, as forex effects reduced sales growth by 6.2%. Henkel’s No. 1 laundry brand, Persil, delivered significant growth and specialty detergent formulas also contributed to market share gains across all regions. Home care product sales rose on demand for hand dishwash and toilet care products.

During 2018, Henkel made numerous investments, including the opening of a Somat production site in Serbia, a learning center for hair stylists in the US, and a beauty care laboratory in Dubai. Last year, Henkel spent $556 million on R&D, with 42% of the total devoted to home and beauty care projects.

For Q1 2019, corporate sales rose 2.8% to $5.6 billion, helped along by gains in home and laundry care, which were partially offset by weakness in beauty care. Organic growth was less than 1%.
Beauty care’s organic sales fell 2.2% to $1.1 billion and were below the company’s expectations. While there were positive effects from newly-launched brands and innovations and continued development of the hair professional business across mature and emerging markets, weakness in Western Europe and China hurt retail business results. Still, got2b achieved double digit growth that was aided by positive input from bloggers and other influencers. North American sales were strong helped, in part, by strong growth driven by core Dial products. In contrast, home and laundry care organic sales jumped 4.7% to $1.9 billion; emerging markets led the way, while North America returned to growth after the region was hampered by delivery issues a year ago.

In June, Henkel reported it will invest $19 million to expand its West Hazleton, PA facility. This investment will enable the company to open a new production line for both Dial body wash and Dial liquid hand soap and will help enable future growth for the business. As part of its investment in the facility, Henkel has added 14 new jobs to support the Dial brand, raising the total employee count at the plant to 180.

“This is an exciting time for the West Hazleton plant,” said Tricia Fair, plant manager. “The West Hazleton facility has a long history of manufacturing Dial products and we are very pleased that Henkel’s investment will drive growth and bring new jobs to our community. The line expansion is an investment in the future of both the company and the brand’s mission. Dial has been a trusted brand to families for over seventy years, and we are committed to furthering the brand’s efforts to help deliver clean, healthy skin to consumers everywhere.”

“At Henkel, we’re committed to ensuring that each of our brands has the resources necessary to drive continuous and future growth, and Henkel has invested nearly $5 billion in the US market over the past four years to support that growth,” said Heather Wallace, senior vice president and general manager, Beauty Care North America. “Enhanced production capabilities such as this investment at West Hazleton helps position our beauty care business for success and provide consumers and customers with the innovative, high-quality products they have come to love and expect from Henkel.”

The line officially began production of the Dial products on June 17 and was officially commemorated on June 20 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Wallace, Fair and the North American Beauty leadership team.

Sales: $11.8 billion for home and beauty care.
Corporate sales: $21.9 billion.

Innovation, agility and digitalization will drive Henkel for the next several years, according to company executives. One goal is to double digital sales to more than four billion euros by 2020. The plan is working in the short-term; last year, corporate sales rose 7%, topping $20 billion for the first time.

Beauty care sales increased less than 1% to about $4.5 billion. Henkel blamed a global slowdown in beauty for part of the decline. Sales in North America fell, while results in Western Europe were weakened by promotional activity, severe price and trade pressure and declining average price.

Laundry and home care sales soared nearly 15% to about $7.3 billion, due in large part to The Sun Products Corporation acquisition.

As part of its strategic priority “accelerate digitalization,” Henkel further digitized its interactions with customers, consumers, business partners, and suppliers along the entire value chain. Digitally driven sales increased double-digit across all business units. Henkel invested in Industry 4.0, implemented smart factory concepts and further digitized its integrated global supply chain. To strengthen the digital Capabilities of employees, specific training and development programs were rolled out. The newly appointed chief digital officer established a dedicated organization, driving the digital transformation across all units. Henkel will be the new platform to bring together internal and external networks and collaboration events, digital engagement formats as well as new ways of working, said the company. To create a more agile organization, Henkel has fostered the entrepreneurial spirit of its employees, introduced more flexible business models to better adapt to dynamic markets. As part of the Fastest-Time-To-Market initiative, innovation lead times have been reduced and entries into new markets have been accelerated. All initiatives to fund growth are on track to realize the targeted benefits: By 2020, they are expected to generate annual efficiency gains of more than €500 million.

Last year, Henkel upgraded and expanded its beauty care production plant in Russia and built a laundry and home care production plant in Egypt.

In 2018, in the US, Henkel dedicated new research and development facilities in Connecticut. In Stamford, the 24,000-square foot facility employs about 40 people, and comprises a formulation lab, which develops Henkel Beauty Care products including Dial, Right Guard, Tone, Schwarzkopf and got2b as well as Research@Elm, a clinical testing lab.

“Our new location in Stamford allows for optimal access to key suppliers and customers, while giving our research and development team a state-of-the-art workspace to achieve their full potential in creating and testing top quality product formulations and packages,” said Martina Spinatsch, VP-R&D for Henkel’s beauty care division. “In addition, the proximity of our labs to our marketing teams encourages collaboration and enables us to ensure all of our beauty care brands benefit from our advanced technologies and scientific expertise.”

The expanded facility in Trumbull spans 27,000 square feet and includes formulation laboratories, a consumer product and fragrance evaluation center, packaging design, and two pilot plants that support production scale up capabilities for the company’s beauty care and laundry and home care divisions.

“With the expansion of our research and development facilities in Trumbull, Henkel is demonstrating its commitment not only to the local community, but to continuing the growth its laundry, home care and beauty care businesses,” said Dr. Charles Crawford, head of R&D for Henkel’s laundry and home care division in North America.

“By broadening our scientific and technical capabilities, we are investing in our position as a leading provider of laundry, home care and beauty care products in North America, enabling our brands to launch innovative new products that delight consumers,” he said.

Consumer products developed by this division include Persil ProClean, All and Purex laundry detergents; Snuggle fabric conditioners; Renuzit air care products; and more.
For the first quarter of 2018, organic beauty care sales fell 4.3%. Excluding the impact from the delivery difficulties in North America, sales would have been around prior-year level, according to the company.

The laundry and home care business unit registered a slight decrease (0.7%) in organic sales in the first quarter. Excluding the delivery difficulties in North America, laundry & home care would have reported a good sales growth.

In May, Henkel agreed to acquire JemPak Corporation, Canada, for about €77 million (about $90 million). Last year, JemPak had sales of approximately $70 million and employs 140 people. Based in Concord, Canada the business is focused on the US and the Canadian laundry and home care retailer brands business and offers products in attractive and growing categories such as automatic dishwashing, laundry caps and fabric finishers. It operates two manufacturing sites.

“This acquisition complements and strengthens our existing laundry and home care portfolio in North America. We will further expand our No. 2 market position in this attractive market and will strengthen our leading position in the retailer brands category in North America,” explained Bruno Piacenza, EVP-laundry & home care business.

For the year, Henkel expects organic growth of 0-2% for beauty care and 2-4% for laundry and home care.

Sales: $10.2 billion

The Sun makes things grow. No company knows that more than Henkel which, a little over a year ago, spent $3.5 billion to acquire Sun Products and its lineup of value-priced detergents. That acquisition made Henkel the No. 2 laundry care company in North America and provided a lift sales of household cleaning products, especially going forward. Interestingly, Henkel funded the acquisition with €2.2 billion in bonds with negative yields—the first DAX corporation in Germany to utilize that instrument.

Henkel says North America is its largest market, accounting for 25% of sales, and the Sun acquisition “marks an important step for Henkel in North America,” according to the company. The consumer goods businesses of Henkel and Sun Products are being merged into a new shared site in Stamford, CT.

Laundry and home care sales increased 4.7% in 2016, well-ahead of a market that is still dogged by price and promotional competition. By region, Western Europe was flat, while growth in North America was moderate. Elsewhere, solid gains were recorded in Eastern Europe and Latin America, but sales in Africa/Middle East declined as a result of the challenging market environment.

Beauty care sales were essentially flat last year at $4.2 billion, but Henkel’s mega-brand Schwarzkopf had more than €2 billion in sales. In fact, Henkel’s top 10 beauty brands accounted for more than 90% of division sales.

Western European results were tamped down by promotional activities and other pricing pressures. Elsewhere, Africa/Middle East sales continued to expand, but growth in Asia, outside Japan, slowed due to weakness in China. Latin America and Eastern Europe, both showed positive developments, according to Henkel. But no matter what the market, professional hair care remained “under pressure” as consumers limited their time and money spent at salons. Still, Henkel maintains it is the No. 3 player in the professional hair care category.

In March, Henkel agreed to acquire Nattura Laboratorios, S.A. de C.V., headquartered in Guadalajara, Mexico, and associated companies in the US, Colombia and Spain. The move strengthens Henkel’s professional hair care business and expands its footprint in emerging and mature markets. Thanks to the popularity of brands such as Pravana and Tec Italy, Nattura had sales of more than $100 million last year.

“This acquisition is part of our strategy to strengthen our position in attractive markets and categories. We will expand our Hair Professional business in Mexico and further leverage our brand portfolio in the US hair professional market,” said Henkel CEO Hans Van Bylen.

“The high-performance and high-quality brands of Nattura Laboratorios are a perfect fit for our beauty care business. They will complete our hair professional colorants core category and will reinforce Henkel’s global No. 3 position in this business. Moreover, this transaction will provide a platform for further growth in the attractive Latin American market,” added Pascal Houdayer, who is an executive vice president and is responsible for Henkel’s beauty care business.

The parties agreed to not disclose any financial details of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

For the first quarter of 2017, Sun Products continued to shine for Henkel, as laundry and home care sales jumped 29.5% to more than $1.8 billion. Henkel said strong organic sales were driven by gains in emerging markets. Asia, excluding Japan, achieved double-digit growth, while sales improved in Latin America. Eastern Europe and Africa/Middle East regions also had gains.

Beauty care sales rose 6.4% to about $1.1 billion in Q1. Like the home care business, emerging markets provided a lift in sales, as did salon products. Regionally, North America had a big increase in sales, while Western Europe sales were flat.

Sales: $15.6 billion

Normally, the US rollout of a brand as big as Persil would command headlines, but Henkel outdid itself earlier this year with the proposed $3.5 billion acquisition of Sun Products. If approved, Euromonitor International’s Ian Bell says the purchase would make Henkel the No. 2 player in the North American laundry category and the No. 4 player in North American home care. Sun had sales of about $1.6 billion in the US and Canada.

The acquisition comes less than a year after Henkel made the bold move to take Procter & Gamble head on in the US detergent aisle with the introduction of Persil ProClean in US markets. As Bell noted in Happi, even with the addition of Sun, Henkel remains in the shadow of P&G whose value sales in home care topped $10 billion last year. Still, the US market could use a shakeup, as discounting by all the major players is putting pressure on sales.

Every multinational is feeling the pressure these days to find growth in an increasingly connected global market—even Henkel, which posted extraordinarily good 2015 results. Corporate sales increased 5.7% without Forex effects and more than 10% overall.

Laundry and home care sales increased 11% (28% of corporate sales). Organic sales increased 4.9%. The gains were due, in part to the roll out of Persil ProClean. Elsewhere, new Persil Power-Mix Caps are pre-portioned formulas for Europe. For price-conscious consumers in 25 emerging markets throughout Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa and Middle East, Henkel rethought the positioning of several of its heavy-duty detergent brands in the value segment. These brands include Pemos in Russia, Tomi in Hungary and 1-2-3 in Mexico.

Within the liquid detergent segment, the company rolled out the PowerShot dispensing system in Western Europe under the Le Chat, Mir and X-tra brands. In Africa/Middle East, the company launched Persil Black Abaya, a UV-absorbing liquid formula to keep black garments from fading.

Beauty care sales increased 8.1% (21% of corporate sales), with a 2.1% organic increase. Henkel’s top 10 brands grew more quickly than the rest of the company’s portfolio and once again accounted for more than 90% of sales. The gains came despite market weakness in Western Europe and North America. Meanwhile, Africa, Middle East and Asia (excluding Japan) continued to grow, but at a slower pace, according to Henkel. Elsewhere, Eastern European sales grew despite constant pressures and Latin American results improved during 2015.

The introduction of caring hair colorants such as Keratin Color, a triple-keratin formula, and the ammonia-free Palette Perfect Care Color for beginners helped boost hair color sales. For guys, Henkel launched Schwarzkopf Men in Germany, Russia and China.

By region, sales in Western Europe rose 5.6% due to gains in France and the UK, which were partially offset by declines in Switzerland and the northern European countries. Sales in Eastern Europe declined 15%, due to devaluation of the Russian ruble; but organic sales rose 7.3% due to gains in Russia and Turkey.

Latin American sales rose 7.9%, with organic growth of 8.8%. Double-digit gains in Mexico led the way.

Sales in Asia increased 17.1%; organic sales rose 2.5%.

Organic sales in Africa/Middle East rose 6.8%, as all units posted gains. Nominal growth was 17.3%. North America’s organic sales rose 2.3% (up 26.5% when Forex effects and acquisitions are included).

Between the launch of Persil in the US and the acquisition of Sun Products, one might nearly forget that Henkel got a new CEO this year. In January, Kasper Rorsted surprised many when he announced plans to step down and move over to Adidas. Hans Van Bylen, a 54 year-old Belgian who had been in charge of Henkel’s beauty business, has replaced him. Van Bylen joined Henkel in 1984 and is just the second non-German to lead the company (Rorsted, a native of Denmark, was the first).

For the first quarter of 2016, sales rose less than 1%. The company’s laundry and home care business unit recorded organic sales growth of 4.7%, while beauty care’s organic sales increased 2.6%.

Sales: $10.0 billion

Corporate sales rose less than 1% last year. Laundry and home care accounted for 28% of sales and beauty care represented 22%. With currencies in flux, developed markets stagnating and emerging markets slowing, Henkel is focused on the bottom line. After a successful debut in Asia two years ago, the company is rolling out an integrated SAP platform in Europe and has shifted more than 45,000 employees to a new digital platform to improve global collaboration.

By region, emerging markets; i.e., Eastern Europe, Africa/Middle East, Latin America and Asia, excluding Japan, accounted for 44% of sales; followed by Western Europe (35%); North America (18%); and Japan, Australia, New Zealand (2%). Henkel is looking to bolster its US business in a big way. Earlier this year, Henkel took on P&G in the US with the roll out of Persil ProClean via a partnership with Walmart. The move, according to Euromonitor Analyst Ian Bell, could earn Persil as much as $100 million (retail) in sales this year. Persil is already a E1 billion global brand. Even better, Schwarzkopf is a E2 billion brand.

Sales in emerging markets once again made an above-average contribution to growth, led by double-digit gains in the Africa/Middle East region. Sales were very strong in Asia too.

To keep it all growing, Henkel purchased a number of new brands and businesses such as Sexy Hair, Kenra and Alterna hair care brands in North America; the Spotless Group of laundry, home care and insect control products in Western Europe; and the “E” laundry and home care brands in Eastern Europe.

For the first quarter of 2015, corporate sales rose 12.7% to a record €4.43 billion (nearly $4.9 million at press time). Laundry and home care sales rose 13.2% and beauty care sales were up 9.9%. In February, Henkel opened a global experience center in Düsseldorf. At the center, visitors can experience the unit’s innovation via interaction and live demonstrations. During the quarter, the company rolled out X-Tra and Purex PowerShot, a new dosing system that precisely measures liquid detergent for optimal results without overdosing.

In May, Henkel agreed to acquire Colgate-Palmolive’s range of laundry detergents and pre-wash brands in Australia and New Zealand in a €220 million ($242 million) all-cash deal. The brands, which include Cold Power, Dynamo, Fab and Sard, had sales of about €110 million ($121 million).

“This agreement is another step in the execution of our global strategy to selectively invest in attractive country category positions,” said Bruno Piacenza, executive vice president, laundry and home care. “With this transaction we will cover an attractive regional white spot in our core category laundry care with successful brands. The acquired business also provides a platform to further expand our laundry and home care business by leveraging our broad portfolio of leading brands and innovations in these markets.”

Looking ahead, by the end of 2016, Henkel expects corporate sales in emerging markets to reach 10 billion euros, with 12 countries from the emerging markets to rank among Henkel’s top 20 markets by 2016.

Sales: $10.9 billion

In recent months, Henkel has pulled out its checkbook, snapping up a variety of established brands across two of its three pillars of business: beauty, household and adhesives, the last of which is beyond Happi’s scope. In the space of one week in June, Henkel spent more than $1.6 billion to shore up both its personal care and household care offerings.

Earlier this year, Henkel said it had more than $6 billion to spend on acquisitions. If that number still holds, then more acquisitions may be on the way. On June 2, the company agreed to acquire three hair care brands, SexyHair, Alterna and Kenra from TSG Consumer Partners, San Francisco, for about $370 million.

“This acquisition is part of our strategy to invest in attractive country category positions in mature markets,” said Henkel CEO Kasper Rorsted. “North America is the biggest single market for Henkel and with these companies, we will further strengthen our presence in this region.”

According to Henkel, these businesses will strengthen its US professional hair care portfolio especially in the care and styling categories, and make Henkel one of the leading companies in the world’s single biggest professional hair care market. In the fiscal year 2013, the acquired companies generated sales of about $190 million.

“The high-performance and high-quality brands and organizations are a perfect fit for our beauty care business and will significantly expand our hair professional core category,” explained Hans Van Bylen, executive vice president and responsible for Henkel’s beauty care business.

Just three days later, on June 5, Henkel said it would acquire Spotless Group for nearly $1.3 billion.

“This acquisition is part of Henkel’s global strategy to selectively invest in attractive country category positions in mature markets,” said Rorsted. “By acquiring the Spotless Group, we will strengthen our market position and enter highly profitable growth segments. The transaction will be immediately accretive to earnings.”

The Spotless Group mainly operates in the areas of laundry aids (laundry sheets, stain removers, fabric dyes), insect control and household care in Western Europe. Among the leading brands of the company are Eau Ecarlate, Dylon, Grey and Catch. The company generated sales of about $383 million last year. The Spotless Group holds leading market positions in established European markets such as France, Italy, Spain, Benelux and the UK, and employs about 470 people.

“The leading brands and technologies of the Spotless Group are a perfect fit for our portfolio with regard to business segments and regions and offer potential for future profitable growth,” explained Bruno Piacenza, executive vice president and responsible for Henkel’s laundry and home care business.

Just last month, Rorsted said Henkel is looking for spend more on acquisitions in Mexico and the US.

“If we can get strong assets in the emerging countries, they have the compelling underlying that they will deliver higher long-term growth, but we see very few quality assets in the emerging markets,” Rorsted said.

The moves were announced after Henkel said first quarter 2014 sales fell 2.6% to $5.3 billion. The laundry and home care business unit posted strong organic sales growth of 6.0%, but sales were flat at $1.6 billion. In the beauty care business unit, organic sales rose 3%, but reported sales fell nearly 2% to $1.1 billion. By region, Asia posted double-digit gains, Eastern Europe showed “solid development” but sales in North America fell sharply, due to pricing pressure.

Last year, corporate sales slipped about 1%. Laundry and home care sales rose less than 1% to $6.2 billion. But organic sales increased 5.7% due to double-digit gains in emerging markets such as Turkey, as well as the Africa/Middle East and Asia/Pacific regions. The company’s new distribution center in Dusseldorf has a capacity of 90,000 pallets and will replace four regional warehouses in Germany.

Beauty care sales also fell less than 1%, to $4.8 billion. Organic sales rose 3%, as double-digit gains in Asia were due to “substantial” business expansion in China. The Africa/Middle East region also posted double-digit gains. Last year, sales of Schwarzkopf reached 2 billion euros for the first time.

By the end of 2016, Henkel expects sales to top 20 billion euros, with half of sales coming from emerging markets.

Sales: $13.0 billion

Corporate sales rose 5.8% to $26.6 billion—which was enough for CEO Kasper Rorsted to declare, “2012 was the most successful year for Henkel so far. We achieved excellent results in a highly volatile and competitive market environment and met or exceeded all financial targets.”

Laundry and home care sales rose 5.9% to $7.3 billion, with all regions providing a lift. Western European economies remained under pressure, but sales rose thanks to good gains in Germany, France and Italy. Sales in North America were also up and sales in emerging markets increased by a high single-digit percentage.

Beauty care sales were up 4.2% to $5.7 billion. Sales in Europe were flat, but business was brisk in emerging markets, especially in China and Africa/Middle East, where Henkel posted a double-digit gain.

Last year, Henkel spent $655 million on R&D, but 63% of that went to the adhesives group. Laundry and home care accounted for 23% of R&D spending and beauty care just 14%.

Back in 2008, Henkel set some aggressive growth goals for 2012 and managed to achieve and surpass all of them. For instance, it aimed for annual organic sales growth of 3-5% and achieved 3.3%; aimed for adjusted return on sales of 14% and achieved 14.1% and aimed for annual growth in adjusted earnings per preferred share of great than 10% and came in at 14%.

All good stuff, but now it’s time to raise the bar. So, by 2016, the company expects to have:

• Annual sales of €20 billion (or more than $32 billion at 2012 exchange rates);
• Annual sales in emerging markets of €10 billion; and
• 10% earnings per share.

Three megatrends played a key role in defining these targets:

• Progressive consolidation among competitors, customes and suppliers, as size becomes an increasingly important factor in Henkel’s ability to compete over the long term.
• A continuing shift to emerging markets.
• Speed and volatility of markets will continue and may even increase, requiring processes and structures that more flexible and efficient.

But identifying goals are one thing—achieving them another. Henkel management noted that the new sales target equates to sales growth of €3.5 billion during the next four years, compared to sales growth of €2.5 billion during the past four years and, more precisely, achieving sales growth of about €3 billion in emerging markets. Thus, the focus in laundry, home care and beauty care will center on the regional expansion of categories and the addition of new countries.

Corporate sales rose less than 1% in the first quarter to $5.1 billion, but organic sales growth was up 2.5%.  Laundry and home care registered organic growth of 8.0%. Beauty care organic growth was 4.0%.

“We increased both sales and earnings in the first quarter of 2013 despite a challenging market environment with declining markets in Western Europe and weak global industrial demand,” said Rorsted. “Both laundry and home care and beauty care outperformed their relevant markets.”

Sales: $10.7 billion

Corporate sales rose more than 3% last year to $21.7 billion and net income was up more than 12%.

Henkel’s Dial franchise holds a Hello Kitty license.

By category, laundry and home care sales fell 0.3% to nearly $6 billion. Henkel noted that the global market was marred by severe competition and rising raw material costs. Despite these difficulties, Henkel managed to outperform its rivals and boost market share on the strength of favorable developments in Europe and better than expected results in North America. Eastern Europe returned to growth due to big gains in Russia and Turkey and Latin America posted gains as well. Although the Africa/Middle East region was hurt by political unrest in the first half of 2011, the situation stabilized in the second half. Henkel expanded its share in South Korea, its only market in the Asia/Pacific region.

Sales of cosmetics and toiletries rose 4% to $4.7 billion. All regions provided a lift, but the biggest came from the emerging markets of Africa/Middle East, Latin America and Asia (excluding Japan), where Henkel posted double-digit gains. Within the branded consumer segment, hair care led the way, due to new products launches from Schwarzkopf and Syoss. Hair colorant sales were up due to the launch of Syoss Mixing Colors, a product with two harmonized shades for self-mixing, and Palette Mousse Color, the first foam colorant in Europe that mixes in a shaker. Body care sales got a lift from entry into new categories and product launches under the Fa, Dial and Right Guard brands. Within skin care, Henkel introduced Dr. Caspari Hormoderm, the first product from Diadermine that counters the effects of menopause on the skin-aging process.

Henkel owns the Diadermine skin care range.

Last year, Henkel spent $571 million on R&D. Of that total, 24% went to laundry and home care and 15% went to cosmetics and toiletries. In 2011, Henkel researchers developed a modified protease through the optimization of enzyme/stain interaction as a means of improving the washing performance of liquid detergents, particularly at low wash temperatures starting at just 20°C. Also last year, researchers developed highly concentrated liquid laundry detergents in soluble, pre-dosed capsules which guarantee, with just half the usual dose, maximum performance per wash, while at the same time conserving resources, especially packaging. Finally, the company developed a new generation of glass cleaners using surfactants manufactured entirely from renewable raw materials.

On the subject of cosmetics and toiletries’ R&D, Henkel created treatment oils in a hair colorant that improve care properties, and innovative hair care products for rebuilding the hair structure and reducing split ends. Also new is a next generation body wash that not only cleans, but also protects against body odor and imparts a freshness feel that lasts up to 18 hours. Lastly, new extreme hold hair gels are based on innovative polymer technology.

For the first quarter of 2012, sales rose 4.8% to $5.2 billion, led by an 8.7% increase in emerging market sales. Laundry and home care sales rose 4.5% to $1.4 billion due to gains in emerging markets such as Africa/Middle East and Latin America. Meanwhile, emerging market strength propelled cosmetics and toiletries’ sales 4% to $1.1 billion.

Sales: $10 billion

Purex Crystals is the latest innovation from Henkel.

By category, laundry accounted for 29% of Henkel’s sales, cosmetics and toiletries represented 22% of sales, with the remainder attributed to adhesives.

Laundry and home care sales rose 4.6% to $5.7 billion—not bad, considering the heavy discounting that took place throughout much of 2010. Three brands—Persil, Purex (in North America) and Dixan—accounted for 32% of sales within the division. The top 10 brands accounted for 81% of division sales. The weakest sales were in southern Europe, the US and much of Eastern Europe. But they were offset by strong sales in Germany and a large portion of Africa/Middle East. In fact, AME posted double-digit market growth, but in Latin America, sales were flat as price erosion was offset by volume increases. It was the same in Asia, where a difficult pricing environment in India put a damper on the entire region. Despite the conditions, Henkel executives insisted that branded consumer goods manufacturers were able to gain market share at the expense of private label houses.

Sales of cosmetics and toiletries rose 8.6% to $4.3 billion. Sales in Western Europe and North America remain difficult, especially in hair care, where price promotion and discounting were a way of life. Even the dynamic growth that was so characteristic of Eastern Europe vanished last year, as sales in the region declined. In contrast, sales were up in Africa/Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
Together, Schwarzkopf, Dial (North America) and Fa represented 71% of cosmetics and toiletries sales last year, and the top 10 brands accounted for 89% of sales. In fact, Schwarzkopf is Henkel’s biggest brand.

For the first quarter of 2011, Henkel’s corporate sales rose 8.9% to just over $5 billion. Laundry and home care sales rose 2.2% to $1.4 billion, while cosmetics and toiletries sales jumped 7.7% to nearly $1.1 billion.

Sales: $9.9 billion

Corporate sales fell nearly 4% last year, but for Happi readers, the decline is deceiving as sales within the adhesives unit fell 7.1% during that period. Meanwhile, sales of laundry and home care products dropped just 1%, and cosmetics and toiletries sales fell a scant 0.2%.

Taking a closer look at the $5.7 billion laundry and home care unit, detergents accounted for 53% of sales, followed by cleaning products at 35%; and insecticides and air fresheners at 6% each. Sales in Western Europe were up modestly. Sales growth in Eastern Europe slowed from the double-digit gains posted in 2008, but Henkel still managed to grow market share.

In the emerging markets of Africa/Middle East, Latin America and Asia, several key markets, such as Russia and Egypt, posted double-digit sales gains. However, sales in Asia were hurt by the 2008 decision to exit China. Finally, results in North America were mixed, as a small gain in detergent sales was offset by a decline in household cleaners.

Among the novel new product launches in laundry and home care, Henkel rolled out Persil ActiPower, a coldwater laundry detergent, Somat 9 dishwashing liquid and Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets.

In the cosmetics and toiletries sector, sales dipped to just under $4.2 billion. Skin care accounted for 35% of sales, followed by hair cosmetics and salon products, 32%; body care, 22%; and oral care, 11%. The primary reason for the decline in sales was the lackluster hair care business, as cash-strapped consumers stayed away from hair salons. Despite the difficult salon environment, Henkel managed to expand share and retain its No. 3 position in the global hair salon market.

In cosmetics and toiletries, Schwarzkopf Essential Color is Henkel’s first 100% permanent hair colorant without ammonia. Syoss is billed as an affordable, professional hair care line, and new Dial Anti-Oxidant body wash contains cranberries and antioxidant pearls.

The good news is that Henkel turned in a strong first quarter performance in 2010, as sales rose 7.8% to $4.8 billion.

Henkel raised consumer awareness about the plight of the homeless with its Shower Power Mobile Shower.

“Once again our strong brands made a further major contribution to Henkel’s gratifying Q1 results. However, this very good performance is also due to our efforts in adapting our structures and reducing our costs, coupled with the good progress we have made in the implementation of our strategic priorities,” said Kasper Rorsted, chairman, Henkel management board. “Now we are looking forward to a noticeable improvement in our results of more than 15% for the full fiscal year versus 2009.”

Laundry and home care sales rose 3.5% to $1.4 billion, as emerging markets continued to grow and conditions improved in Western Europe and North America. Sales were helped along by the introduction of several novel products. For example, Persil Hygiene Rinser was launched in a number of countries in Western Europe while Eastern European markets saw the rollout of Persil Gold Plus Active, an innovative product that reduces the amount of energy required per laundry wash. The home care business made a disproportionate contribution to the rise in sales. The geographic breakdown shows that Henkel registered growth momentum in virtually all its regions, particularly in Africa/Middle East, Asia and North America. In North America, the focus was on the launch of products under the Soft Scrub brand for gentle surface cleaning in the bathroom and kitchen. Suitable for removing a wide range of soil types, they reduce the amount of effort required and accelerate the cleaning process on all surfaces, according to the company.

While laundry and home care sales rose in the first quarter, the cosmetics and toiletries business did even better, posting a 5.5% gain that outstripped both the high levels of growth achieved in recent quarters and the overall rate of market expansion, according to Henkel. The growth regions of Asia-Pacific, Africa/Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe turned in excellent results, and a significant contribution to growth also came from the mature markets of Western Europe.

Best of all, hair care returned to growth, following the relaunch of the Schauma Volume series with pushup effect, accompanied by the introduction of the new Gliss Shea Cashmere line. In the colorants business, priority was given to the launch of the Syoss Color line and driving forward the further successful expansion of Essential Colors.

Looking toward the end of the year, Henkel expects the world economy to grow by approximately 3% but without any anticipation of a sustained upturn.

Sales: $10.5 billion

Henkel celebrated the 111th birthday of Schwarzkopf at a special gala in Munich.

Henkel’s corporate sales in 2008 rose 8.1% to $20.7 billion. Laundry and home care product sales for the year were $6.1 billion, up 0.6%; cosmetics and toiletries were $4.4 billion, a gain of 1.5% over 2007 results. According to Kasper Rorsted, chief executive officer, business was more difficult in North America and Western Europe than in previous years, while in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia, the company continued to post strong growth in both sales and profits.

Breaking down its global laundry and home care sales by product type, detergents accounted for 52% of 2008 sales, followed by cleaning products (35%), air fresheners (7%) and insecticides (6%).The company said sales rose nominally, despite the negative effects of foreign exchange. Organic growth came in at 3.8%, which Henkel said was primarily price-driven. While it did manage to increase organic sales in all regions, a large proportion of this growth was attributable to Europe/Africa/Middle East zone, according to company officials. Double digital growth rates were also recorded in some countries in Eastern Europe.

Within laundry, the strongest growth came from Henkel’s heavy-duty detergents and fabric softeners. In home care, the main contributors to organic sales growth were dishwashing detergent and bathroom products. Sales of hand-dishwashing products rose in Africa/Middle East with Pril achieving double-digit percentage growth rates in a number of important companies. In bathroom products, growth in Eastern Europe outstripped that of the market as a whole, helping to increase its market share, according to the company.

In cosmetics and toiletries, hair cosmetics and salon products represent 33% of Henkel’s sales in this sector, followed by skin care (30%), body care (26%) and oral care (11%). According to Henkel, organic sales rose 4.7%. In nominal terms, sales ticked up 1.5%, despite the removal of marginal activities in this sector and negative foreign exchange impact, the company said.

In regard to R&D, Henkel’s expenditures in 2008 were approximately $639 million with laundry and home care accounting for 24% of the total and cosmetics and toiletries 15%. In January 2009, Phenion GmbH—a Düsseldorf-based firm that had operated as an independent department within Henkel’s R&D unit of cosmetics/toiletries business—became part of Henkel Group.

Henkel remains committed to being green, regardless of how the global economy is faring. In its 2008 annual report, Albrecht Woeste said: “The positive impact of sustainable development is not economy-dependent. The benefits are there and remain tangible in both good and bad times.” Between 2004 and 2008, the company’s energy consumption (per ton of output) was down 11%, waste was down 30% and water consumption dropped 35%.

Henkel’s Persil detergent

The firm also has made strides when it comes to greener products, such as Purex Natural Elements, which won a Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation, which honors products that show clear-cut innovation and success in the marketplace. The innovative formulation combines excellent laundry power and performance with the best possible environmental compatibility. Also on the green front, Henkel rolled out Terra Activ household cleaner in October 2008. Its ingredients are, on average, 85% derived from renewable raw materials. In April 2009, Henkel added Terra Activ liquid laundry detergent, which is designed to deliver high levels of cleaning power at just 20°C, according to the company.

“Only if the laundry is clean after the washing process can there be any payoff from an environmentally aware approach,” explained Thomas Tönnesmann, marketing manager for Henkel’s laundry and home care products in Germany.

There were some changes in Henkel’s U.S.-based operations at the close of 2008. For starters, in November, Henkel sold off its stake in Ecolab Inc., an investment it held since 1989. The company received approximately $2 billion for its 67.1 million shares of common stock of the St. Paul, MN-based company, which provides cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection control products and services.Also at the end of 2008, Dial Corp. moved into its new North American Consumer Products facility, which houses 800 Henkel employees, including R&D and administrative staff.

In personnel moves, as previously announced, Albrecht Woeste, chairman of the supervisory board and of the shareholders’ committee of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA will retire next month. Effective Sept. 18, Dr. Simone Bagel-Trah will be take over as chair.She’s the great-great-granddaughter of the company founder, Dr. Simone Bagel-Trah.

Sales: $9.75 billion for household and personal care products.
Corporate sales: $17.9 billion.

Laundry and home care product sales, which represent 32% of Henkel’s total sales, rose 0.8% to $5.7 billion. However, the unit recorded organic growth of 5.5%, with Europe, Africa and Middle East region making major contributions. In Western Europe, Henkel said it benefitted from its “Best Ever” campaign, which showcased Persil’s centennial, and the launch of other premium detergents in Europe. Stiff competition in North America adversely affected organic sales growth, according to the company. Within the Asia-Pacific region, Henkel called its Indian performance, “especially gratifying.”

By sector, sales growth came from heavy-duty detergents and fabric softeners. In home care, dishwashing and bathroom products made major contributions. The firm said that the launch of Somat 7, which featured a cleaning booster and activator which made it perform better at low temperatures, was very successful.

During 2007, Henkel’s capital expenditures for laundry and home care operations totaled $230 million. The firm expanded its European manufacturing base for liquid products and invested funds to modernize and merge certain research and administrative facilities and improve IT and safety and compliance capabilities.

In cosmetics and toiletries, Henkel’s sales rose 3.7% to €2.7 billion with organic growth of 5.8%. During the fiscal year, Henkel sold its Morris Profumi fine fragrance business to focus it on its key cosmetic and personal care offerings, which include Schwarzkopf, Fa and Dial.

According to Henkel, business in Western Europe grew substantially faster than the market. In Eastern Europe, Henkel continued its strong growth performance with a double-digit percentage increase in revenues. “Appreciable growth” was achieved in the Middle East and in Latin America. Sales in North America reflected the expansion of Dial, according to the company.

By product group, Henkel recorded a substantial increase in sales and market share to new record levels. In hair products, performance was driven by top colorant brands, including Palette and Brilliance. Also, Men Perfect, a new men’s color line from Schwarzkopf,  “attracted further interest,” according to Henkel.

In body care, Dial and Fa successfully continued their innovation offensive, with new products such as Fa Naturals shower gel and deodorant complementing the established yogurt range, which generated brisk demand throughout Europe. Dial increased sales and extended its market with new yogurt variant too as well as with Dial for Men.

Henkel’s skin care business was boosted by its main brand, Diadermine, with products such as Age ExCellium contributing to the success.

In oral care, Theramed achieved good results, helped by a new 2-in-1 freshness variant and the international launch of Theramed Titan Fresh.

Capital expenditures for Henkel’s cosmetic toiletries business totaled €69 million. Projects included optimization of structures and processes. Henkel closed a production plan in La Coruña, Spain in the fourth quarter.

As proof of its plan to focus on core businesses, including household and personal care, Henkel has announced its intention to divest its minority stake in Ecolab Inc.

On July 1, Henkel of America, Inc. relocated its North American corporate headquarters from Gulph Mills, PA to Rocky Hill, CT,  which is also the headquarters for its adhesive business in North America.