Personal care brands

Our personal care brands, including Axe, Dove, Lux, Pond's, Rexona and Sunsilk, are recognised
and love by consumers across India. They help consumers to look good and feel good – and in
turn get more out of life.

Aviance
Aviance enables women actualize their unique potential through expert customized beauty
solutions.

Axe
Axe with Best Quality Fragrance

LEVER Ayush Therapy

LEVER Ayush aims to help a new generation of Indians rediscover everyday health and vitality
through customized Ayurvedic solutions.
Breeze
Breeze, with the goodness of glycerine gives soft, fragrant and smooth skin.

Clear
New Clear with Essential Oils, guarantees Zero dandruff and leaves your hair feeling fabulous.

Clinic Plus
Clinic Plus - makes hair inside strong, outside long!

Closeup
Freshness that brings you Closer
Dove
Dove stands for real beauty. All around the world, Dove is making real women feel more
beautiful!

Fair & Lovely

More than 30 years ago, a unique brand was born. Wrapped within a humble lavender tube, it
went on to become the World’s No.1 Fairness cream.

Hamam
Holistic skin care experiences perfected over the ages to deliver healthy, beautiful skin

Lakme
Lakme is an ally to the Indian Woman and inspires her to express her unique beauty and
sensuality. Thus, enabling her to realize the potency of her beauty.

Lifebuoy
Lifebuoy is available in multiple variants in soaps and specialist formats such as liquid
handwash, catering to the entire family.

Liril 2000
Liril 2000-Now come closer to your loved ones

Lux
Lux – For soft and smooth skin!

Pears
Pears – the purest and most gentle way to skincare!

Pepsodent
Pepsodent India is committed to improve the overall Oral health of Indians.

Pond’s
Get the expert to look after your skin

Rexona
Rexona gives you silky skin irresistible to touch that keeps the romance alive!

Sunsilk
Sunsilk has had a re-style!
Vaseline
Your skin is amazing. It deserves to be treated as such.

Food brands
HUL is one of India’s leading food companies. Our passion for understanding what people want
and need from their food - and what they love about it - makes our brands a popular choice

Brooke Bond 3 Roses

Playful banter, a little mischief, serious conversation… there’s no time for young couples like the
time spent sharing a cup of 3 Roses.

Annapurna
Partnering with the mom in nurturing her dreams, Annapurna Atta is aimed at helping her
provide wholesome tasty nutrition to her family. 
Red Label
Brooke Bond Red Label… 'Chuskiyaan Zindagi ki'

Brooke Bond Taaza

Brooke Bond Taaza

Brooke Bond Taj Mahal

Brooke Bond Taj Mahal is an exclusive selection of teas for the discerning consumer.

Bru
Bru se hoti hain khushiyaan shuru…
Kissan
With Kissan, good food is loved not shoved!

Knorr
Knorr helps families make meal times special, nutritious, tasty and healthy.

Kwality Wall’s
A good honest scoop of daily pleasure.

Lipton
Lipton has a range of vitality teas that truly encompass the goodness of tea.
Modern
Modern – A Wholesome & Nourishing, Hygienically produced & Reliably Safe Bread

Brooke Bond Sehatmand

BB Sehatmand – Jo Sehatmand Woh Aage Har Dum!! (One who is healthy is a step ahead….
Always)

Home care brands

HUL has a diverse portfolio of brands offering home care solutions for millions of consumers
across India.

Active Wheel
New Active Wheel – with Power of lemons and freshness of thousands of flowers!
Cif
Cif- the best cleaner to let you shine.

Comfort
The world’s largest fabric conditioner brand.

Domex
The sheer power of Domex bleach gives you the confidence you need, eradicating all known
germs.

Rin
Rin provides ‘best in class whiteness’ which is demonstrable.
Sunlight
Sunlight is a color care brand

Surf Excel
Giving your kids the freedom to get dirty and experience life, safe in the knowledge that Surf
Excel will remove those stains

Vim
Created in 1885, the Vim brand is still innovating and using the magic of natural ingredients to
create unbeatable results over a hundred years later

Introduction to HUL
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company
with a heritage of over 75 years in India and touches the lives of two out of three Indians.

HUL works to create a better future every day and helps people feel good, look good and get more out
of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.
With over 35 brands spanning 20 distinct categories such as soaps, detergents, shampoos, skin care,
toothpastes, deodorants, cosmetics, tea, coffee, packaged foods, ice cream, and water purifiers, the
Company is a part of the everyday life of millions of consumers across India. Its portfolio includes leading
household brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf Excel, Rin, Wheel, Fair & Lovely, Pond’s, Vaseline, Lakmé,
Dove, Clinic Plus, Sunsilk, Pepsodent, Closeup, Axe, Brooke Bond, Bru, Knorr, Kissan, Kwality Wall’s and
Pureit.

The Company has over 15,000 employees and has an annual turnover of Rs.17,523 crores (financial year
2009 - 2010). HUL is a subsidiary of Unilever, one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving
consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries across the globe with annual sales of
about €40 billion in 2009. Unilever has about 52% shareholding in HUL.

Foods

From yummy ice creams to scrumptious sauces, our food brands can satisfy even the most
discerning palates. 

Home care

Whether you want fresh, soft clothes or sparklingly clean bathrooms, our home care brands can
help

Personal care

In need of hair care heroics? Wanting to relax with a luxurious bath? Our personal care brands
have answers to all these questions and more.

Our vision
Unilever products touch the lives of over 2 billion people every day – whether that's through
feeling great because they've got shiny hair and a brilliant smile, keeping their homes fresh and
clean, or by enjoying a great cup of tea, satisfying meal or healthy snack.

A clear direction
The four pillars of our vision set out the long term direction for the company – where we want to
go and how we are going to get there:

 We work to create a better future every day

 We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services
that are good for them and good for others.
 We will inspire people to take small everyday actions that can add up to a big difference
for the world.
 We will develop new ways of doing business with the aim of doubling the size of our
company while reducing our environmental impact.

We've always believed in the power of our brands to improve the quality of people’s lives and in
doing the right thing. As our business grows, so do our responsibilities. We recognise that global
challenges such as climate change concern us all. Considering the wider impact of our actions is
embedded in our values and is a fundamental part of who we are.

Our history
In the summer of 1888, visitors to the Kolkata harbour noticed crates full of Sunlight soap bars,
embossed with the words "Made in England by Lever Brothers". With it, began an era of
marketing branded Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

 Soon after followed Lifebuoy in 1895 and other famous brands like Pears,
Lux and Vim. Vanaspati was launched in 1918 and the famous Dalda brand came to the market
in 1937.

In 1931, Unilever set up its first Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing
Company, followed by Lever Brothers India Limited (1933) and United Traders Limited (1935).
These three companies merged to form HUL in November 1956; HUL offered 10% of its equity
to the Indian public, being the first among the foreign subsidiaries to do so. Unilever now holds
52.10% equity in the company. The rest of the shareholding is distributed among about 360,675
individual shareholders and financial institutions.

The erstwhile Brooke Bond's presence in India dates back to 1900. By 1903, the company had
launched Red Label tea in the country. In 1912, Brooke Bond & Co. India Limited was formed.
Brooke Bond joined the Unilever fold in 1984 through an international acquisition. The erstwhile
Lipton's links with India were forged in 1898. Unilever acquired Lipton in 1972, and in 1977
Lipton Tea (India) Limited was incorporated.
Pond's (India) Limited had been present in India since 1947. It joined the Unilever fold through
an international acquisition of Chesebrough Pond's USA in 1986.

Since the very early years, HUL has vigorously responded to the stimulus of economic growth.
The growth process has been accompanied by judicious diversification, always in line with
Indian opinions and aspirations.

The liberalisation of the Indian economy, started in 1991, clearly marked an inflexion in HUL's
and the Group's growth curve. Removal of the regulatory framework allowed the company to
explore every single product and opportunity segment, without any constraints on production
capacity.

Simultaneously, deregulation permitted alliances, acquisitions and mergers. In one of the most
visible and talked about events of India's corporate history, the erstwhile Tata Oil Mills
Company (TOMCO) merged with HUL, effective from April 1, 1993. In 1996, HUL and yet
another Tata company, Lakme Limited, formed a 50:50 joint venture, Lakme Unilever Limited,
to market Lakme's market-leading cosmetics and other appropriate products of both the
companies. Subsequently in 1998, Lakme Limited sold its brands to HUL and divested its 50%
stake in the joint venture to the company.

HUL formed a 50:50 joint venture with the US-based Kimberly Clark Corporation in 1994,
Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd, which markets Huggies Diapers and Kotex Sanitary Pads. HUL has
also set up a subsidiary in Nepal, Unilever Nepal Limited (UNL), and its factory represents the
largest manufacturing investment in the Himalayan kingdom. The UNL factory manufactures
HUL's products like Soaps, Detergents and Personal Products both for the domestic market and
exports to India.

The 1990s also witnessed a string of crucial mergers, acquisitions and alliances on the Foods and
Beverages front. In 1992, the erstwhile Brooke Bond acquired Kothari General Foods, with
significant interests in Instant Coffee. In 1993, it acquired the Kissan business from the UB
Group and the Dollops Icecream business from Cadbury India.

As a measure of backward integration, Tea Estates and Doom Dooma, two plantation companies
of Unilever, were merged with Brooke Bond. Then in 1994, Brooke Bond India and Lipton India
merged to form Brooke Bond Lipton India Limited (BBLIL), enabling greater focus and
ensuring synergy in the traditional Beverages business. 1994 witnessed BBLIL launching the
Wall's range of Frozen Desserts. By the end of the year, the company entered into a strategic
alliance with the Kwality Icecream Group families and in 1995 the Milkfood 100% Icecream
marketing and distribution rights too were acquired.

Finally, BBLIL merged with HUL, with effect from January 1, 1996. The internal restructuring
culminated in the merger of Pond's (India) Limited (PIL) with HUL in 1998. The two companies
had significant overlaps in Personal Products, Speciality Chemicals and Exports businesses,
besides a common distribution system since 1993 for Personal Products. The two also had a
common management pool and a technology base. The amalgamation was done to ensure for the
Group, benefits from scale economies both in domestic and export markets and enable it to fund
investments required for aggressively building new categories.

In January 2000, in a historic step, the government decided to award 74 per cent equity in
Modern Foods to HUL, thereby beginning the divestment of government equity in public sector
undertakings (PSU) to private sector partners. HUL's entry into Bread is a strategic extension of
the company's wheat business. In 2002, HUL acquired the government's remaining stake in
Modern Foods.

In 2003, HUL acquired the Cooked Shrimp and Pasteurised Crabmeat business of the Amalgam
Group of Companies, a leader in value added Marine Products exports.

HUL launched a slew of new business initiatives in the early part of 2000’s. Project Shakti was
started in 2001. It is a rural initiative that targets small villages populated by less than 5000
individuals. It is a unique win-win initiative that catalyses rural affluence even as it benefits
business. Currently, there are over 45,000 Shakti entrepreneurs covering over 100,000 villages
across 15 states and reaching to over 3 million homes.

In 2002, HUL made its foray into Ayurvedic health & beauty centre category with the Ayush
product range and Ayush Therapy Centres. Hindustan Unilever Network, Direct to home
business was launched in 2003 and this was followed by the launch of ‘Pureit’ water purifier in
2004.

In 2007, the Company name was formally changed to Hindustan Unilever Limited after
receiving the approval of share holders during the 74th AGM on 18 May 2007. Brooke Bond and
Surf Excel breached the the Rs 1,000 crore sales mark the same year followed by Wheel which
crossed the Rs.2,000 crore sales milestone in 2008.

On 17th October 2008 , HUL completed 75 years of corporate existence in India.

Purpose & principles

Our corporate purpose states that to succeed requires "the highest standards of corporate
behaviour towards everyone we work with, the communities we touch, and the environment on
which we have an impact."

Always working with integrity

Conducting our operations with integrity and with respect for the many people, organisations and
environments our business touches has always been at the heart of our corporate responsibility.
Positive impact 

We aim to make a positive impact in many ways: through our brands, our commercial operations
and relationships, through voluntary contributions, and through the various other ways in which
we engage with society. 

Continuous commitment

We're also committed to continuously improving the way we manage our environmental impacts
and are working towards our longer-term goal of developing a sustainable business.

Setting out our aspirations 

Our corporate purpose sets out our aspirations in running our business. It's underpinned by our
code of business Principles which describes the operational standards that everyone at Unilever
follows, wherever they are in the world. The code also supports our approach to governance and
corporate responsibility.

Working with others

We want to work with suppliers who have values similar to our own and work to the same
standards we do. Our Business partner code, aligned to our own Code of business principles,
comprises ten principles covering business integrity and responsibilities relating to employees,
consumers and the environment.

Company structure
Hindustan Unilever Limited is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company.
It is present in Home & Personal Care and Foods & Beverages categories. HUL has about 15,000
employees, including over 1400 managers

The fundamental principle determining the organisation structure is to infuse speed and
flexibility in decision-making and implementation, with empowered managers across the
company’s nationwide operations.

Board of Directors
The Board of Directors as repositories of the corporate powers act as a guardian to the Company
as also the protectors of shareholder’s interest.

Management Committee
The day-to-day management of affairs of the Company is vested with the Management
Committee which is subjected to the overall superintendence and control of the Board.

Board of Directors
The Board of Directors as repositories of the corporate powers act as a guardian to the Company
as also the protectors of shareholder’s interest.

This Apex body comprises of a Non- Executive Chairman, four whole time Directors and five
Independent Non – Executive Directors. The Board of the Company represents the optimum mix
of professionalism, knowledge and experience.

Mr. Harish Manwani - Chairman

Mr. Harish Manwani (55), assumed charge as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Company with
effect from 1st July, 2005.
Mr. Nitin Paranjpe - CEO and Managing Director
Mr. Nitin Paranjpe (46), after obtaining a degree in BE (Mechanical) and MBA in Marketing
(JBIMS) from Mumbai, joined the Company as a management trainee in 1987.

Mr. R. Sridhar - Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Sridhar Ramamurthy (45) is a Chartered Accountant (Gold Medallist) as well as a Cost
Accountant and Company Secretary.

Mr. Gopal Vittal - Executive Director, Home & Personal

Care
Mr. Gopal Vittal (42), an alumnus of Madras Christian College, completed his MBA from IIM,
Calcutta. Mr. Vittal has 18 years experience in Marketing & Sales in FMCG market including
Skin Care, Soaps and Laundry.

Mr Pradeep Banerjee - Executive Director, Supply Chain

Mr Pradeep Banerjee (51) joined HUL as a Management Trainee in 1980. 
Mr. D. S. Parekh - Independent Director
Mr. D. S. Parekh (64), is a B.Com graduate and holds a FCA degree from England and Wales.
Mr. Parekh has held senior positions in Grindlays and Chase Manhattan.

Mr. A. Narayan - Independent Director

Mr. A. Narayan (57), joined ICI India as a Management Trainee in 1973 and grew through
diverse functions and businesses before being appointed as the Managing Director of ICI India in
1996.

Mr. S. Ramadorai - Independent Director

Mr. S. Ramadorai (64), is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata
Consultancy Services Limited; Chairman of Tata Technologies Limited and Chairman of CMC
Limited.
Dr. R. A. Mashelkar - Independent Director
Dr. R. A. Mashelkar (66), is presently the President of Global Research Alliance, a network of
publicly funded R&D institutes from Asia-Pacific Europe and USA.

Management Committee
The day-to-day management of affairs of the Company is vested with the Management
Committee which is subjected to the overall superintendence and control of the Board.

The Management Committee is headed by Mr. Nitin Paranjpe and has functional heads as its
members representing various functions of the Company

Mr. Nitin Paranjpe - CEO and Managing Director

Mr. Nitin Paranjpe (46), after obtaining a degree in BE (Mechanical) and MBA in Marketing
(JBIMS) from Mumbai, joined the Company as a management trainee in 1987.

Mr. R. Sridhar - Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Sridhar Ramamurthy (45) is a Chartered Accountant (Gold Medallist) as well as a Cost
Accountant and Company Secretary.
Mr. Shreejit Mishra - Executive Director, Foods
Mr. Shreejit Mishra (44), joined HUL on June 1st 1987. His 20 year experience in the company
comprises of stints in General Management, Marketing Innovation and Activation, Brand &
Services Development, Sales Management and Project Management.

Mr. Gopal Vittal - Executive Director, Home & Personal

Care
Mr. Gopal Vittal (42), an alumnus of Madras Christian College, completed his MBA from IIM,
Calcutta. Mr. Vittal has 18 years experience in Marketing & Sales in FMCG market including
Skin Care, Soaps and Laundry.

Mr. Hemant Bakshi - Executive Director

Mr. Hemanth Bakshi (44) joined the Company in June 1989 and has worked in various sales and
marketing assignments spanning across Personal Products and Home Care categories.

Mr Pradeep Banerjee - Executive Director, Supply Chain

Mr Pradeep Banerjee (51) joined HUL as a Management Trainee in 1980. 
Ms. Leena Nair - Executive Director, HR
Ms. Leena (40) is an Electronic Engineer who discovered her passion for people and HR and
switched lanes. She is a gold medalist and MBA in HR from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Mr Dev Bajpai – Executive Director, Legal and Company

Secretary
Mr Dev Bajpai (44) is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and has
a law degree from University of Delhi.

Product innovations
We use our knowledge and imagination to translate science into products that meet a range of
consumer needs. In this section you can find examples of this work.

Skin lotion: delivering moisture where it’s needed

The secret of taking care of your skin lies in getting moisture to all its layers – and keeping it
there.
Clean clothes, less water
Rinsing clothes is the most water- and time-consuming part of hand washing. How are we
helping?

Smoother, straighter hair

There’s a good reason why Sunsilk is the number one hair care brand in Asia, Latin American
and the Middle East, and the fastest-growing in Europe - tip-targeting technology.

Intelligent deodorant
Our Rexona deodorant uses body-responsive micro-capsule technology that kicks in when it’s
needed most, giving people the confidence to face the day's more stressful situations.

Cool ice cream innovations

Unilever has found a way to make ice cream healthier as well as really tasty. It has all been
possible thanks to a new ice cream ingredient discovered by Unilever's ice cream scientists.

Knorr: a revolution in stock

Knorr helps home-cooks provide natural and nutritious meals for their families in a convenient
way. This story describes the transformation of one of Knorr’s iconic products: the bouillon
cube.

Pioneering technology for Magnum Temptation

Since its launch in Europe in the early 90s, Magnum has grown to be one of Unilever’s biggest
brands, bringing real chocolate indulgence to the adult ice cream market.