Italy beauty excellence by Unilever
An increase in social media investments from 30% to 50% together with a major expansion of collaborations with influencers: unilever's 'social first' strategy has also arrived in Italy, which for the multinational company active in the food, home and personal care sectors with brands such as Dove, Sunsilk, Knorr, Algida and Cif, means actively listening to consumers, rapidly analysing needs with the use of artificial intelligence, responding with the creation of cutting-edge science-based products and more targeted product communication, as Francesca Farneti, commercial lead Beauty & Wellbeing at Unilever Italia, explains. A segment, that of beauty and wellbeing, which in 2024 accounted for around 22% of Unilever's global turnover, confirming its central role within the group's portfolio with a 6.5% organic growth in sales that exceeded 13.2 billion euros thanks to a mix of winning innovations, strategic re-launches and strong penetration of new channels and markets. And Italy stood out as one of the group's success stories in Europe.
"This is a strategic area for the group, which includes fast-growing brands, and reflects the growing worldwide demand for products dedicated to personal care and wellness," comments Farneti. "In Italy we are following the global strategy, adapting it to the specificities of the local market and the needs of our consumers, who we know have increasingly high expectations in terms of performance, quality research, and experience. This is why we are constantly reinforcing our offer, putting people at the centre and exploiting science and technology to offer increasingly innovative solutions, as in the case of the Sunsilk haircare brand. We invest in the development of increasingly high-performance formulations and work to make our products not only highly effective, but also more attractive and desirable to consumers.
In this context, 'our communication becomes increasingly social first,' continues Farneti, 'people discover and choose beauty products precisely on social media, through short, authentic content guided by trusted creators. This is why we develop native campaigns for social, with formats designed specifically for platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, focusing on educational content, real demonstrations and Ugc materials, i.e. creative materials created spontaneously by consumers, such as reviews, posts, photos or videos, which authentically recount their experience with the brand and products. In this way we build an ongoing and truthful dialogue with our community. This approach is particularly important for engaging the younger generation'. An approach that, in the case of the Sunsilk brand, has brought tangible results: "According to the Kantar Brand Footprint 2025 Sunsilk is once again the most chosen beauty brand globally, climbing the rankings," adds Farneti. "In 2024 it was the number one global brand in recruiting buyers. He concludes: 'A further pillar of our strategy is omnichannel integration. In Italy, the buying journey is increasingly fluid and interconnected: we want to be present wherever the consumer experiences the category, from traditional retail to digital, building relevant and high value-added shopping experiences".
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