Unilever announced that it has signed an agreement to acquireMURAD, a leading clinical skincare brand. This follows the recent acquisitions of Dermalogica, Kate Somerville and REN, which jointly position Unilever as a key player in the personal care prestige segment. 

Founded in 1989 in Los Angeles, MURAD is the first modern doctor brand, with a mission to provide proven, efficacious products. Howard Murad MD, a dermatologist, pharmacist, and UCLA professor, developed a unique recipe of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and hydrators to address virtually every skin care concern, from acne to anti-ageing. Murad has a significant presence in the US through professional salons and spas such as Massage Envy, and specialist retailers such as Sephora, Ulta and Nordstrom; as well as through direct sales. It also has a regional hub for Europe located in the UK, and the brand can be found in over 42 countries, in department stores, pharmacies, spas and salons. 

Paul Polman, Unilever CEO, said: “We are delighted to welcome MURAD to our portfolio of Prestige personal care brands. As an expert ‘Doctor brand’, MURAD offers products in a differentiated clinical and holistic well-being segment. It has a loyal following that gives it excellent potential for expansion, and wonderfully complements the brands recently acquired. We look forward to working with Dr Murad and his team to continue to grow the brand.”

Dr Howard Murad added: “We’ve always looked for opportunities to reach more people with our message of Inclusive Health and to touch more lives with our targeted, high-performance products.  With Unilever, we can broaden our reach and significantly grow our brand while remaining faithful to the founding principles of MURAD. There is a very bright path ahead and I am excited to work with Unilever to share our products with the world—together we can inspire every person that the MURAD brand touches to live life beautifully.”

MURAD’S heritage and success is grounded on the principle that beauty and good health are vitally linked and best achieved through an Inclusive Health lifestyle. MURAD products combine a unique recipe of high performance ingredients that deliver solutions for healthy, beautiful skin. The brand, which had a turnover of US$115m in 2014, will be incorporated into Unilever’s Prestige division, which is exclusively dedicated to select distribution and premium personal care brands.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

www.murad.com