Unilever’s Sale of the Welly Bandage Brand
Unilever confirmed that it has agreed to sell its Welly brand, known for colorful adhesive bandages, first‑aid kits and bug‑bite relief patches, to the private‑equity firm Forward Consumer Partners. The announcement was made on 19 October 2026, and the deal is slated to be formally announced on the same day. No financial terms of the transaction were disclosed by either party.
Welly was originally acquired by Unilever in 2021 from its founder, Eric Ryan. Within Unilever, the brand has been positioned in the beauty and well‑being segment, alongside other products such as Dove soap, Vaseline jelly and Liquid I.V. drink powders.
As part of the agreement, Forward Consumer Partners intends to reinstate Eric Ryan as a strategic adviser and board member of the brand. Ryan previously co‑founded the cleaning‑products company Method and the vitamin‑and‑supplements brand Olly, both of which were later sold to Unilever.
The divestiture is presented as a continuation of Unilever’s broader portfolio‑streamlining strategy. Earlier in the year, Unilever merged its food segment with spice maker McCormick, signalling a shift away from food and a renewed focus on beauty, personal‑care and home product categories.