Simple is owned by Unilever (the United Kingdom, LSE: ULVR), which acquired the brand on 10 May 2011 from Alberto Culver, as part of a $3.7 billion deal that also included TRESemmé, VO5 and 2 others.[1] Before Unilever, Simple was owned by Alberto Culver to 2011.[1]
Evidence: Unilever PLC Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2025, SEC EDGAR, 12 March 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Simple is a facial care brand created in Britain in 1960 and built entirely on what it leaves out: no perfume, no dyes and no harsh chemicals, aimed at people with sensitive skin. It became one of the largest facial skincare brands in the United Kingdom before Unilever acquired it with Alberto Culver in 2011.
The USPTO record for the Simple mark lists UNILEVER GLOBAL IP LIMITED as the owner of record (serial number 73809982). That name matches the owner named above.[2]
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Unilever ownership tree →
See the full Unilever brand portfolio (53) →
Unilever controls 53 brands on Brandtree, 34 of them in personal care & beauty.
The 76 brands in facial skin care on Brandtree belong to 38 owners. The largest is POLA ORBIS, with 6; Unilever has 4.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| DECENCIA | POLA ORBIS | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Clinique | Estée Lauder | 🇺🇸 United States |
| ANYA | Proya | 🇨🇳 China |
| COSRX | Amorepacific | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| Clé de Peau Beauté | Shiseido | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| ALBION | KOSÉ | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| O HUI | LG H&H | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| ageLOC | Nu Skin | 🇺🇸 United States |
Unilever is a publicly listed company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, founded in 1929. Brandtree records 53 brands under its control, and it is listed as LSE: ULVR, NYSE: UL and AEX: UNA.
Unilever is a British consumer goods company formed in 1929 by the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie and British soap maker Lever Brothers. It reports through four business groups: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and Foods. Its ice cream business was demerged as The Magnum Ice Cream Company in December 2025.
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 552 brands that began in the United Kingdom. 291 of them (53%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Simple is not one of them.
Unilever bought Alberto Culver for $37.50 a share in cash, adding TRESemmé, VO5, Simple, St. Ives and Nexxus to its hair and skin portfolio. Regulators required Unilever to divest the Alberto VO5 and Rave brands in the United States.
The parent company of Simple is Unilever, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Yes. Simple originated in the United Kingdom in 1960 and its owner, Unilever, is also headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Unilever completed its acquisition of Simple on 10 May 2011, after announcing the deal on 27 September 2010. The deal, which also included TRESemmé and VO5 and 2 others, was valued at $3.7 billion.
Before Unilever, Simple was owned by Alberto Culver until 2011.
Yes. As of 26 September 2026, Simple is still owned by Unilever. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
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