Edgewell, the former personal care division of Energizer Holdings, became a separate business in 2015.
A giant of the men’s and women’s shaving market, Edgewell owns the Schick and Wilkinson Sword razor brands.
The company also has a significant slice of the suncare market through the Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic brands.
Feminine care is another strength though the Playtex, Carefree, Stayfree and o.b. brands.
Instead of launching Schick-labelled ranges to expand in the fast-moving global men’s grooming market, Edgewell has been acquiring leading US and UK men’s skincare brands over the past four years.
In 2016, the company acquired Bulldog, the UK men’s grooming stalwart sold in leading Australian retailers, including Priceline and Chemist Warehouse.
The core strategy was to fast-track international growth through Edgewell’s large geographic footprint of 50 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania.
Two years later, Edgewell bought Jack Black, the number one men’s prestige skincare brand in the US. Available in Australia through grooming websites such as mensbiz.com.au, the acquisition accessed upmarket distribution channels for the company such as department stores.
Edgewell has announced the acquisition of Cremo, the US cult men’s shave and skincare brand, for US$235 million.
Cremo was founded in California in 2005 with a single product – Original Shave Cream. The brand now offers a full range of premium shave, beard, hair, fragrance and body products priced from US$6 to US$23 for a cologne.
Stocked by major retailers such as Walmart, CVS pharmacies and Target in the US, in addition to online, the affordable brand strongly targets Millennial and Gen Z males.