Who owns Axe?
Axe is owned by Unilever (the United Kingdom, LSE: ULVR).[1]
Key facts
- Current owner
- Unilever PLC verified
- Owned since
- Not recorded
- Previous owner
- None recorded
- Owner HQ
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, London
- Origin
- 🇫🇷 France
- Founded
- 1983
- Category
- Personal care & beauty › Deodorants, shaving & grooming › Deodorant & antiperspirant
- Parent ticker
- LSE: ULVR NYSE: UL AEX: UNA
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Axe
Axe is a men's grooming brand Unilever launched in France in 1983, built around body sprays sold on the promise of attracting attention. It is sold as Lynx in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, because the Axe trademark was already registered in those markets by other companies. The range now covers deodorant, shower gel and hair styling.
Ownership timeline of Axe
Where Axe sits in Unilever
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
- Axe
- Bango
- Brut
- Cif
- Clear
- Close-Up
- Colman's
- Comfort
- Degree
- Dermalogica
- Domestos
- Dove
- Dove Men+Care
- Hellmann's
- Horlicks
- Hourglass Cosmetics
- Impulse
- Kate Somerville
- Knorr
- Lifebuoy
- Lipton
- Liquid I.V.
- Living Proof
- Lux
- Lynx
- Maizena
- Marmite
- Murad
- Nexxus
- Nutrafol
- OMO
- Paula's Choice
- Pepsodent
- Persil
- Pond's
- Pot Noodle
- Radox
- Rexona
- Royco
- SheaMoisture
- Signal
- Simple
- Snuggle
- St. Ives
- Suave
- Sunlight
- Sunsilk
- Sure
- Tatcha
- The Vegetarian Butcher
- TRESemmé
- Vaseline
- VO5
- Zendium
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Other brands owned by Unilever in personal care & beauty
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Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Axe?
The parent company of Axe is Unilever, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Is Axe French or British?
Axe originated in France in 1983, but it is owned today by Unilever, which is headquartered in the United Kingdom. So Axe is a French-origin brand under British ownership.
Is Axe still owned by Unilever?
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, Axe is still owned by Unilever. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Unilever PLC Annual Report on Form 20-F filed 2026-03-12 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 20-F, published 12 March 2026; retrieved 6 September 2026.
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