In a move that will boost its position in Latin America, Unilever has announced an agreement to acquire the personal care and home care brands of Quala.
 
Founded in 1980, Quala now has a strong presence in 10 countries in Latin America: Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Peru, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Its personal care and home care portfolio includes leading local brands Savital/Savilé (Haircare and Skin Cleansing), eGo (Male Haircare and Styling), Bio-Expert (Haircare), Fortident (Oral Care) and Aromatel (Fabric Conditioners); with a combined turnover of over $400 million in 2016.
 
Paul Polman, CEO Unilever, said: “We are delighted to be acquiring Quala’s personal care and home care portfolio. Quala has done an outstanding job of building strong and competitive local brands. The inclusion of these brands in our stable will consolidate our leading position in Haircare globally, and contribute to our Oral Care and Male Grooming businesses, complementing very well our existing offering.”
 
Miguel Kozuszok, executive vice president, Latin America, Unilever, added: “Quala’s brands will give us an even sounder footing in Latin America, broadening our offering in Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador. We look forward to continuing to grow these great brands.”
 
Quala’s Savital/Savilé is the No. 1 brand in haircare by volume in Colombia, and has a good presence in the rest of the North Latin America region. It uses Aloe Vera as the core ingredient across the brand, and incorporates other functional ingredients such as Keratin, Biotin and Argan Oil, as variants that appeal to consumers. eGo is the No. 1 male hair grooming brand in Colombia and Mexico, and has presence across eight markets; with 85% of its turnover coming from styling.
 
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.