From innovation to supply chain efficiency, Unilever is redefining how artificial intelligence (AI) drives business impact across its Personal Care division — using data and machine learning to enhance creativity, productivity, and customer connection. As per an official blog, here are five key ways the company is leading the AI transformation:

1. Creating desire at scale through social-first innovation
   Unilever’s AI-driven marketing model, Desire at Scale, enables brands to connect with real-time consumer trends. Dove’s Change the Compliment campaign used AI to analyze audience sentiment and identify high-impact creative messaging. Activated across 25 markets with over 100 content pieces, the campaign achieved 700 million impressions and a 94% positive sentiment within 30 days.
2. Personalising retail experiences with AI insights
   In Latin America, Unilever is using AI tools to give merchandising teams precise, localized recommendations. In Brazil, 3,600 merchandisers across 6,000 stores now rely on image recognition and sales data to identify empty shelves and prioritize actions, resulting in more proactive, data-driven in-store execution.
3. Boosting productivity and AI fluency among teams
   Through its internal AI development program, over 75% of Unilever’s Personal Care employees now regularly use AI tools for everyday tasks. Initiatives like the Smart Briefing pilot in Closeup marketing delivered a 14% improvement in brief quality, 26% higher satisfaction, and time savings of up to 58%.
4. Accelerating research and product innovation
   AI is compressing R&D timelines dramatically. The company’s Odour Adapt technology for whole-body deodorants was developed using complex algorithms that simulate thousands of biological interactions — enabling faster formulation and tailored performance.
5. Powering smarter, safer, and greener manufacturing
   Unilever is integrating AI and digital twin technologies across its factories to improve productivity and sustainability. At its Brazil site, the AI-powered Safety Suite improved risk detection by 12%, while in Hefei, China, AI systems boosted equipment efficiency by 8%, cut cycle times by 15%, and reduced waste by 20%.

Morgan Vawter, Chief Digital & Information Officer for Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods, summed it up: “We’re proud of what we’ve collectively achieved — and even more excited about what we haven’t solved yet.