August’s top stories: Unilever signs White House Equal Pay Pledge and P&G wins court case

 

Unilever signs White House Equal Pay Pledge

Joining a list of 29 companies, Unilever US has signed the White House Equal Pay Pledge.

As part of this process, the company will conduct an annual company-wide gender pay analysis where hiring and promotion processes will be reviewed to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers. Unilever stated signing the pledge has reaffirmed its commitment to the advancement of women’s economic inclusion as a business priority.

Unilever's North American human resources vice-president Mike Clementi said: “Unilever continues to be vocal about the equality of women in the workplace.

“By signing the White House Equal Pay Pledge, we remain committed to reviewing our policies and ensuring Unilever is a leader in providing benefits that empower women at work.”

P&G wins court case to protect Crest Whitestrips intellectual property rights

A US federal court has issued a permanent injunction that prevents Onuge Personal Care from manufacturing, selling, or distributing products that breach Procter & Gamble's (P&G) patents of its Crest Whitestrips trade dress or trademarks. 

In February, P&G filed a complaint against Onuge and MS International Enterprises, an importer, alleging that the companies were infringing its patents, trade dress, and trademarks.

MS International agreed to respect P&G’s intellectual property and subsequently removed its products from the market, thereby leading to the dismissal of case against it.

The lawsuit was continued to be pursued against Onuge.

KFC launches fried chicken-scented sunscreen

KFC has launched a limited edition batch of fried chicken-scented sun-cream called Extra Crispy.   

The restaurant chain has launched 3,000 bottles of SPF 30 Extra Crispy Sunscreen. 

Customers can acquire the bottle online. It is available only to US residents and is limited to one per household.

Ekuinas sells 20% stake in Alliance Cosmetics Group

Ekuiti Nasional Bhd (Ekuinas) has sold its 20% stake in Alliance Cosmetics Group (ACG) to private equity fund management firm Navis Capital Partners for MYR61.8m ($15.4m).

The divestment of the stake will enable ACG to boost its financial performance.

Ekuinas is the Malaysian Government-associated private equity fund management company.

ACG was Ekuinas’s first investment in the CPG sector.

TerraVia completes divestment of majority interest in Algenist skincare brand to Tengram

TerraVia has completed the sale of a majority interest in Algenist skincare brand to Tengram Capital Partners (Tengram), a private equity firm. 

Following the sale, TerraVia received $20.2m in cash and approximately 20% of the completely diluted equity of Algenist.

Under the deal, Tengram also agreed to contribute significant capital to Algenist.

Dermaflash's limited edition exfoliation device launched on QVC

Dermaflash has introduced a limited edition pink exfoliation device on television shopping channel QVC's website.

QVC promoted the device under Today's Special Value (TSV), which offers items at a discounted price. The cost was reduced from $267 to $149.

Dermaflash's founder and CEO Dara Levy said: "We are excited to bring this exclusive offer to QVC shoppers.

"Dermaflash was created specifically for the delicate skin on a woman's face, so doing something ultra-feminine like the special edition pink was a natural fit."

Cheryl Cole to launch StormFlower Platinum fragrance