S.C. Johnson Looks to Shed Edge

SC Johnson is attempting to sell its shave preparations business, which owns the Edge and Skintimate brands of shaving gel and could be valued at about $200 million, according to industry sources.

The business has annual sales of $80 million, and Energizer appears to be the most likely buyer according to analysts.

The Edge and Skintimate brands are well-known, but because the business competes against formidable Gillette and has limited growth prospects, privately-held SC Johnson could have difficulty securing a high enough price and may opt not to sell it.

“Edge has been a great brand, albeit with a bit of a tired image now in the U.S. Unilever should have bought it years ago, rebranded it as Axe—the black variants even look like Axe—thereby making it more sexy, and extending Axe’s reach into shaving and skin care,” commented Colin Hession, managing director of specialist personal care consultancy, Colin Hession Consulting. “They had the high ground in mens with Axe, but they will lose it now to the power of P&G’s new push in men’s grooming with Gillette…as ever, Unilever’s probably too late!”