AXE® Brand To Broaden Grooming Portfolio With New Face Range

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Feb. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to grooming, it's time for guys to face the facts: girls are paying attention to your skin. In fact, more than 97 percent of girls in the U.S. say it's important for guys to have clear and smooth skin^[1]. The grooming game starts with the face, and AXE, the leader in men's grooming^[2],  is helping guys put their best face forward with the new AXE Face range of face wash, shave gel and post-shave hydrator products.

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AXE knows guys want grooming products that make it easy to look, smell and feel their best, but it turns out that guys aren't always scoring with their face care habits. A recent AXE survey^[1] found that more than half of 18- to 24-year-old guys have oily, sensitive or combination skin, but 21 percent of them don't do anything to clear up facial irritation.

And while 87 percent of guys wash their face every day, only a third of those guys actually use face wash to do it. In fact, 14 percent of guys are using only water and 18 percent are using shampoo to do the job.

"AXE is reminding guys how important, yet easy, it is to take care of their skin," said Rob Candelino, VP of AXE Skincare. "We listen to our consumers and understand what guys want when it comes to grooming. Face care is a natural next step for the brand."

Designed in four unique variants that combat common skin problems and boast irresistibly masculine fragrances, the AXE Face range will offer guys a variety of gel- and cream-based products that arm them with everything needed to keep their skin looking and feeling its best.

AXE Face Range Variants

• The AXE Chilled Variant combines icy cool ingredients to refresh skin. A minty fragrance and icy sensation will leave guys feeling fresh, energized and ready for action in seconds.
• The AXE Shield Variant helps keep guys' sensitive skin hydrated, leaving nothing but ultra-smooth skin. The gentle Shield combination soothes skin, offering balmy relief for even the most sensitive skin. The gel formula calms senses and keeps skin comfortable.
• The AXE Boost Variant uses micro-beads, and stimulates and energizes tired-looking skin. The Boost cleansing formula keeps guys' skin feeling toned and smooth for hours.
• The AXE Controil Variant is an exfoliating scrub designed to combat oily skin by removing excess oil and impurities deep into the pores to reveal smooth skin.

AXE Face Range Products

• AXE Face Wash, available in all four variants, cleanses and refreshes the face to make skin look and feel irresistibly smooth.
• AXE Shave Gel, available in the AXE Chilled and Shield variants, helps provide a comfortable shave with a quick-foaming gel that spreads on easily.
• AXE Hydrator, a 2-in-1 post-shave gel and moisturizer available in the AXE Chilled gel formula and Shield cream formula, gives guys the dual power of a refreshing daily moisturizer and post-shave balm to keep skin hydrated and smooth for hours.

The AXE Face range is currently available at most food, drug and mass retail outlets for a suggested retail price range of $4.29 to $8.99.

For more information about the new AXE Face products, please visit www.TheAXEEffect.com.

Introducing New AXE Razors and Grooming Kits
To help guys get the most complete grooming experience possible, AXE is joining forces with two of the biggest names in shaving. Schick and Philips Norelco are offering guys two new lines of razors and grooming kits designed to complement the AXE Face line. The new AXE co-branded shave lines will be available at Walmart and www.walmart.com, giving guys the tools they need to look and feel their best, whether they prefer a blade razor or an electric shaver or trimmer.

The new AXE Schick Razors offer triple-blade refillable and disposable options to help guys look and feel their best, with the most cutting-edge, proprietary Schick technology available. The new AXE Philips Norelco electric range features a Shave & Groom Kit with interchangeable heads that easily click on and off, so guys can switch from facial styling to body grooming without breaking their stride, as well as a standalone facial shaver, multipurpose trimmer, facial hair detailer and bodygroomer.

"AXE is constantly striving to meet the full range of consumers' grooming needs, and shaving tools are an organic complement to the new AXE Face range," said Candelino.

The AXE Shave line will be available in the U.S. at Walmart and www.walmart.com beginning January 2013. The New AXE Schick Razors will be available in refillable, disposable and powered versions and will retail for between $6.27 and $8.97 (suggested retail price). The AXE Philips Norelco Shave & Groom Kit will have a suggested retail price of $59.97. Five separate AXE Philips Norelco Shave & Groom products are also available ranging from $17.97 to $34.97.

For more information about the new AXE Shave products, please visit http://AXEFacescore.com/shave. 

About AXE
AXE, a leader in men's care, is an iconic personal care brand around the world that helps guys look, smell and feel their best.  The Unilever-manufactured brand is available in a line of deodorant body sprays, deodorant and anti-perspirant sticks, shower gels and hair care products.  AXE is the No. 1 men's grooming brand in the U.S., excluding shaving hardware, and achieved this status only seven years after launch.  Including deodorant body sprays, AXE is the largest men's deodorant brand in the U.S.

The brand's mission is to help give guys confidence with grooming products that reflect individual personality and lifestyle.  For more information, visit www.TheAXEEffect.com.

About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 180. With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. In the United States and Canada the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, CLEAR SCALP & HAIRTHERAPY, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, fds, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Ragu, Simple, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemme, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America –generating over $9 billion in sales in 2011. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com or www.unilever.ca.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of AXE between December 4 and 11, 2012, among 504 males and 504 females who are U.S. residents aged 18-24. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available upon request.

^{[1] AXE and Harris Interactive conducted survey of 504 18- to 24-year-old guys and 504 18- to 24-year-old girls in the U.S.
[2] Excluding shaving hardware}

SOURCE Unilever