AXE® Hair Teams Up With Football Stars Eric Decker And AJ McCarron To Up Their Style Game With New Gels

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Jan. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Star athletes know that even when the stadium lights go down, the spotlight never dims, and looking their best off the field is almost as important as their play on it. Even for two of the most stylish football players in the sport—Eric Decker and AJ McCarron—the mere mention of hair gel products can conjure up memories of boy bands and awkward high school haircuts. That's why they're partnering with AXE Hair to introduce a new line of gels with 24-hour hold that last long past the post-game press conference and make all the stickiness, flakes and crunch of old over-gelled styles a thing of the past.

Professional Wide Receiver and television star Eric Decker is famous for his football skills on the field and his great style off of it. Before traveling from Denver to play in the most important game of his life, he took a look back at his not-so-memorable attempts to perfect his style growing up. In a new AXE Hair video on the AXE YouTube Channel, Decker talks about some of the most awkward gelled looks he rocked in his younger years and how the new AXE Hair gels provide him with the strong hold he needs for his post-game style.

After hanging up his college helmet for good, Quarterback AJ McCarron is eyeing the next phase of his career and his personal style. As he looks toward his fast-approaching pro football career, AXE Hair has transformed McCarron's signature clean-cut look into a tousled, matte style with all-day hold using AXE Hair Messy Look Matte Hold Gel.

"I had some pretty awkward hairstyles back in the day, from a long, shaggy hair in high school to the short trim I had in college," said McCarron. "I never expected gels to give me such a great look. I'm psyched that AXE Hair hooked me up with a new gel style that I can rock all day long."

The new AXE Hair gels are specially formulated to provide 24-hour hold and gives guys the soft, touchable hair that girls love. The new line of products includes AXE Spiked-Up Look Extreme Hold Gel, AXE Clean-Cut Look Wet Shine Spray Gel, and AXE Messy Look Matte Hold Gel.

• Spiked-Up Extreme Hold Gel provides 24-hour sweat resistant hold, perfect for guys who are on-the-go but still want to maintain the spikey look
• Clean-Cut Look Wet Shine Spray Gel gives guys a 24-hour no mess hold, keeping hair non-sticky and in place for guys who want to achieve the polished, put-together look
• Messy Look Matte Hold Gel offers 24-hour shine-free hold for guys who want to nail the messy, "just out of bed" style

Eric Decker's AXE Hair video is located at the AXE YouTube Channel (www.YouTube.com/AXE). Visit www.TheAxeEffect.com for more information on the new AXE Hair styling gels and stay tuned to the AXE Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/AXE) for more on AJ McCarron's new look.

AXE Hair products are available at most food, drug and mass retail outlets. AXE Hair gels are available for a suggested retail price of $6.89. The full AXE Hair line also features great shampoos and styling products for any look.

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 bodysprays, deodorant and antiperspirant sticks, shower gels, hair and face care products. AXE^® is the No. 1 men's fragrance* in the U.S. and globally. AXE^® is also the No. 1 grooming brand, excluding shaving hardware***, and achieved this status only seven years after launch. Including bodysprays, AXE^® is the largest men's deodorant brand in the U.S.

The brand's mission is to help guys get the girl with grooming products that reflect individual personality and lifestyle. For more information, visit www.theaxeeffect.com.

*Source Euromonitor International Limited; Men's deodorants, men's mass &premium fragrance retail value sales combined, 2012; Lynx includes all AXE/Lynx/Ego sales

**Based on a survey conducted Kelton, a leading global insights company, which sampled 1,000 Nationally Representative Americans ages 18-24

***Based on volume of men's grooming products sold (excluding shaving hardware): Nielsen Total US Market for Men's Grooming Products 52 weeks ending November 23, 2013

About Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries. Our products are present in 7 out of 10 homes globally and are used by over 2 billion people on a daily basis. In the United States and Canada the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Fruttare, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Ragu, Simple, Slim-Fast, St. Ives, Suave, TIGI, TRESemme and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Our ambition is to double the size of our business, whilst reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals are more than 50 time-based targets. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at http://www.unileverusa.com/sustainable-living/ or http://www.unilever.ca/sustainable-living/.

Unilever employs more than 12,000 people across North America – generating over $10 billion in sales in 2012. For more information visit www.unileverusa.com or www.unilever.ca.

Unilever employs more than 10,000 people in the United States – generating over $9 billion in sales in 2012. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.

Video with caption: "AXE Hair launches new gels with "Hair Transformation" video featuring professional football player Eric Decker." Video available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsyOn5r98rE

Image with caption: "Star quarterback AJ McCarron gets ready for the big league with new messy, matte style by AXE Hair Gels on January 29, 2014 in New York City." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140130/MM55725-a

Image with caption: "Star quarterback AJ McCarron gets ready for the big league with new messy, matte style by AXE Hair Gels on January 29, 2014 in New York City." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140130/MM55725-b

Image with caption: "AXE(R) HAIR." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140130/MM55725LOGO-c

SOURCE Unilever United States, Inc.