J&J unveils Kenvue as name for new standalone consumer health company

By Alessandro Carrara | Published: 29-Sep-2022

J&J originally revealed plans to separate its consumer health division into a new publicly listed company last year in November

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has unveiled the name and branding of its upcoming standalone consumer health company as Kenvue, which is set to launch in 2023. 

Aveeno, Neutrogena, Johnson’s, Tylenol and Dr.Ci:Labo are among the brands to be included in the new consumer division’s portfolio.

The personal care goliath said the name was inspired by the words ‘ken’, meaning knowledge, an English word primarily used in Scotland, and ‘vue’, referring to sight.

“Unveiling the Kenvue brand is a defining moment for our stakeholders and an important part of the planned separation,” said Thibaut Mongon, CEO Designate for Kenvue.

“We breathe life into some of the world’s most iconic and beloved brands every day, so we harnessed that same expertise, love, and energy into developing our new corporate identity.”

J&J originally announced plans to separate its consumer health arm into a new publicly listed company in November 2021.

At the time J&J said this would allow its consumer business to deliver better innovation and accelerate growth for its brands.

The company’s consumer health segment generated revenues of US$14.6bn in 2021.

Following the planned separation, J&J said Kenvue is anticipated to generate sales in over 100 countries, driven by “world-class innovation capabilities”.

“Today’s announcement is another milestone for the consumer health business,” added Joaquin Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson.

“Kenvue is poised to thrive as a standalone company with a leading portfolio of brands consumers love and trust. I’m confident in this team and excited to see what the future holds.”

J&J unveils Kenvue as name for new standalone consumer health company

A fresh start?

J&J has been embroiled in numerous controversies in recent years, the largest of which includes allegations that its cosmetic talc contained asbestos and caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.

The personal care company, at present, is facing more than 34,000 lawsuits based on the accusations.

This all came to a head in August 2022 after J&J announced plans to end all global sales of its talc-based baby powder in 2023, marking the end of a 100 year era for its most iconic product.

The personal care goliath will instead transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio instead, following an assessment of its worldwide product range.

“This transition will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of our consumers, customers and evolving global trends,” a spokesperson for J&J said at the time.

Two years prior, the healthcare giant halted all sales of the baby powder in North America over the health-related claims, but continued to sell the product internationally. 

But the controsvery persisted, after J&J was faced with an attempt to force shareholders to vote to withdraw its talc from store shelves globally in February 2022.

J&J unveils Kenvue as name for new standalone consumer health company

Tulipshare, a UK investment platform which allows customers to pool shares in order to meet the threshold to submit resolutions for shareholder votes, submitted a proposal to J&J demanding the termination of global sales of the company’s talc-based powder.

J&J has vigorously denied that any of the talc-related claims against it have any merit.

However, with the planned separation of its consumer health segment, the company appears to be distancing itself from the recent scandals.

This was also seen with the launch of J&J’s new baby care brand, Vivvi & Bloom, in July this year. 

In what appeared to be an effort to quell consumer worries surrounding its products, J&J emphasised that its baby brand was certified by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

EWG is an American activist group that launched in 1993 that assesses the chemicals found
within consumer products in the cosmetics and agricultural sectors.

The group’s seal of approval means products contain natural and safe ingredients, according to the EWG.

Only time will tell if the rebranding efforts will be welcomed by consumers, giving J&J the fresh start it seems to desperately need.

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