Do we like them?

Do we like Dove?

Soap and personal-care brand (body wash, deodorant, hair care) owned by Unilever, a London-based consumer goods group.

Our score: 6 out of 10. A well-known brand with a long-running self-esteem programme. It also faces several US class actions over labels. We'd back it with some reservations.

Dove is Unilever's biggest brand. It started its Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004, putting ordinary women in ads in place of models, after research on how women see beauty.

The Self-Esteem Project grew out of that campaign. Unilever describes it as the world's largest provider of body-confidence education, with school workshops. Sources disagree on its start date, and the reach figures online aren't confirmed by Unilever.

Now the lawsuits. A class action in New York alleges Dove retinol cleansers don't deliver the benefits advertised. Another in California alleges the 'hypoallergenic' body wash contains a fragrance allergen. These are accusations, not findings.

In another case, a federal judge let a deceptive-labelling claim over Dove Deep Moisture body wash go ahead and dismissed other claims. Earlier suits over dry sprays and benzene also exist, and at least one was dropped.

Reuters reported in February 2026 that Dove and Vaseline were driving Unilever's sales beat. CEO Fernando Fernández is pushing a focus on personal care. We'd rate it a middling-to-good 6: real good work, plus label disputes.