Herbalife Nutrition's North American, Asia Pacific and EMEA regions recorded sales growth in excess of 20% each in the first quarter, as sales of energy, sports and fitness products soared 34%. The Los Angeles-based MLM company raised its full-year guidance accordingly, projecting net sales gains of 9% to 15%.

Bausch Health CEO Joseph Papa will move over to head separate Bausch + Lomb pure-play eye health business and is preparing a team for either a spin-off or initial public offering of the unit in the third quarter, the executive said during a first quarter earning call 4 May. Papa said a sale of the division, which includes consumer health eye drops and dietary supplements, is also possible.

Colgate-Palmolive's North American business slipped 0.5% on category deceleration associated with stockpiling and costs from raw materials and inflation, the New York-based firm reported on 30 April. Premium innovations, advertising and price increases should improve the business in the back half of the year.

Sales for anxiety/stress relief dietary supplements in 2020 grew 79% from 2018, eclipsing growth of 22% for general herbal supplements during the same comparison period. Stress-relief supplements including St. John’s wart, ashwagandha and cannabinoids continue to grow in popularity.

Unilever’s prestige beauty business, bulked up by acquisitions over the past five years, achieved 21% underlying sales growth in the FY 2021 first quarter. The firm has formed a new business unit, Elida Beauty, to house a number of smaller, non-core beauty and personal-care brands accounting for around €600m in revenues following talk of possible divestitures.

GSK reports pandemic-related stockpiling in 2020 combined with a weak cold and flu season in Q1 drove its consumer health sales down 9%, with the sharpest downturn in respiratory products sales. The firm expects in the second half of the year to see “more normal consumer trends.”