Edgewell Personal Care Company
Personal Care / Consumer StaplesFounded 2015- Updated June 2026
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Last reviewed: June 2026
CorpDigest
Edgewell Personal Care Company
Company History
Founded 2015 in Shelton, Connecticut
Last reviewed: 2026-06-09 · By Swet Parvadiya
Edgewell Personal Care generated exactly $2.25 billion in net sales in fiscal year 2024, a figure that masks a profound strategic transformation underway at the Shelton, Connecticut-based consumer staples manufacturer as it systematically sheds low-margin, non-core assets to focus exclusively on high-growth grooming and sun care verticals. The company’s recent $340 million divestiture of its North American feminine care business to Essity in February 2026, following the $325 million sale of its infant care business to PDC Brands in 2021, represents a definitive pivot away from the bloated, diversified portfolio it inherited from its 2015 spin-off from Energizer Holdings, signaling a clear-eyed recognition that scale without profitability is a liability in the modern consumer staples landscape. Under the leadership of CEO Rod Little, who assumed the role in 2024, Edgewell is executing a disciplined, return-on-invested-capital approach that prioritizes margin expansion and operational efficiency over top-line market share grabs, a strategy that is expected to drive significant earnings per share growth despite a period of flat to low-single-digit top-line growth as the revenue contribution from the divested businesses laps. The company’s core wet shave segment, anchored by the iconic Schick and Wilkinson Sword brands, remains the undisputed engine of its financial performance, generating approximately 65% of total net sales with gross margins that consistently exceed 45% due to the high repeat-purchase nature of refill blades and the low marginal cost of manufacturing additional steel blades. Edgewell’s formidable competitive moat, anchored in its proprietary, vertically integrated blade manufacturing technology and its deep, decades-long relationships with major mass retailers, provides a powerful barrier to entry that protects its market position and ensures its long-term profitability against both legacy conglomerates and agile digital-native disruptors. The company’s strategic focus on high-growth, high-margin categories, combined with its disciplined approach to capital allocation and its strong free cash flow generation, positions Edgewell as a lean, category-focused growth engine poised to deliver long-term, sustainable value to its shareholders in the global personal care industry.
Energizer Holdings, the legacy parent company of Edgewell, acquired the American Safety Razor Company in 2011 for $301 million, consolidating its control over the wet shaving category. Recognizing that the conglomerate structure was suppressing the value of its personal care assets, Energizer’s management executed a tax-free spin-off on July 1, 2015, creating Edgewell Personal Care as an independent, pure-play personal care company capable of competing directly with Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
Colonel Jacob Schick’s innovations in the 1920s fundamentally changed the shaving experience, introducing the concept of the injector blade that eliminated the need for dangerous straight razors and cumbersome safety razor blades. His patents and brand equity were eventually acquired by the American Safety Razor Company, which became the core asset of Energizer’s personal care division and ultimately the foundation of Edgewell Personal Care.
The American Safety Razor Company is founded, establishing the foundational manufacturing assets that would eventually become Edgewell’s core wet shave business.
Colonel Jacob Schick revolutionizes the shaving market with his magazine-fed repeating razor and double-edge injector blade, creating the iconic Schick brand.
Energizer Holdings acquires the personal care assets of the American Safety Razor Company, beginning its consolidation of the wet shaving category.
Energizer acquires the Edge and Skintimate shaving gel brands for an undisclosed sum, expanding its footprint in the wet shave preparation market.
Energizer Holdings completes the $301 million acquisition of the entire American Safety Razor Company and its Personna brand, securing full control of its core manufacturing assets.
Energizer Holdings executes a tax-free spin-off of its personal care division on July 1, 2015, creating Edgewell Personal Care as an independent, publicly traded company on the NYSE under the ticker EPC.
Edgewell completes the acquisition of premium men’s grooming brand Jack Black, expanding its footprint in the high-margin men’s skincare and grooming segment.
The Federal Trade Commission successfully blocks Edgewell’s $1.37 billion acquisition of Harry’s on antitrust grounds, a major strategic defeat that forces Edgewell to pivot its DTC strategy.
Edgewell sells its infant care business, including Playtex Drop-Ins and Evenflo Feeding, to PDC Brands for $325 million, simplifying its portfolio.
Edgewell acquires female-focused DTC subscription razor brand Billie Inc., gaining a foothold in the rapidly growing women’s subscription market.
Edgewell completes the sale of its North American feminine care business, including Carefree, Stayfree, Playtex, and o.b., to Essity for $340 million, marking its final exit from non-core categories.
Edgewell acquired premium men’s grooming brand Jack Black to expand its footprint in the high-margin men’s skincare and grooming segment, leveraging the brand’s strong equity in specialty retail and its loyal customer base.
Edgewell acquired female-focused DTC subscription razor brand Billie Inc. to gain a foothold in the rapidly growing women’s subscription market and compete directly with Harry’s and Gillette’s newer Venus subscription offerings.