Vaseline Finds Thoughts on Skin are More Than 'Skin Deep'

GREENWICH, Conn., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Often we forget just how amazing skin is. It takes life's bumps and bruises and always bounces back. It constantly renews itself. It shows the world how we feel and lets us feel the world. Yet skin means different things to different people. For some it identifies and defines, for others it is a source of pride and amazement. What does your skin mean to you? That's the question being asked in Vaseline's Skinvoice Campaign, featuring Alfre Woodard, which invites people to share their thoughts and join a dialogue at a new website, http://www.skinvoice.com/.

"My skin is my constant close companion. We live and breathe together. When there is joy and goodwill in my heart, my skin glows," says four-time Emmy Award winning actress Alfre Woodard, whose personal thoughts on her skin and photo are featured on skinvoice.com. "The color of my skin has required me to take a rigorous journey through these times, in this place. It has been a textured and complicated path full of laughter and wailing, standing up and facing forward, 'getting mad', wanting to take my ball and go home. But never, ever giving up."

"Most of us take our skin for granted. We don't really think about all that it does for us or what it means to us on a daily basis," notes Srini Sripada, Unilever Brand Director, Vaseline(R). "But when you ask people about what their skin means to them, you discover that each of us has a dynamic relationship with our skin. For almost everyone, skin tells a lifetime of stories, and each person's unique story is a reflection of their personal relationship with their skin."

Vaseline is inviting people all over the country to participate in this dynamic forum and share their thoughts at a special website - http://www.skinvoice.com/ - that has been set up to host the dialogue. Log on to hear Alfre Woodard's story and thoughts from other prominent African American women including Vivica A. Fox, LaChanze, Deborah Roberts, Victoria Rowell and Jean Marie Baptiste.

When people register at skinvoice.com and share their thoughts, they will also be supporting Vaseline's donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to benefit youth development and mentoring programs across the country.

Additionally, at skinvoice.com people may submit their photo along with their story. They will also find information about a variety of topics related to skin, participate in weekly polls and be entered in the Celebrate Culture and Community Sweepstakes for the chance to win an exclusive trip for two to Los Angeles to attend the 38th NAACP Image Awards in February 2007.

The Vaseline Skinvoice campaign coincides with the launch of new Vaseline Cocoa Butter lotion, a moisturizer that combines the tantalizing smell of chocolate with the richness of cocoa butter and ignites the skin's natural radiance.

About Vaseline

Vaseline is manufactured by Unilever [NYSE: UL, UN], one of the world's largest consumer products companies. With a 135-year heritage as America's most trusted healthy skin expert and more than 30 years as a leading hand and body lotion, Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion delivers products that meet the specific needs of consumers, no matter their lifestage or lifestyle. In addition to the Vaseline Intensive Care Lotions, the Vaseline family of products also features a complete line of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, bath products and lip therapy products. All Vaseline products can be purchased at supermarkets, drugstores, mass merchandisers and club retailers nationwide. For more information visit http://www.vaseline.com/.

About Unilever

Unilever , one of the world's largest consumer products companies, aims to add vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Each day, around the world, consumers make 150 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. The company has a portfolio of brands that make people feel good, look good and get more out of life.

In the United States these brands include recognized names such as: Axe, "all," Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Lipton, Knorr, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Snuggle, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever in the United States employs approximately 15,000 people in 66 office and manufacturing sites in 24 states and Puerto Rico- generating more than $9 billion in sales in 2005. For more information visit http://www.unileverusa.com/.

CONTACT: Smita Reddy Stacie Bright M Booth & Associates Unilever (212) 481-7000, ext. 3272 (203) 625-1130 Smitar@mbooth.com Stacie.Bright@Unilever.com