Unilever, which is trying to make a splash in the Asian cosmetics market, came to a surprising realization after it developed a new shower gel for China. The initials of the KJU Perfumed by Lux label matched those of North Korea's supreme leader.
The Anglo-Dutch company, which just snapped up cosmetics maker Carver Korea for $2.7 billion, created the KJU label with a Korean designer. But it insists that the name has nothing to do with Kim Jong Un.
"It was only after we trademarked it that I realized that it also stood for Kim Jong Un, but never mind," Alan Jope, the company's head of personal care, said at a meeting with investors Thursday.
KJU is designed for urban millennials and is available in fragrances such as "Romancy Rosy." Unilever is introducing it in China six months after starting work on it, Jope said.