UK Brands That Changed Their Name in America

A surprising number of British household brands exist in America wearing a different name. A few exist there wearing the same name while being a completely different product, which is worse. This is the reference list, and what each case means when you are shopping.

Same brand, different name

These are straightforward localisations. One owner, one lineage, different name by territory.

Lynx is Axe. Unilever launched the line in France as Axe and uses that name across most of the world. The UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand got Lynx because the Axe name was unavailable there.

Sure is Degree. And Rexona nearly everywhere else. Same Unilever deodorant brand, three names.

Flash is Mr. Clean. Procter & Gamble's cleaning brand, sold as Mr. Clean in North America, Flash in the UK and Ireland, Monsieur Propre in France, Meister Proper in Germany.

Fairy washing-up liquid is Dawn. The green bottle of dish soap. This one causes a specific problem, covered below.

The important caveat on all of the above

A shared owner does not mean a shared formulation. In every case above, the two ranges have developed separately, with different fragrances, formats and sub-lines. A product in one range frequently has no counterpart in the other.

So knowing that Lynx is Axe does not let you walk into an American store and buy the same thing. It tells you the brands are related; it does not tell you the products match. That is why people import despite knowing the translation.

Same name, different company

This is the trap, and there is one major example.

Persil is not Persil. In the United Kingdom, Persil is a Unilever brand and has been a household laundry name for over a century. In the United States, the Persil on shelves is a Henkel product. The rights to the name are split by territory, so an American buying "Persil" and a Briton buying "Persil" are buying from two different manufacturers.

If you moved from the UK, bought Persil in an American supermarket and found it did not behave as expected, that is why. It is not a reformulation. It is a different product.

Same name, different recipe

Cadbury is licensed, not imported. American-market Cadbury is made under licence by Hershey to a different recipe. The British bar lists milk as its first ingredient; the Hershey bar lists sugar first. Full detail in our guide to British chocolate in the USA.

Walkers is Lay's, sort of. Same PepsiCo parent, entirely different flavour ranges and seasoning. And Walkers uses the opposite bag colours: blue for Cheese & Onion, red for Ready Salted, which is the reverse of the international convention.

Same name, one country only

The mirror image: British names that mean something completely different in America.

Jif. Cif was called Jif in Britain until 2001, when Unilever harmonised it across Europe. In America, Jif is peanut butter and has nothing to do with cleaning products.

Biscuit. In Britain a hard sweet baked good eaten with tea. In America a soft savoury scone served with gravy. Two entirely unrelated foods.

Gravy. In Britain a thin dark pouring sauce. In America frequently a thick milk-based sauce. See our guide to British gravy in the USA.

Flapjack. In Britain an oat traybake made with golden syrup. In America a pancake.

No American presence at all

Some things simply are not there under any name. Radox, Marmite as a supermarket category, piccalilli, squash as a format, and Bisto. For these there is no translation to learn, which in a way makes them the easiest.

Individual product guides

Each of these covers one product in more detail, including sizes, prices and what the British version does differently.

• Where to Buy Fairy Non Bio in the USA
• Where to Buy Lynx Black Shower Gel in the USA
• Where to Buy Walkers Cheese and Onion Crisps in the USA

How ordering works

Everything here is sourced in the UK and shipped to the United States Delivered Duty Paid, so every import duty and tax is included in the price you pay and nothing is collected on delivery. Orders dispatch within 1–2 business days and usually arrive 1–3 business days after that.

Shipping is a flat $29.99 on orders under $99 and free above it. New customers can use NEW10 for 10% off a first order.

Related reading: British toiletries in the USA and British cleaning brands in the USA.