Kenvue, the consumer health company spun off by Johnson & Johnson this year, is reporting a solid sales results in its first reported financial quarter.

The maker of Neutrogena, Tylenol, Listerine and Johnsons Baby, is reporting that for Q2, net sales rose to $4.01 billion USD from $3.81 billion USD a year earlier.

“Our second quarter results mark a strong debut for Kenvue, reflecting the strength of our portfolio of iconic brands,” says Thibaut Mongon, CEO and director.

In this morning’s conference call, Mongon noted that digital and omnichannel investment is positioning the new company for the future. Healthcare professional recommendations and DTC are key areas of investment, and Mongon says that “for Kenvue, advertising expenses are only part of our demand generation model.”

Being a pure-play consumer health business, he noted, helps drive efficiencies in R&D and advertising. However, he acknowledged that the company is “absolutely committed to investing in our brands…and intend to do it in the back half of the year.”

For the fiscal three months ended July 2, growth was driven by Kenvue’s self care portfolio, which includes OTC brands like Benadryl, Reactine, and Sudafed, with net sales up 12.2% year-over-year. Skin health and beauty, meanwhile, had 1.9% sales growth over the same period for brands like Lubriderm and Aveeno. Essential health, which includes Listerine, was up 0.5%.

Mongon said the quarter was one of the strongest in the 135-year history of its consumer health portfolio. Brands are often the number one recommended brands in their category, and he says it is not seeing consumers trading down, with private label penetration “stable” globally. The macro environment is challenging and consumers increasingly choiceful. However, they are turning to brands they know and trust, Mongon stresses.

Kenvue plans to continue to drive brand equity with new product launches, such as topical cream Tylenol Precise, through science-backed claims.

Sun care, Mongon says, also shows the power of its brands, citing Neutrogena Sun as a solid performer. Today, he notes, the majority of North Americans do not use sun screen on a regular basis, which is “a tremendous opportunity” for it to leverage consumer insights and innovate new products. Neutrogena Purescreen+ was launched this year, and there is lots of ability to expand usage occasions for the product, he notes.