Strong ice cream demand helped consumer goods giant Unilever (LON:ULVR) to forecast annual sales at the top end of hopes, although markets were still tough.
Unilever said better weather than last year boosted sales of ice creams such as Magnum and Solero, while new versions such as Magnum Pink and Black and Ben & Jerry's Cookie Core range in Europe and North America also helped.
Relatively soft trading in China last year and some advance sales in Latin America also contributed.
Deodorants benefited from the continued success of a dry spray launch in North America and the roll-out of compressed formats into Latin America.
In hair, growth was driven by the roll-out of the Dove Advanced Hair Series and the success of Lux Luminique in Japan.
The company launched Knorr Mealmakers with 100% natural ingredients and continued to expand the business in Africa with fortified stock cubes that address iron deficiency.
In dressings, Hellmann's mayonnaise increased volumes driven by an excellent performance in Latin America and the success of the squeezy packs in Europe and North America.
Turnover in the third quarter increased 9.4% to €13.4bn including a positive currency impact of 2.9%.
Underlying sales rose 5.7% with volume up 4.1% and prices up 1.5%. There was underlying sales growth in emerging markets of 8.4% with volume up 4.8% and prices up 3.5%.
Chief executive Paul Polman said Unilever continued to see soft global markets with no immediate sign of getting help from an improving global economy.
But he added: "We now expect underlying sales growth for the year towards the upper end of the 2-4% range. We continue to expect steady improvement in core operating margin and strong cash flow."