The consumer goods firm said its underlying first-quarter sales were up 2.8% and that full-year sales growth would be between 2% and 4%.
Brewer SABMiller also performed well, adding 1.8%, although its sales volume was up only slightly.
But overall, the FTSE 100 dipped, down 36.33 points or 0.51% to 7,060.45.
Two of the top five biggest fallers lost ground as a result of going ex-dividend.
Pearson was the worst performer, dropping just under 4% following troubles with one of its educational technology projects.
Drinks group Diageo saw a 3.6% decline after reporting a 0.7% fall in sales over the three months to the end of March.
Other falling shares included BAE Systems, which ended the day down 3.1%, while Intu Properties dropped 2.9%.
The pound rose 0.53% against the dollar to $1.4906 and 0.06% against the euro to â‚¬1.3897.
(Close): Unilever was the top gainer on the FTSE 100 on Thursday, rising 2.6% after reporting better-than-expected sales.