Himalaya enters oral care segment

The Himalaya Drug Company has entered the oral care space with the launch of a range of herbal toothpastes. The company said this would help it go pan-India in this segment.

Speaking at the launch in here on Thursday, Rajesh Krishnamurthy, business head - consumer products division, said, "We may have entered the oral care market late, but we intend to catch up quickly on the strength of our product innovation. We are targeting at least a two percent share (urban) of the Rs 3,500 crore toothpaste category in India in the next two years."

Himalaya plans to expand distribution, roll out innovative marketing campaigns, implement customer engagement programmes and encourage trials and sampling, to build this new range.

Tamil Nadu is a focus market for the company since it contributes 30 percent to its national toothpaste sales. The oral care market in urban India is valued at around Rs 4,000 crore and is growing at about 19 per cent per annum. Of this, approximately Rs 3,500 crore is the toothpaste category. The new range includes Complete Care, Sparkling White, Active Fresh Gel, and Sensitive.