P&G toothpaste brand to take on Colgate, HUL

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) major Procter & Gamble (P&G) would take a second shot at launching its oral care brand ‘Crest’ in India, said sources.

The launch could happen in the next couple of weeks, sources said, adding the FMCG giant had already given the manufacturing contract to JHS Svendgaard Laboratories, which makes oral care products for companies such as Dabur, Himalaya and Cipla, among others.

The Crest launch assumes significance, with P&G’s global top brass visiting India in April.

When contacted, a company spokesperson said: “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on future plans.”

Crest is considered to be one of the largest oral care brands in the world. With its launch, P&G is set to take on the country’s oral care market leaders such as Colgate Palmolive, Hindustan Lever and Dabur, which together control 90 per cent of the Indian market, estimated to be around Rs 16,000 crore.

Though P&G had planned to launch Crest in 2005, it did not do so.

However, P&G is not leaving any stone untouched this time and is talking to distributors and doing market studies prior to the launch. It was expected to price the product aggressively to gain a higher market share in the initial days, sources said.

P&G is already present in the market with its toothbrush brand, Oral-B, one of the largest-selling brands in the country.

According to analysts, there could be tough competition in the oral care market as other players are launching new products. Colgate has a market share of 50 per cent, HUL has 26-27 per cent and Dabur is at 10 per cent.

Early this week, Kishore Biyani’s Future Group launched a toothpaste brand Sach, a co-creation with ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. The Group is believed to have sold over 25,000 items of the product within three days of the launch.

“No new toothpaste brands have been able to establish themselves in the last 20 years. I hope we will be able to break that jinx with Sach,”’said Kishore Biyani, chief executive of Future Group.