HUL takes on Colgate with new whitening toothpaste

Close-up Diamond Attraction claims effect after single brush

A year after oral care major Colgate launched Visible White, a whitening toothpaste that claims to make teeth a few shades lighter, rival Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has come up with an answer to it in Close-up Diamond Attraction.

The product, priced at around Rs 40 for a 50 gm pack (Rs 79-80 for 100 gm), claims teeth can get lighter after one brush, thanks to a patented blue light technology that works instantly on teeth.

Colgate’s Visible White, priced at Rs 43 for a 50 gm pack (Rs 84 for 100 gm), on the other hand, claims that teeth can get whiter after a week’s use.

This is the second time that HUL is taking the fight in toothpaste efficacy to Colgate’s doorstep. Last year, HUL had launched a commercial for Pepsodent Germichek that compared the product's germ attack power with Colgate’s Strong Teeth saying it had 130 per cent superior germ attack power over the latter after four hours of brushing. Colgate had subsequently dragged HUL to court over the matter, with the latter getting relief in the case.

While HUL is yet to advertise its newest launch, the product is visible on shop shelves.

Atul Sinha, category head, oral care, HUL, said, “We believe Close-up Diamond Attraction will be a game changer in the category as it transcends from oral care into the beauty space. Co-created with cosmetic dentists, the product is proven to give visibly white teeth from the first brush itself. It is a must-have for new-age beauty kits.”

But analysts say HUL will have to push the brand really hard if it has to catch-up with Visible White, which has a year’s headstart. Actor Sonam Kapoor endorses Visible White, which has a 4.5 per cent market share, according to analysts.

HUL, meanwhile, has been losing share in oral care. According to industry sources, HUL's share has consistently fallen in the last two years in toothpaste, standing at 21.5 per cent between January and April 2014 as against 22.8 per cent in 2013 and 23.8 per cent in 2012. Colgate, in contrast, has grown from 54.5 (2112) to 55.9 per cent (2013) and 57.1 per cent (Jan-April 2014) in toothpaste.

In the whitening segment, Visible White has been taken into brushes and mouthwashes recently by Colgate in its attempt to push sales.

In a conversation with Business Standard in May, Colgate's Managing Director Prabha Parameswaran had said the company would look at all ends of the oral care market in its quest for growth. “We will look at innovation of product forms and how we can improve delivery systems or product benefits. Innovation to us is not linked to premiumisation alone. We are doing it both at the upper and lower ends of the market,” she had said.