Dabur becomes 2nd largest player in oral care in Modern Trade channels: CEO

FMCG major Dabur has become the second-largest player in the oral care segment in the modern trade channels, its chief executive officer Mohit Malhotra claimed on Monday.

The company, which operates in the segment with Dabur Red Toothpaste and premium brand Meswak, ended the quarter with a 9.1 per cent growth and it believes that this segment has " huge potential".

"The Gel toothpaste portfolio has received a good response, recording 50%+ y-o-y growth this quarter. Dabur oral care is now the 2nd brand in Modern Trade Pan-India," he said in the post-earnings call.

"Even in modern trade, where the competitor is very strong with premium variants etc., there also we have become a number two brand now in modern trade. So, this is very encouraging for us," Malhotra added.

The oral care market is led by Colgate Palmolive and FMCG major HUL is at the second spot with brands such as Pepsodent, Closeup and Ayush.

"Dabur Red is doing well on the back of tailwind coming from the herbal category. The herbal category has grown by 7 per cent as compared to the growth of 5 per cent in the overall Oral Care non-herbal category," he said.

It operates in the oral care segment with its flagship brand Dabur Red. Besides, it has other brands as Meswak for the premium end and Babool at the entry-level.

It also has Dabur Lal Dant Manjan, Herb'l Toothpaste range with Clove, Neem and Tulsi.

"So, Dabur Herbal toothpaste, which was a new entrant which we introduced last year, has also grown in high double digits. So, that was the gap in the marketplace. Ingredient-based toothpaste also is doing well for us," he said.

However, Malhotra also admitted there are gaps in its oral care portfolio and the company is in the process of plugging those. Last year, Dabur plugged the gap of Gel, which is doing well, he added.

"There is another gap in terms of sensitive and bleeding gums and whitening that we have. We are in the process of plugging that also and hopefully, in the next season, we shall plug that. We have gained market shares because we have grown ahead of the category," said Malhotra.

"Meswak, which is a premium variant in the toothpaste category, has also grown by around 16%. We have engaged with a celebrity called Nagarjuna in the South. On the back of that celebrity, we have got great actions happening in South on Meswak also," he said.