The last few quarters have that of mixed emotions for the Indian FMCG sector. Key players, like Colgate, Palmolive, Dabur and HUL have been struggling really hard to play the ‘herbal’ game, especially when it comes to toothpastes. After Patnajali’s aggressive entry in the market with ‘Dant Kanti’, all the toothpaste manufacturers have been seen trying their hands on herbal toothpastes. But, surprisingly Patanjali’s sales slowed down in 2018 but oral care shares increased.
Colgate launched Vedshakti toothpaste more than two years ago and it took time for it to change the game. According to Colgate’s global chief executive Ian Cook, Vedshakti has overpowered Colgate’s other brands like Colgate Dental Cream, Active Salt and Cibaca. Vedshakti increased Colgate’s oral care segments share but impacted its overall shares in the market. In a recent report, Sanjay Manyal and Kapil Jagasia, ICICI Securities analysts stated, “The entry of Patanjali has disrupted the toothpaste category, denting Colgate’s market share by 190 bps in the past year in the toothpaste category. However, HUL has been impacted more with market share loss of over 410 bps between 2015 and 2018 and Patanjali’s erstwhile aggression seems to have declined witnessing flat growth in FY18.” The herbal brigade is also marching towards other sectors of the FMCG industry. Right from toothpastes to hand wash, all FMCG industry giants are introducing herbal products in every possible vertical.