Latest news with #PrabhaNarasimhan
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
90% of Indians Suffer Dental Issues, but Only 9% Visit Dentists: National Survey
New Delhi: India is facing a silent oral health crisis. New national data shows that 90 per cent of the population suffers from dental problems, yet only nine per cent visit a dentist regularly. A staggering 41 per cent are at high risk for cavities, 44 per cent for gum disease, and 14 per cent for tooth staining — with 72 per cent of Indians at risk for at least one major oral health concern. The country's average oral health score stands at just 2.6 out of 5. As India advances its healthcare ambitions, oral health — long overlooked — is finally being recognised as a crucial part of preventive care. A year-long Oral Health Movement (OHM), conducted in partnership with the Indian Dental Association (IDA), screened more than 4.5 million people across 18,000+ pin codes and over 700 districts — offering one of the most comprehensive pictures of the nation's oral health to date. Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Prabha Narasimhan, MD & CEO of Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited, presented these findings at the Oral Health Movement Summit 2025 in New Delhi. On the sidelines of the Summit, Prabha Narasimhan spoke to ETHealthworld's Rashmi Mabiyan Kaur about the company's India-specific strategy in the digital FMCG landscape, the future of oral health, how technology and wellness intersect, and why oral care must be seen as preventive health. She also explained how the company is redefining oral care in India — from AI-powered retail precision and science-led product innovation to its mission of creating healthier generations. Q: Oral health is linked to systemic conditions. What role does your company play in India's broader health ecosystem, and which groups should be more sensitised? Yes, oral health is directly linked to systemic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Our role is to amplify awareness of this connection. While we don't comment on the diseases themselves, we emphasise that better oral hygiene leads to better health outcomes. Groups needing greater focus include: Diabetics, who often suffer from gum issues People over 50, who have a higher incidence of gum disease Young children, whose milk teeth determine the health of their permanent teeth It's critical to start early. Good oral habits formed in childhood can last a lifetime. So, we see our role as not just selling toothpaste, but enabling preventive health across age groups. Q: Based on your company's research, what trends are emerging in India's oral healthcare landscape, especially with snacking on the rise? While we don't yet have long-term data, we are seeing clear shifts. One major change is in snacking habits — Indians now eat 4.5 to 5 times a day on average. It's not five meals — it's constant grazing. Each time you eat, your teeth lose calcium. That makes brushing with a high-quality toothpaste more critical than ever. Lifestyle changes mean health habits must evolve. Just as sedentary lifestyles created a need for gyms, modern eating patterns demand better oral hygiene. The old logic of brushing once a day like our grandparents did doesn't work anymore. Q: Is Colgate aligning its portfolio and innovation pipeline with the demand for natural, Ayurvedic oral care products? Consumers buy benefits, not formats. When people choose a toothpaste, they want freshness, whitening, cavity protection, or pain relief — not just 'herbal' or 'natural.' Those are delivery mechanisms, not the end goals. Our focus is to communicate that science-backed products deliver these benefits effectively. No company invests more in oral care R&D than we do, and we bring that technology to consumers in meaningful, perceivable ways. We're committed to addressing the benefit segments — how we get there, whether herbal or otherwise, depends on what delivers the best outcomes. Q: How are you evolving your company's India strategy to ensure sustained leadership in this digitally driven FMCG landscape? We're evolving in several strategic ways to remain ahead in the Indian FMCG space. First, oral health remains at the core of our mission. Within that, our first pillar is to win with our core brands. Driving volume and growth for these brands is essential. The second pillar is premiumisation. The third pillar is driving toothbrush usage. We're market leaders in toothbrushes, but India's average replacement rate is once every nine months — while dentists recommend replacing them every three. We aim to educate and shift consumer behaviour here. Our fourth pillar is diversification, which includes everything beyond oral care. We're growing in the hand wash and body wash segments. We're also evaluating what we can bring in from our global portfolio to strengthen this arm. Q: How are you integrating AI across operations? On the tech front, AI, ML, and digital tools are embedded end-to-end in our operations. We reach 1.7 million stores daily, and what our reps recommend at each store is AI/ML-powered. Even two stores in the same locality may receive completely different product recommendations based on their unique shopper profiles. In manufacturing, most of our factories operate using digital twins, allowing us to monitor processes in real time and ensure top-notch quality. In marketing, we leverage first-party data and cohort targeting, combined with Google's AI suite, to create and adapt content rapidly for specific audiences. It's an exciting time — and we're only scratching the surface of what tech can do for us.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Colgate Palmolive to introduce more brands in India from its global portfolio
FMCG major Colgate-Palmolive (India) plans to introduce more brands here from the company's global portfolio to upscale its play in India -- one of the drivers for its growth, MD & CEO Prabha Narasimhan said on Monday. The company, having presence in the country with two brands - Colgate and Palmolive - currently operates in the oral care and personal care, and is in "active ongoing conversation" with the parent firm for expanding the portfolio. "We are very excited about what all we can do in India, both with our existing brands and portfolio, and with what we can do with the things that we can bring in from the globe. We have tremendous support from our global counterparts in terms of their excitement about what we can achieve in India," Narasimhan told PTI. About the Palmolive brand, which is currently operating in the personal care space with a premium body wash and hand wash range, Narasimhan said, they have tremendous potential and grow at 20 to 30 per cent CAGR. When asked as whether Colgate-Palmolive India Ltd (CPIL) will extend the brand Palmolive in new segments, she added she would rather focus on introducing more brands. "Actually, more than extending the brand Palmolive, we have a lot of products portfolio that is available globally. We are looking to see what of that product portfolio can legitimately be brought into India and make sense for the Indian consumer, and leverage the strengths that Colgate Palmolive India has. So that's a very active ongoing conversation," she added. CPIL, which has been operating in India for the last 88 years, currently contributes around 4 to 5 per cent of the global revenue of the Midtown Manhattan, New York City-based multinational consumer products major Colgate-Palmolive Company. According to Narasimhan, "in the coming years, the contribution of India will certainly increase." India, with its over 1.4 billion population, is always a "central part" of Colgate's global strategy and is now among five markets, which are called out as being the drivers of growth. "If you listen to our global CEO... who was speaking even recently at a conference where he talked about the fact that India will add more middle-class people in the next few years than any other country in the world, and therefore represents a tremendous opportunity for us," she said. Besides, on the channel side, CPIL, as per its strategy, is also extending its play into the fast-growing e-commerce channels , by adding more digital-first brands, exclusive to online sales channels. It has launched Colgate Purple and Max Fresh Sensories range, mouthwash sticks, which is for a small audience in the market. "We have quite a few, and we have a pipeline of many more," she added. However, she also added that traditional trade, which is neighbourhood kirana stores, is actually the bulk of CPIL's business and critical for the company. It has a "tremendous relationship" with its distributors, many of whom have been with it for decades. Earlier in May, All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), an umbrella body of FMCG distributors pan-India, had called for the suspension of the purchase of all products of CPIL in Maharashtra, alleging deep discounting by it in favour of quick commerce channels. However, Narasimhan said there is "enough room" for all the channels in the market. Talking about the trend of consumers becoming more health-conscious, seeking better products and organic options, Narasimhan said consumers buy benefits and CPIL has the right science to deliver all of these benefits. Recently, the oral care segment has witnessed heightened competition, where several brands have launched their toothpaste based on ingredients derived from traditional ayurveda and organic options. "Indian consumers are sensible enough to know that they look for a benefit, they find products that deliver to that benefit, and that's our primary job," she said.
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Business Standard
23-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Colgate-Palmolive to bring new global brands beyond oral care to India
Consumer goods manufacturer and oral care giant Colgate-Palmolive is looking to introduce more global brands in India in categories beyond oral care, a top executive told Business Standard on Monday. 'There are lots of brands globally that could be a good fit for India. We are in conversation to bring some of them to India. The portfolio has a lot of home care and personal care products that we think have potential in India,' Prabha Narasimhan, managing director and chief executive officer at Colgate-Palmolive, told Business Standard. The company's personal care business in the country has outpaced the category's growth rate of 20 per cent, she further said. Narasimhan was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Oral Health Movement Summit in Delhi, an initiative launched by the company to help 4.5 million people screen their dental health and avail check-ups. Results from the screening show that almost 90 per cent of Indians face dental problems, with 41 per cent at risk of cavities, 44 per cent prone to gum issues, and 14 per cent prone to stains. According to Narasimhan, the consumption slowdown has impacted oral care categories too, along with other categories. 'The way we see the impact of the slowdown on a consumer changing their habits is not by stopping buying toothpaste or downtrading to lesser value products, but by titrating the amount of toothpaste they use per brush,' she said, adding that overall penetration of the category is not impacted. While the company's presence is skewed more towards the urban population, Narasimhan said that rural markets have been a bright spot — extremely buoyant in the last few quarters while outpacing urban. To drive urban growth, the company is betting big on premiumisation across categories. 'Another way is to make our core brands stronger to ensure that we are moving them forward in terms of the technology they offer and the benefits they deliver,' Narasimhan added. Meanwhile, the company witnessed its best year in the toothbrush category, 'driven by the availability of our Rs 20 and Rs 30 packs and selling more premium brushes in the modern trade channel. There continues to be definite headroom on both replacement and uptrading in the category,' she said. Colgate-Palmolive reported a 2 per cent year-on-year fall in revenue for the quarter ended March to Rs 1,452 crore, while its net profit declined 6.5 per cent for the same period to Rs 355 crore.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Colgate Palmolive to introduce more brands in India from its global portfolio
FMCG major Colgate-Palmolive (India) plans to introduce more brands here from the company's global portfolio to upscale its play in India -- one of the drivers for its growth, MD & CEO Prabha Narasimhan said on Monday. The company, having presence in the country with two brands - Colgate and Palmolive - currently operates in the oral care and personal care, and is in "active ongoing conversation" with the parent firm for expanding the portfolio. "We are very excited about what all we can do in India, both with our existing brands and portfolio, and with what we can do with the things that we can bring in from the globe. We have tremendous support from our global counterparts in terms of their excitement about what we can achieve in India," Narasimhan told PTI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When Alone - Wrap Foil Around Your Doorknob (Here's Why) Life Hacks 101 About the Palmolive brand, which is currently operating in the personal care space with a premium body wash and hand wash range, Narasimhan said, they have tremendous potential and grow at 20 to 30 per cent CAGR. When asked as whether Colgate-Palmolive India L Ltd (CPIL) will extend the brand Palmolive in new segments, she added she would rather focus on introducing more brands. Live Events "Actually, more than extending the brand Palmolive, we have a lot of products portfolio that is available globally. We are looking to see what of that product portfolio can legitimately be brought into India and make sense for the Indian consumer, and leverage the strengths that Colgate Palmolive India has. So that's a very active ongoing conversation," she added. CPIL, which has been operating in India for the last 88 years, currently contributes around 4 to 5 per cent of the global revenue of the Midtown Manhattan, New York City-based multinational consumer products major Colgate-Palmolive Company. According to Narasimhan, "in the coming years, the contribution of India will certainly increase." India, with its over 1.4 billion population, is always a "central part" of Colgate's global strategy and is now among five markets, which are called out as being the drivers of growth. "If you listen to our global CEO... who was speaking even recently at a conference where he talked about the fact that India will add more middle-class people in the next few years than any other country in the world, and therefore represents a tremendous opportunity for us," she said. Besides, on the channel side, CPIL, as per its strategy, is also extending its play into the fast-growing e-commerce channels, by adding more digital-first brands, exclusive to online sales channels. It has launched Colgate Purple and Max Fresh Sensories range, mouthwash sticks, which is for a small audience in the market. "We have quite a few, and we have a pipeline of many more," she added. However, she also added that traditional trade, which is neighbourhood kirana stores, is actually the bulk of CPIL's business and critical for the company. It has a "tremendous relationship" with its distributors, many of whom have been with it for decades. Earlier in May, All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), an umbrella body of FMCG distributors pan-India, had called for the suspension of the purchase of all products of CPIL in Maharashtra, alleging deep discounting by it in favour of quick commerce channels. However, Narasimhan said there is "enough room" for all the channels in the market. Talking about the trend of consumers becoming more health-conscious, seeking better products and organic options, Narasimhan said consumers buy benefits and CPIL has the right science to deliver all of these benefits. Recently, the oral care segment has witnessed heightened competition, where several brands have launched their toothpaste based on ingredients derived from traditional ayurveda and organic options. "Indian consumers are sensible enough to know that they look for a benefit, they find products that deliver to that benefit, and that's our primary job," she said.
Mint
23-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Colgate-Palmolive eyes H2 rebound amid urban stress, rural growth
New Delhi: Despite a 'tough" March quarter and lingering pressure on many urban consumers, Prabha Narasimhan, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd, expects a rebound in consumer sentiment and spending in the latter half of the year. She cited government interventions, improved liquidity and a good start to the monsoons as key drivers for this change. 'We're hoping the uptick in consumer sentiment happens towards the back end of the year. The government has intervened, there's been a tax cut, liquidity has improved, monsoons are meant to be quite good this year—all of those should certainly help. We see two pockets of opportunity—the top 30% of urban India has no shortage of money for FMCG products; they continue to want to premiumize. Meanwhile, rural India continues to be buoyant—crops have been good and the sentiment is also positive. However, there is stress in 70% of urban India that has been slightly under pressure," Narasimhan said in an interview with Mint on Monday. Also read: Trent sticks to the long-term goal of growing 25% every year In fiscal 2025, the maker of toothbrushes and body wash reported a 6.3% increase in sales, reaching ₹5,999 crore, compared to ₹5,644 crore in the previous year. The company's profit after tax in FY25 grew by 8.5% to ₹1,437 crore, up from ₹1,324 crore in the previous year. However, the fourth quarter saw a dip in both profit and sales, with net profit down 6.5% to ₹355 crore and revenue declining 2% to ₹1,452 crore. Rural volumes grew ahead of urban for the Mumbai-headquartered company during the fiscal year. The March quarter was 'tough", she said. Analysts attributed this to greater competition and weak urban demand. Managing consumption 'Consumers respond to a feeling of confidence. If they feel a little bit of pressure, then they tend to optimize across all parts of their budget. There are some things that are sacrosanct such as medical and education [expenses]. In the case of oral care, it is management of consumption; it's not through smaller pack sizes or cheaper packs," she told Mint in an interview in the capital. The Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry reported 11% year-on-year value growth in the March quarter, driven by a 5.1% volume increase and a 5.6% price hike, according to data released by NielsenIQ. Also read: Govt may relax registration rules for e-commerce players, traders unhappy Urban market growth decelerated in the March quarter, while rural markets saw an 8.4% volume increase, a slight dip from the December quarter. Other large packaged goods companies such as Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd, the maker of Whisper, Vicks and Old Spice, gave similar commentary earlier this month. The company reported a steady revival in rural consumption, even as urban demand remains under pressure. The home and personal care category, where Colgate Palmolive operates, saw consumption growth of 5.7% in the March quarter, with higher demand in rural areas, NielsenIQ noted. The company competes with Dabur India and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. Oral care penetration Meanwhile, the maker of Colgate toothpaste and Palmolive body wash continues to increase the usage of oral care products in India. 'We would like to move the needle as far as urban India is concerned—to get the 80% of consumers who don't brush twice a day to brush twice a day. As far as rural India is concerned, the aim is to get the one in two consumers who don't brush daily to brush daily," she said. A decade ago, oral care penetration in India was around 85%. Today, it's close to universal. The company has also been pushing its flagship Oral Health Movement. Also read: P&G Hygiene sees rebound in rural demand, but urban stress persists As part of the same, over 4.5 million Indians screened their oral health in 700 districts. The company spent 14% of its FY25 annual sales on advertising. Narasimhan said the number will remain in the ballpark and within that range in the current fiscal, too. Meanwhile, commenting on global geopolitical volatility, Narasimhan said the company is largely insulated from supply chain disruptions. 'We are a largely 'make in India' for India company, so almost our entire production of both toothpaste and toothbrush is in India across our four plants. We are reasonably self-sufficient in that sense. We've tried very hard to localize, even to source raw materials; to that extent, one is a little bit insulated from all of this. The macro environment has become so volatile that it's just impossible to comment on and it's impossible for us to do anything other than to insulate on a more structural basis as we have done and continue to do," she added.
