FMCG Giant Dabur To Enter Feminine Care Market In India
India’s leading FMCG firm Dabur reportedly plans to enter India’s feminine care market with its new brand Fem. With this step, Dabur plans to compete with major players in this market bringing a product that is not just cost-effective but also superior.
Dabur is known for its consumer product categories such as foods, health care, home care, skin care, and oral care. Currently, the Indian market for feminine care products is dominated by multinational companies like Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unicharm and others.
However, as per a report by The Economic Times, Dabur's Fem will compete with J&J's Stayfree and P&G's Whisper in the sanitary napkin market. It adds that before introducing the goods through other channels, the company will first introduce it through the e-commerce platform Flipkart.
On November 21, 2008, Dabur India Ltd. reportedly announced that it has acquired 72.15 per cent of Fem Care Pharma Ltd. (FCPL), a major player in the women's skincare products market.
“The world around us is evolving at an ever-fast pace after Covid and hygiene has become one of the biggest concerns for everyone”, The Economic Times quoted Smerth Khanna, Business Head, e-Commerce and Modern Trade at Dabur, as saying. He further added, “We looked and understood our consumers’ needs and realised the gap in the feminine hygiene space, where the consumers had to have a superior product at a pocket-friendly price.”
In India, only 22 per cent of women reportedly use sanitary pads. Although more than two-thirds of women in urban areas use hygienic napkins during their period. But it’s the rural area that needs awareness. Dabur's biggest market is in rural areas, where hygiene has to be improved.
“Feminine care is of utmost importance to every woman and our endeavour is to make feminine care accessible and affordable to them,” The Economic Times quoted Kanchan Mishra, Flipkart’s Senior Director, Consumables (FMCG), General Merchandise and Home, as saying.
Dabur reportedly sells its products in more than 120 countries and operates on four continents. It has also acquired a number of companies in recent years to expand its business in markets outside of India.