Emami Forays Into Male Deodorant Segment With Hrithik Roshan, Eyes Rs 130 Crore

Kolkata-based Emami has entered India's male deodorant segment, the largest and fastest growing category in male grooming, with a new brand called ‘He’.

Harsha V Agarwal, director Emami, said the company has also appointed Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan as brand ambassador for ‘He’ deodorants.

"We want to notch up to 5-6% share of the deodorant market in India in two years which will make ‘He’ brand around Rs 100-130 crore by then," he said.

Emami hopes ‘He’ will compete against other brands like Hindustan Unilever’s ‘Axe’, ITC's ‘Engage’, Vini Cosmetics' ‘Fogg’ and P&G's ‘Old Spice’.

The company also plans to roll out the brand nationally with its main focus on 23 top cities, starting with the north, west and east.

The brand will be launched in the southern part of India in the second phase.

‘He’ will be the second dedicated male grooming brand for the company after fairness cream ‘Fair and Handsome’.

According to Nielsen, a global information and measurement company, male deodorants still have 69% of the sales contribution, whereas women's deodorants are pushing the growth in the segment.

The company wants its new brand to eventually extend into the entire space of male grooming in areas such as skin and hair care.

The Rs 2,300-crore deodorant market is driven by robust growth in India.
(Image: Emami official site)