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superbrandsindia.comSUPERBRANDS 2012

MarketBeauty is an industry almost as old as mankinditself. While no record exists of formulae that early Homo sapiens used to make upthemselves, adornments found date back severaltens of thousands of years and featureeverything from sabre tooth pendants to herbalpastes and perfumed oils to extracts from rootsand barks. From its earliest peripatetic days, theworldwide cosmetics industry is now a trilliondollar business.

Closer to home, the Indian cosmetic retail hasbeen witnessing strong growth over the pastfew years and has emerged as one of theleading industries with a massive potential forfuture growth. As is the very nature of FMCGproducts the number of competitors andalternatives is immense. In a market perenniallyhungry for the next advancement, innovationsare the key and are driving the businessforward. It is the ultimate irony that an industrybased on beauty and aesthetics is a veritablebattleground for competitive warfare.

Due to changing lifestyles and spreadingconsumer awareness, people have become

more conscious of how they can and want tolook. Skin care has emerged as one of the mostdynamic segments of the Indian cosmeticmarket. The moisturisers and skin creamcategories size in at a huge C7000 crore (US$1.30 billion) (Source: ACNielsen RMS June2012) and have grown at an average 22% perannum over the last three years.

Like any other industry today, rapid advanceshave resulted in a new age for cosmetic andskin care products with newer improvementsaround every corner. Rising awareness abouttheir benefits and the advancement in medicaltechnology with safe and effective procedureshas made the skin care market a high growthone. However, there are two other compellingreasons for the runaway growth India isregistering: rapidly escalating disposable incomesand a climate supportive of skin care products.

Within this dynamic, busy and competitivecategory, Lacto Calamine from thePiramal Healthcare stables, standsout as one of the most time-tested,trusted and respected brands thatthe skin care market has to offer.

At over C60 crore (US$ 10.90 million) (Source:ACNielsen RMS June 2012) in turnover andwith nearly a million users (Source: IRS 2010)the brand has made its mark in India, South EastAsia and several western countries.

AchievementsNot because of any effort to project it as such,but simply because people’s experiences said so,Lacto Calamine has become a kind of an all-purpose lotion. Consumers have used iteffectively for everything ranging from treatingallergies and measles marks to acne and for acquiring a healthy radiant glow – even as a foundation for make-up. It is this ubiquitoususe that haspropelled LactoCalamine to itshighest popularityratings ever, across

What is remarkable about Lacto Calamine is that it has grown younger with time. From caring for tender

skin several decades ago it now soothes and nourishes skin exposed to the elements and ravaged by the

environment. The brand has also extended its franchise and now offers an oil control formulation, a skin

hydration product, a deep cleansing lotion and a moisturising face wash. Today, Lacto Calamine is used by

people to treat everything from rashes to blemishes and sun burns to insect bites. The brand controls 83%

of the calamine market in India.

all ages and both sexes.Over the years the brand has garnered a fan

following and like a family heirloom the opensecrets of its benefits have been passed downfrom generation to generation. Today, in thecalamine market it commands a market share of83% while its aloe variant is notching up thefastest growth rate amongst moisturisers(Source: ACNielsen RMS 2011).

HistoryLacto Calamine first came to India severaldecades ago riding on the portfolio of DupharInterfran. In the early 1990s it was bought outby Nicholas Piramal and is now vested inPiramal Healthcare.

In its earliest days, Lacto Calamine, aformulation containing zinc oxide and ferricoxide was used as an antipruritic – an anti-itching agent that could treat mild conditionscaused by sun burn, eczema, rashes, chickenpox,insect bites and stings. It was also widely used asan antiseptic to prevent infections that could becaused by scratching affected areas and as anastringent. In fact, after several years of studythe US Food and Drug Administrationannounced on 2nd September 2008 thatcalamines were also effective in relievingsymptoms originating from poisonous plants.

Over the years, Lacto Calamine, despite itsstrong therapeutic leanings, has taken its rightfulplace amongst the better skin care brands ofIndia. It has successfully transformed into amust-have product across diverse dressingcabinets as a daily skin care product rather thanmerely a problem-solution therapy. This haswidened its market significantly, opening upseveral avenues for expansion. Thus, with theevolution of the market, Lacto Calamine itselfhas undergone a metamorphosis, becomingmore conventionally appealing to the greaterIndian market.

From being an astringent, an antipruritic and acomplexion care brand, Lacto Calamine hascome a long way and is now increasinglyregarded as an essential daily skin nourishment.

ProductLacto Calamine is a time-testedproduct that has transcendedgenerations and can now proudlyclaim to be one of India’s mostrecognised skin care brands. It hasestablished itself and has nowbecome the mainstay of thecosmetics and particularly the skincare industries. The product itself isa lotion based on a timelessformula containing kaolin, glycerineand zinc oxide offering completecare for all skin types. It’s thedevotion to a tried and testedformula that has resulted in LactoCalamine becoming the choice ofover a million people. The brandoffers two variant – LactoCalamine Oil Control, formulatedfor consumers with an oily tonormal skin type and its relativelynewer variant, Lacto Calamine SkinHydration for those with dry tonormal skin.

Lacto Calamine promises careand everyday nourishment. Itswide range of benefits includes theremoval of excessive oil from skinpores, exfoliation of dead cells, thereduction of acne and the clearingof blemishes. It’s quite simply aproduct that has not only captured

the hearts and minds of people it will, for yearsto come, be the benchmark against whichcompetition will be judged.

Recent Developments Like many brands that make the cut, LactoCalamine is research driven. When consumerinsight showed that consumers hoped thatinstead of simply curing it could prevent askin problem, the company had reason torevisit its positioning. In early 2009 itrepositioned its Classic lotion and newly-offered aloe-based moisturiser variant asa daily use formula that promised aprophylactic action. The company calledthis Skinsurance.

With this customer wish fulfilled, thecompany felt it was the right time toextend the brand franchise. In a quickforay it launched Lacto Calamine DeepCleansing and Lacto Calamine MoisturisingFacewash. The products came in severalvariants – raspberry, yogurt and avocado– each for a different skin type.

As a step in bonding with the assertive,confident woman of today it combated its nextchallenge: to give her a blemish-free, nourishedskin every day. In this pursuit it reintroducedLacto Calamine in a new avatar, single-mindedlypromising her ‘nurturing goodness’ that wouldallow her inner confidence to shine through.

PromotionThere was a time when the air was fresh, thewater pristine and the skin, usually, soft andtender. Today, hundreds of hazardous chemicalscloud the atmosphere. Exposed to this harshenvironment the skin erupts in several types ofailments.

The new Lacto Calamine is a product of the21st century, formulated to combat the ravagescaused by the environs. By 2003 it had alreadyre-established itself as a household name and in2004 was being advertised to enhance beautifulskin. In the following year, Lacto Calamine beganprojecting its natural ingredients – kaolin and

glycerine – as the perfect balance and theantidote to the unsympathetic environment.

As a corollary to the environmentalconditions, Lacto Calamine ramped up itspositioning. It put forward the idea ofSkinsurance – a promise of health for the skin –and the consequent confidence that its userssilently communicate. It was this core idea withwhich the brand grew to its formidable strength,becoming the essential skin mantra on dressingtables.

Liberation of the modern Indian woman hasmeant that she is more than just a pretty face,set about her work; she is a woman ofsubstance rather than superficiality, unfazed bysocietal pressures and norms, with an inherentlucidity of determining right from wrong. This iswhat makes her today’s confident woman. It isthis new-age woman that Lacto Calaminecelebrates, with its latest communication,protecting her skin from within, so that she can continue to focus on what is trulyimportant to her.

Brand ValuesOver the years, Lacto Calamine as a brand hasalways championed the cause of substance oversuperficiality. With its roots deeply ingrained inproviding skin with nourishing goodness, it hasalways defied the stereotype of being obsessedwith one’s looks. As a product, it has also upheldand demonstrated the value of trust for itsmillion plus consumers.

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Every day 40,000 people buy a bottle ofLacto Calamine

If all packs of Lacto Calamine sold in a yearwere laid out end to end they would nearlycover the entire length of National Highway3 from Mumbai to Delhi

Lacto Calamine has over 300,000 male users

Kaolin, a unique ingredient is actually a formof clay which is known for its natural healingand therapeutic properties

Calamine is a compound of zinc oxide andferric oxide. It has antiseptic properties and isused to treat skin for irritation, burns,inflammation and other conditions

piramalhealthcare.com LACTO CALAMINE

Things you didn’t know about Lacto Calamine