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To further strengthen its presence in the specialised oral health care segment, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare has launched Parodontax, a toothpaste brand that targets those suffering from bleeding gums. Jayant Singh, Executive Vice-President, Marketing, GSK Consumer Healthcare India, told Business Line that with Parodontax, the company was betting on replicating the success of Sensodyne. This brand is expected to compete head on with Colgate Total Pro Gum Health, launched last month.
How is the total oral care market and specialised segments growing?
The total toothpaste market is estimated at Rs 6,000 crore, growing at 20 per cent. Our philosophy is to have strong science-driven brands. We operate in the specialised market segment. Parodontax is positioned at the premium gum care segment, designed to reduce bleeding gums and help reduce the incidence of tooth loss. The average incidence of bleeding gums globally is 33 per cent. Our estimate is that the incidence of bleeding gums in India is similar, if not higher.
How do you see this product increasing your market share?
We already have a success model with Sensodyne and we plan to use this learning for growing the Parodontax brand Our experience has shown that the sensitive toothpaste segment which was just about 3 per cent of the toothpaste market grew to about 9.5 per cent on the back of growing awareness among consumers (due to increased spends on communication by various players) about sensitive teeth problems. This segment is now growing at 45 per cent.
We plan to replicate this success in the gum care segment too and believe it has a huge potential to grow.
How do you plan to increase penetration of your products, especially in rural markets?
Given the premium nature of our pricing, the demand is skewed towards the metros. But there is growing demand from tier 1 and 2 markets. There are two dimensions of growth across categories. For instance, the gum care segment is a small percentage of the total toothpaste market, while the incidence is 33 per cent and thus offers a huge potential to grow. Also the rural consumers, who were using unbranded products, are moving to urban centres and have started using branded products. Meanwhile, urban consumers, who already use branded products are using general purpose products, but have specialised toothpaste needs. All these are opportunities to grow.
Economy growth projections are subdued. How will that impact the FMCG sector?
The external environment is showing signs of weakness. The latest GDP estimates are at 5 per cent and industrial growth is slowing down. However, it is hard to say how much this will impact the fast-moving consumer goods segment. But, we are confident that we have a strong portfolio and believe that our consumers will make good choices about oral health.
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