Personal care firms bank on aloe vera for greener sales

Desert plant is now key 'differentiator' in face packs, soaps and shampoos

After henna, amla, neem and sandalwood-based products, it's now aloe vera that is making waves in the personal care market. Both Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL) and Procter & Gamble (P&G) are betting their money on this desert plant, known widely for its antiseptic and healing properties.

Close on the heels of HLL relaunching soap brand Liril with aloe vera as a new ingredient, P&G has launched a new variant of its shampoo brand Head and Shoulders, with aloe vera.

The Liril aloe vera advertisements say that the presence of the plant in the product makes skin soft and smooth, while P&G claims the new Head & Shoulders has a soothing effect on dandruff-ridden scalps.

HLL controls almost 60 per cent of the Rs 4,000-crore soaps market, though it has been trying to revive Liril's sagging performance for some time now. P&G, the number two player in the Rs 1,500-crore shampoo market, has around 15 per cent share.

Brand consultants say they will not be surprised to see more companies jump on to the aloe vera bandwagon. With categories such as soaps and shampoos getting crowded, differentiation is getting increasingly difficult for companies. More so, since any given differentiating property soon begins to be imitated and loses value.

Anand Halve, consultant, Chlorophyll Brand and Communications Consultancy cites the instance of HLL's Clinic shampoo which was the first to come up with the anti-dandruff proposition.

"Today, there are so many anti-dandruff shampoos that 'anti-dandruff' is not seen as a special differentiating property any more," he says.

The same can be said of the toilet soaps category. The "lime fresh" or "with moisturiser" tags which were once considered as great selling propositions have now lost their sheen.

Last year, HLL had relaunched another of its soap brands Hamam in Tamil Nadu, with an improved formulation containing aloe vera and natural extracts.

While the plant has been used as an ingredient in skin care products such as face packs for some time now "" by companies such as Himalaya Healthcare "" it is now being used strongly as a selling proposition for big brands.

Jagdeep Kapoor of Samsika Marketing Consultancy says the recent aloe vera buzz has a lot to do with consumers' increasing obsession with the herbal, natural and healthy.

"While there have always been products sold on the herbal or health platform, the demand for them seems to be reaching a crescendo now. The market has reached critical mass," he says.

Planting a new strategy

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• HLL has relaunched soap brand Liril with aloe vera as a new ingredient, while P&G has launched a new variant of its shampoo brand Head and Shoulders with the plant
• HLL has been trying to revive Liril's sagging performance for some time now
• Brand consultants expect more companies to jump on to the aloe vera bandwagon
• With categories such as soaps and shampoos getting crowded, differentiation is getting increasingly difficult for companies