Which toothpaste should I buy?
Poorna Agarwal- 2015IPM074
Wikipedia describes toothpaste as “...A paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it serves as an abrasive that aids in removing the dental plaque and food from the teeth....”
In ancient India oral health consisted only of some homemade powders and herbal medicines given by the local medicine practitioners, the scenario is completely different today. In 1975 there was introduction of the powder based toothpaste which led to the launch of the gel form of the same commodity in a convenient and sleek tube in 1998. At present the gel market has …show more content…
• Ultra Brite – an American toothpaste and tooth-whitener marketed by Colgate-Palmolive in the United States.
At present the 7,000 crore Indian toothpaste market witnesses Colgate holding a market share of 62.5% and HUL (Hindustan Unilever) 23%. This leaves a quarter of the share, of which brands such as Babool, Sensofoam, Cibaca, Neem, Vicco etc occupy 14.5%. Regional brands such as Anchor, Vicco, Ajanta, Smyle and Baidyanath were a major force 10 years back but now they have slipped to a mere 2% market share. In India the usage of toothpaste is 190 gram per person. In developed countries like USA and England the usage of toothpaste is 375 gram per person - double that of India. This can be explained to a certain extent by the fact that penetration of the existing brands is only 50% and the rural market largely remains untapped. This gap of 50% goes on to show that there is a vast scope of newer and better range of this commodity to enter the market. The pre-existing brands will come up with toothpaste better suitable to the needs of the rural population while there will be newer and probably regional brands emerging to cater to the rural sector as