ITC To Expand Its Skin care Products through charmis brand

ITC, Country’s most valuable consumer goods company is extending the newly acquired Charmis brand to a range of skincare products that would compete with Hindustan Unilever’s Pond’s and Nivea, and help scale up ITC’s presence in the high-margin personal-care business.

Sameer Satpathy, ITC’s personal-care products business chief executive said “There are very few brands that have face equity, and women are particularly sensitive to what they apply on their face. Charmis has face equity since it has a lot of nascent goodwill. We will make the brand contemporary and eventually extend it into several categories positioned in the mass segment. The rejuvenation will take place next year. ITC’s acquisition of Charmis in June has been low-key and was not announced. The conglomerate has acquired the rights for South Asia, and some African and Middle Eastern markets”.

Acquired from Colgate-Palmolive, the Charmis cream brand is among the low-profile buyout opportunities the Kolkata giant is betting on to expand its non-cigarette profitability. Categories where ITC plans to extend Charmis could include specialised face washes and applications such as tan removal, day cream, anti-ageing and moisturising lotions.

ITC has just re-launched Charmis winter cream, and the brand will operate in the mass segment the Vivel range will enjoy premium positioning.

An industry executive said the company got the brand ‘dirt-cheap’ as Colgate-Palmolive wanted to remove unfocused brands from its portfolio.