Lifebuoy will be more than just a germ fighter soap: HUL

Soap to be positioned in the 'skin protection' category; new packaging, relaunch in works

- Suneera Tandon

Lifebuoy, one of the top-selling soap brands in India that is worth more than ₹2,000 crore in sales, is getting a makeover. Citing declining sales in the 'hygiene soap' segment, a top executive at HUL said that Lifebuoy will now be positioned within the broader 'skin protection' category, moving beyond its traditional 'germ protection' focus.

"It is a big transformation that we are doing on the brand and that entails pivoting the brand from the world of germ protection to the world of skin protection along with a change in packaging and new communication," Vipul Mathur, executive director, personal care for Hindustan Unilever Ltd said in an interview last week.

Lifebuoy is shifting its proposition from "illness protection" to "skin protection", offering both existing and new benefits while contemporizing its image, the company said. The new Lifebuoy formulation will address concerns such as rashes, itches and skin acne.

"To communicate this change in proposition, we are also elevating the packaging design to make it more modern and premium," Mathur said.

The company will also expand the brand to categories such as body washes, where Lifebuoy has limited presence compared to other brands such as Lux and Dove.