Holding its ground

AROUND THE SECOND quarter of the financial year ending March 31, 2025 (Q2 FY25), the prices of copra, the main ingredient used to make coconut oil, started to rise.

- KARTIKAY KASHYAP

As a result, the input cost for coconut oil makers shot up 40-60%.Marico, like some competitors, was forced to increase the price of its coconut oil brand Parachute.

As of Q3 FY26, Marico had increased the prices of its Parachute brand by 60%. Needless to say sales volume of Parachute declined. Despite the price hike and the volume decline, Parachute’s market share in the coconut hair oil segment remained steady. In fact, it increased marginally — from 53% by end of FY25 to 54% by Q3 FY26.Add Nihar Naturals and Oil of Malabar, the other two brands in Marico’s coconut hair oil portfolio, and the company continues to rule over 64% of the segment. To be sure, coconut oil makes up almost 47% of India’s ₹10,000-crore hair oil market.