From Haldi-Chandan to Market Champion: The Santoor Story

Few Indian brands have achieved what Santoor has- instant recall without constant noise. The moment you hear “Haldi aur chandan ke gun samaye Santoor..”, memory does the rest. It wasn’t just advertising- it was a cultural cue, a daily reminder that beauty could be simple, traditional, and timeless. By 2025, Santoor quietly rose to the top of the soap market. It became India’s largest soap brand by value in a category that had been dominated by legacy names for decades.

The Beginning: From Vision to a Bar of Soap Long before Santoor existed, the foundation was being laid. In 1945, amid India’s freedom struggle, Mohamed Premji laid the foundation of what would later become Wipro. Decades later, in 1986, Santoor was launched under Wipro Consumer Care as a soap grounded in Indian tradition. Its positioning was clear and uncomplicated: sandalwood and turmeric, ingredients already woven into the cultural understanding of skincare, promising younger-looking skin. This clarity was its biggest strength. While other soaps chased glamour, Santoor chose trust, tradition, and consistency. The Strategy That Changed the Game Santoor’s rise wasn’t overnight, nor was it accidental. Instead of pushing nationwide dominance immediately, the brand adopted a focused regional growth strategy. In the late 1990s, the brand chose a region-by-region growth strategy, building strength in one market at a time. This steady approach paid off. From a Simple Launch to Market Leadership Santoor entered the market with a clear focus on sandalwood and turmeric- ingredients Indian women already trusted. Their approach paid off as Santoor became India’s third-largest soap brand by 2006. Following this it was leading the market across South and West India. The momentum continued as the brand crossed ₹1,000 crore in revenue in 2012, moved up to the second position nationally in 2018 after overtaking Lux, and finally became India’s largest soap brand by value in 2025- surpassing even Lifebuoy. Smart Strategy, Strong Growth

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