Marico believes trust built in oil can travel far beyond the bottle it started with. The FMCG company recently announced that it is ‘making one of its biggest bets in years’ with the launch of Parachute Advansed Protein Shampoo, formally entering India’s fiercely competitive shampoo category.

The move marks a major shift for a brand that has played in India’s pre-wash hair oiling ritual for decades. With this launch, Marico is looking to enter the cleansing stage too, positioning Parachute Advansed as a full-stack hair care brand rather than just a coconut oil brand.

The timing is strategic.

India’s INR 10,000 crore shampoo market, growing at near-double-digit rates, is witnessing rising demand for damage repair, nourishment, and ingredient-led formulations. Consumers are increasingly seeking nature-inspired solutions for concerns caused by pollution, heat styling, hard water, and urban lifestyles.

Marico is betting that Parachute Advansed’s strong association with coconut-based nourishment can help it stand out in a segment crowded with legacy and new-age brands.

The launch also reflects Marico’s ambition to capture a larger share of the consumer’s hair care wallet while deepening loyalty to the Parachute Advansed franchise. The rollout is backed by mass-market pricing, including INR 1 sachets for rural and trial consumption, alongside a marketing push across television, digital, influencers, and regional outreach.

Manifest spoke with Vikram Karwal, chief marketing officer – India, Marico, during the launch about the thinking behind the timing, consumer trends shaping the category, and Marico’s ambitious plans to build a holistic hair care brand.

Edited excerpts:

You have recently settled into this new role of CMO at Marico. What are some of the key learnings from your previous stints that you’re bringing into your new role here?

My previous stint at Mondelez lasted almost 22 years, and I had the chance to work across different functions and geographies. I’ve worked in India in sales and marketing, and have also had a chance to work in Europe. I’ve also held leadership positions in Southeast Asia. So it was a very enriching experience I had at Mondelez, and also in my formative years with ITC Agrotech.

I think all these experiences have really set me up well for the current role that I’m handling at Marico, in terms of building my functional capability, and also my ability to drive large-scale businesses, business understanding, and people management. So I believe all these past learnings have prepared me for the current role.

Coming to the new segment, why was it the right time to launch at the moment? Did you all seek out any focus groups?

There are two or three reasons for that. One is that we have very strong equity in Parachute Advansed. This is equity, which is rooted in trust and nourishment, and has been built over the last three decades in India. It’s a very strong brand that has stood for hair care through its participation in the coconut hair oil category.

We also know that the cleansing segment is a huge opportunity in India. It is an INR 10,000 crore segment, and it’s growing and evolving in many ways. Given the strength of the equity, the nourishment codes we enjoy, and our deep understanding of the consumer when it comes to hair care, it became a natural progression for the brand to straddle not just the pre-wash moment but also the cleansing moment.

We believe that the brand can definitely own it very differently and meaningfully compared to the incumbents in the segment today. It will also help us grow not only the brand but also the company’s business going forward. We believe that we are able to bring something meaningful to the consumer because consumers are looking for nature-based ingredients and coconut-based solutions when it comes to personal care and hair care. We are able to offer exactly that in the form of coconut-based ingredients combined with some new-age ingredients.

Parachute Advansed has built strong equity and consumer trust in the hair oil category over many years. However, the shampoo market is highly saturated with intense competition. How does the company plan to leverage its existing brand trust from the oil category to break into and gain meaningful share in the shampoo segment?

We strongly believe that if we are able to bring something meaningfully different from the incumbents in the category, we will be able to do that. We also understand the needs of consumers today really well.

Consumers are looking for solutions because, if one looks at the lifestyle of today’s youngsters, they are travelling a lot, they are out and about, their hair gets damaged, impacted by pollution, lifestyle, and so on. Therefore, this particular offering really plays a meaningful role in the life of the consumer.

We are offering exactly what they are looking for: nature-based ingredients in the form of coconut and new-age ingredients that I mentioned. This proposition is very distinctive compared to what other incumbents are offering in the market today. We have very strong brand equity, and we believe we will be able to complete the hair care regimen for these consumers who are already considering the brand today for pre-wash nourishment in the form of hair oiling. They can also extend into the cleansing segment.

They don’t really need to go outside the brand. Within one brand itself, they are able to meet all their hair care needs. That’s how we are looking at it. You're able to complete the hair care regimen with one brand.

Also, when it comes to sales, which generates more sales right now: brick and mortar stores or quick commerce? And with the new offering, how do you see it going forward?

Right now, we are in a build-up phase, just starting to launch in the market, so it’s too early to say what contribution is coming from where. But we strongly feel that both these channels are going to be important for us.

When it comes to general trade in India, it’s a channel from where we drive a lot of sachet sales, which are important for driving trials and penetration in the market. Online platforms and modern trade channels are going to be very critical for affluent consumers or consumers who are digitally savvy to drive consideration and exploration. These channels will also play a meaningful role in presenting the entire wide portfolio to these consumers.

All channels are going to be important. Only time will tell which one contributes how much.

Lastly, how are you balancing TV and digital in the media mix for the shampoo launch?

TV is important because we want to drive mass adoption of our offering. We want more and more consumers to try our products, and therefore, TV is definitely going to be important in terms of driving reach for the brand.

But digital is also very important for new-age, digitally savvy consumers who are looking for more engagement. Therefore, we are going to collaborate a lot with content creators and influencers on this medium going forward.

So it’s different mediums for different consumers, and we are also able to target the right consumers with the right product solutions on digital platforms. Both media are going to be very important for us.