Global biggies such as L’Oreal, Mondelez, Haleon and Reckitt called out India for its strong performance in the June quarter
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From acquisitions to ramping up manufacturing footprint, sharper focus on low price packs and wider distribution, global consumer products makers are making strategic bets to accelerate growth in the Indian market. Global biggies such as L’Oreal, Mondelez, Haleon and Reckitt called out India for its strong performance in the June quarter.L’Oreal Global CEO Nicolas Hieronimus on Thursday said India business grew 17 per cent in the first half of the year, which was a strong acceleration. India is a strategic region for growth for the beauty and cosmetics major where it has been focusing both on organic growth and acquisition strategies“In India, we’re strong in haircare and in makeup with Maybelline... We’re beginning to see a surge in fragrance usage there. Skincare is a category where we have to accelerate. We have a big drive right now on CeraVe in 7-8 cities in India and expanding,” said Hieronimus on the earnings call.In June, the company said it will acquire a majority stake in digital-first personal care company Innovist and expects to close the transaction in Q3. Hieronimus said that the acquisition is a “great addition” to the company’s Consumer Products Division and will also provide learnings on India’s dynamic e-commerce ecosystem.Haleon, which recently announced investment of about ₹2,000 crore to set up its first manufacturing plant in India, has been sharpening its focus on low price packs. Speaking on the quarterly earnings, Brian McNamara CEO, Haleon said, “India continues to deliver sustainable double-digit growth, up in the mid-teens for the quarter (Q2 CY2026). Oral Health is a significant driver of growth in our India business and the second largest market for Sensodyne globally growing at over 20 per cent in the first half.”“We are successfully driving penetration with lower-income consumers. We started this two years ago through our ₹20 access packs, which are gaining real momentum, and making up 40 per cent of the tubes sold in the first half. Centrum Recharge, priced at ₹10 continues to recruit new consumers,” McNamara said.Earlier this week, Mondelez Chairman & CEO Dirk Van de Put said, “We added another 100,000 stores in India. We also launched Biscoff in India with great success. Infact, we built one line and we sold out that line from the first month. We are hurrying up the building of the second line. We see Biscoff becoming an important biscuit brand in India.”Published on July 31, 2026







