Himalaya goes digital-first, scales influencer play, and champions young women through purpose-led marketing

Mint

20-07-2025

MUMBAI: As the personal care space heats up with new-age D2C brands amid changing consumer behaviour, legacy player Himalaya Wellness is rewriting its playbook. From prioritizing digital-first marketing to rolling out purpose-led campaigns and innovating around convenience, the brand is taking bold bets. In a conversation with Mint, Ragini Hariharan, marketing director— personal care and hygiene, Himalaya Wellness, discusses the company's digital shift, its evolving influencer strategy, Women's Premier League-led brand storytelling, and the long runway for growth in existing categories. Edited excerpts:
How is Himalaya's personal care business growing?
The category is growing in double digits, and we're tracking broadly in line with that across most skincare segments. In some of the newer spaces for us, like serums, we're seeing triple-digit growth.
What does your marketing mix look like today? Is it digital-first now?
Absolutely. We've moved from a traditional-first approach to a digital-first one. Several of our brands and variants have now launched and scaled entirely through digital platforms. Influencer-led storytelling and web series integrations have become key to awareness and credibility, especially in high-involvement categories like serums. Neem Face Wash, which still caters to a massive audience, including teenage girls, continues to get support from TV. But overall, more than 60% of our personal care marketing spend is now on digital.
That's a significant shift. How has the media split evolved in the past couple of years?
In 2023, about 80% of our spends were on traditional media, mainly TV. By last year, that dropped to nearly 50%. This year, only around 30-40% is on TV and traditional, with the rest going to digital. Across Himalaya's broader categories, including baby care, the company now spends over 70% of its media budget on digital platforms.
Influencer marketing seems central to this shift. What's your approach there?
We don't follow a fixed number. We build an influencer strategy based on the product, category, objective and target audience. We work across the board from celebrities like Aditya Roy Kapur for PartySmart, to nano-influencers who double up as authentic consumers. For awareness-led initiatives like our cleft lip surgery initiative 'Muskaan', or category-building campaigns, we bring in high-reach names. In contrast, for new product trials or everyday use cases, micro and nano creators offer greater credibility.
Himalaya has been a Women's Premier League partner from the beginning. What has the association delivered?
It started as a purpose-led association to back women's sport and inspire ambition among young girls. In the first season, we launched our rose face wash variant with the 'Not Fair' campaign. The following year, it was our turmeric range. Both campaigns trended at No.1 on X and received strong traction.
This year, we went bigger with the Wonder Woman Project, encouraging girls to share aspirations via a microsite and offering resources and mentorship. We also enabled a group of girls to train with RCB players. It's a long-term play to inspire and support future female role models.
Consumers today are also looking for clean and sustainable beauty. How are you responding to that?
Sustainability has always been part of Himalaya's DNA, even before it became a buzzword. We follow regenerative agriculture practices, have our own farmlands for ingredient traceability, and are committed to 100% recyclable packaging. What's changed is that we're now more vocal about these efforts, but we're careful not to overpromise. For us, it's not about launching one 'green" SKU. Sustainability must show up across every product and process.
What are some recent or upcoming product innovations?
Convenience formats are trending. PartySmart gummies are a good example. Our serum portfolio is also expanding across use cases. In oral care, we recently launched a botanical range with clean formulations, free from harsh chemicals. It's one of the first such offerings in India from a large brand. This year, we have 4-5 new launches planned across the skincare and winter care categories.
Are you looking at entering new categories?
We see massive headroom in our current categories. Even in markets where we lead, like face wash, lip care and anti-hangover products, penetration remains low. For instance, face wash usage in urban India is still only about 40%. So, there's more to unlock in our existing portfolio.
What's the role of e-commerce and quick commerce in your growth?
E-commerce now contributes significantly across several categories and continues to grow rapidly. Quick commerce, in particular, is gaining traction in impulse-led segments like oral care. We expect it to match regular e-commerce sales in some categories by the end of the year. While digital channels are scaling fast, general trade remains a critical part of our distribution and continues to perform well.
As a legacy brand, how do you stay culturally relevant to younger consumers?
That's an ongoing effort. Consumers already associate us with trust, safety and quality. But we also need to come across as young, modern and in tune with their world. The same actions from a startup would be praised, but legacy brands are held to a different standard. We're leaning into web series integrations and relatable influencer content, showing protagonists using Himalaya not for vanity, but to solve real problems. Our biggest brand, Neem Face Wash, is often a consumer's entry point into skincare as a teenager, so we go the extra mile to connect with Gen Z in their language.
What about male grooming, are you focused there?
Yes, we have a men's range, though it's not as prominent as it could be. Even our Neem Face Wash is widely used by men. We're working on improving product relevance and shelf presence for men. It's a huge opportunity and one where we plan to scale up.