Femosan steps on turf of Dettol, Lifebuoy -- To roll out germicidal liquid soap range  ( July '11,2001, HBL)

COMPETITION is taking shape for the likes of Dettol and Lifebuoy in the germicidal soaps segment. The Rs 60-crore Fem Care Pharma is on the verge of rolling out its own anti-bacterial liquid soap brand, to be marketed under the name Femosan.

To be priced at Rs 55 for a 250-ml pack, Femosan was expected to be available across the country within the next one month, Ms Sunita Ramnathkar, Joint Managing Director, Fem Care Pharma Ltd, told Business Line.

For a company that has differentiated itself on the plank of creating brands only within niche categories (facial bleach for women and the soon-to-be-launched hair removal brand Uproot being some examples), Femosan falls within the tried-and-tested category.

While Reckitt-Benckiser's front-runner brand Dettol has a key variant in Dettol Liquid Soap within the antiseptic liquid hand-wash soaps segment, another prominent player is Hindustan Lever's Lifebuoy antiseptic liquid soap. Moreover, Fem Care's existing liquid soap variants are largely cosmetic and are classified in the premium hand-wash soaps segment.

Explaining the company's decision to extend its liquid cosmetics soap variants to anti-bacterial soap, Ms Ramnathkar said, ``Since we already have a well-entrenched pharmaceutical distribution network in place, it was a logical decision to foray into anti-bacterial soaps.''

However, Femosan will not be marketed typically as an FMCG product, at least in the initial stages. For example, it will not be advertised through the conventional media route. Instead, the company proposes to push the brand through the pharmaceutical endorsement route by approaching doctors and pharmacists, and through its team of 120 medical representatives across six States.

Meanwhile, Fem Care has decided to broadbase the distribution of Barcode -- its brand of alternate clothing marketed by group company Pentagon Manufacturing and Marketing. Barcode has been around for over a year, but the brand's presence has been largely restricted to western markets.

But beginning this week, Barcode would be available in Delhi, followed later by a launch in Kolkata. The Barcode range, which comprised westernwear for women, would also be extended to women's nightwear in the forthcoming months, Ms Ramnathkar said. Fem Care has also initiated talks with airlines, banks, and other multinationals with the objective of `corporate dressing'.

``We have already designed uniforms for corporates such as Lakme. We intend to carry on this as a sideline business, given that corporate dressing is catching up in a big way,'' Ms Ramnathkar said.