The dermo-cosmetic market in India is still underserved and provides big opportunities for brands looking to tap into the growing consumer demand for skincare products that are more than cosmetic in nature. They are looking for skincare solutions that deliver long-lasting, visible results.

Tapping into this demand is French beauty care major L’Oreal, which has launched its dermatological division in the country. The first brand to be launched under this division is CeraVe. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% annually and is expected to have a sizeable value at around $450 million by 2030.

Talking about the entry into the market, Ram Itani, director, L’Oreal Dermatological Beauty at L’Oreal India said, “We believe the time is right to enter the market due to increased affluence and awareness. There’s an increase in consumer awareness and easy accessibility via e-commerce. Social media has also fired this demand by creating more awareness. This is an opportune moment for us to be here.”

Starting Afresh

In fact, L’Oreal India had earlier launched dermo cosmetic brands Vichy Laboratoires and La Roche Posay but had withdrawn the same due to lack of acceptance in the market. At that time neither the consumers nor the market was ready for such products at a high price point.

This time around the company is looking at a pull strategy rather than a push one. It is going to work with dermatologists and skincare experts to create awareness about skin health before pushing the products. Discussing the need for dermatological care among Indian consumers, Aseem Kaushik, managing director of L’Oréal India, said, ”The ratio of dermatologists to consumers in India is one of the lowest in the world, at 0.7 dermatologists to every 1,000 people. With our dermatological beauty division, we aim to deliver expert skincare solutions to both Indian dermatologists and patients.

Adding Health to Skincare

Actually, internationally L’Oreal’s Dermatological Beauty Division is the third largest and fastest growing division within the L’Oreal Groupe. This division has 5 brands including CeraVe, Vichy, La Roche Posay, Skinceuticals and Skin Better Science. According to Myriam Cohen-Welgryn, President, L’Oreal Dermatological Beauty, the brand works around the motto ‘We add health to beauty’ to enable consumers to have healthy skin that lasts forever.

That is idea that the company will push here too. Itani said that the brand’s strategy is to bring clinically formulated, dermatologist-driven skincare products that deliver visible, long-term results to the Indian. “The idea is to bring the experts closer to the end consumers to make sure that they are using the products correctly. We want them to invest in dermocosmetic products because they improve skin health from within,” Itani was quoted saying.

Keeping It Accessible

To make the products more accessible to consumers, L’Oreal has kept base price of CeraVe products at Rs 300. The products will be sold through pharmacies across the country and through e-commerce channel. Based on the performance of CeraVe in the Indian market, L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty division may introduce other brands in future.

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