But that was not the initial focus of the brand.

Santoor was launched by Wipro Consumer Care in 1985. 

Now, kitchen ingredients for beauty have been a norm in India for centuries. So, Santoor initially launched with a USP of a formulation that used turmeric and sandalwood.  In fact, the word Santoor comes from these 2 ingredients – ‘San’ from sandalwood and ‘toor’ (‘tur’) from turmeric.  Though the initial response was good, it was mostly attributed to early adopters. When the prices of Santoor hiked with rising costs of raw materials, consumers went back to their old soaps that cost less. 

Though they released advertisements to tackle this, awareness remained low.

-Repositioning strategy of Santoor 

-SWOT & competitor analysis

-Regional + rural focus

The repositioning strategy of Santoor:

When Santoor was launched, it was positioned as an Ayurvedic soap.

1988: Santoor Haldi Chandan Soap With traditional ingredients, it offered an alternative against brands like Lux and Pears. 

But the market already had brands with “natural is better” positioning, with brands like Medimix, Margo, and Mysore Sandal. With not much differentiation and almost no brand awareness, Santoor was struggling. The major problem with this positioning was the lack of emotional connect. 

Santoor offered a solution to a problem not many consumers were facing. And if the brand is not relatable, it’s not going to hit.

Now, in the mid-90s, a trend was observed among female consumers – they wanted to feel young in order to enhance their self image.  With globalisation, modernisation of traditional Indian homes, and the shift of a woman’s identity from only a  homemaker, it opened up new avenues to how women wanted to feel and be perceived. 

The brand noticed that there was no soap that directly addressed the skincare needs of older women. This aspirational segment was naturally wary of using a product that emphasized traditionality. 

Every beauty soap targeted either young women chasing movie-star beauty or families looking for an all-purpose product.

But what about Indian mothers? The ones who spent their lives taking care of their families but still wanted to look youthful?

That was an untapped market.

So, the brand implemented a repositioning strategy where they promised something every woman wanted – skin that looks younger.

“Younger-looking skin is not about how your skin looks. Nobody says soaps give me young skin. Young skin is an emotion; feeling young and thinking young is an emotion… It is not only about younger skin or looking beautiful, but also feeling young.”

In a society where women are often expected to age gracefully but not too quickly, Santoor positions itself as the subtle confidence boost that aligns with this mindset.

This positioning helped to relate emotionally and appeal to a broader market who was also willing to pay slightly higher for an aspirational value. 

They have continued with this positioning for more than 30 years now.

“In 2018, Santoor was also the second most sold soap brand in India!”