Brands
Vicks introduces new ‘Vicks Roll-On’
Mumbai: With a legacy of powerful relief and care of over 125 years, Vicks the World’s #1 selling cough and cold brand continues its effort to innovate towards providing superior products that allow families and friends to care for one another. The brand has announced the launch of the New Vicks Roll-On for fast relief from headaches – it’s 3rd innovation in India over the last 12 months after the launch of Vicks ZzzQuil Natura (from the World’s #1 Sleep Aid Brand) for occasional sleeplessness, and New Vicks VapoRub Steam Pods, its first steam inhalation capsules globally.
The brand continues to innovate in India.
Sahil Sethi, Category Leader, Consumer Healthcare, P&G India, “Vicks has helped relieve cough, cold, and flu symptoms for generations of Indians. We stay committed to build on this legacy by always listening to what our consumers need and incorporating these insights across our product formulations and packaging. With our New Vicks Roll-On, we are proud to introduce a fast and on-the-go relief for headaches that often accompany cough and cold symptoms. Headaches can affect people at any time, causing discomfort and impacting the ability to carry on with daily tasks. Especially designed for our Indian consumers, the new Vicks Roll-On offers Fast Action in just 2 minutes, it comes with a roller ball technology and non-greasy formula that allows for on-the-go headache relief.”
According to Vicks Research & Development director Dr. Jaspreet Kochhar, “The New Vicks Roll-On is a superior product formula containing high strength Ayurvedic ingredients like Pudinah (Menthol) and Karpoor (Camphor), formulated to meet the needs of Indian consumers. It is especially designed to provide swift, effective, and on-the-go solution for those unexpected moments when a headache threatens to derail your day. The packaging is unique with it being the first roll on with a key chain, to provide convenience and portability to solve for those moments when one needs it the most. This roll-on product has a pleasing and well loved Vicks aroma making it useable even when outside home.”
Vicks launched its latest offering with a quirky ‘Jeb mein Vicks toh sardard fix’ new television commercial showing how a headache could strike at the worst time but you can get a quick fix with new Vicks Roll-on. The protagonist, a scientist, receives good news about his space mission but is unable to show his excitement as he is troubled by his headache. When suggested to use the new Vicks roll on, the scientist gets quick relief from his headache and is able to celebrate the achievement.
The new consumer friendly Roll-On comes with the classic Vicks key chain to make it easy for consumers to carry the relief they need with them wherever and whenever they need it.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
