MAM
ASCI takes pro-active initiatives; hires COO
MUMBAI: With the government and consumer bodies making noises about titillating and misleading TV ads, the Indian advertising industry is working on getting its act together.
Take the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a body which works as the industry watchdog. Today, it announced that it was taking a few measures to ensure that it becomes more effective.
One it said that, it has now started tracking – through National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS) – print and TV ads nationally against which complaints are upheld.
And it says it is ready to crack the whip on violators – it has highlighted that it will report them to the relevant statutory authorities, if they choose to ignore its directions and continuing airing ads without removing or changing objectionable portions.
The second initiative it has undertaken is to speed up the decision making process in the face of a spurt in complaints by introducing an additional consumer complaints council (CCC) which will allow weekly meetings instead of the fortnightly cycle as is the norm now. This will further reduce the average complaint adjudication time.
Thirdly, it has appointed Shweta Purandare as chief operations officer (COO) to drive complaint investigation, redressal and follow-up.
“ASCI has been continually innovating to protect the interests of the consumers and all these initiatives are steps towards that,” says ASCI chairman Arvind Sharma. “The proactive tracking by NAMS earlier, of all newly released ads in print and TV and now of all upheld complaint ads and reporting non-compliance to statutory bodies is likely to help substantially in moving towards the goal of eradicating misleading ads. Appointment of a COO and an additional CCC will go a long way in ensuring speedier and more effective complaint redressal process.”
Brands
Dabur buys minority stake in Ras Beauty for Rs 60 crore
Dabur Ventures deal backs fast-growing luxury skincare brand
MUMBAI: Dabur India Limited has dipped into the world of luxury skincare, signing a definitive agreement to acquire a minority stake in Ras Beauty Private Limited for Rs 60 crore. The investment marks the first bet from Dabur Ventures, the FMCG major’s Rs 500 crore platform set up in October 2025 to back high-potential, new-age direct-to-consumer brands.
Founded in Raipur by Shubhika Jain, her sister Suramya Jain and their mother Sangeeta Jain, Ras Beauty has grown from a family-led passion project into a fast-scaling “Farm-to-Face” skincare label. Its range of face elixirs, serums and moisturisers blends essential oils with nature-derived actives, striking a balance between botanical purity and laboratory precision.
The numbers tell their own story. Ras has clocked a three-year Cagr of around 75 per cent and an annual run rate of approximately Rs 100 crore, all while maintaining strong gross margins. That growth has been fuelled by a digital-first approach, in-house R&D and manufacturing, and a sharp focus on clean, sustainable sourcing.
Dabur India executive director and group head corporate strategy Abhinav Dhall, said the company was drawn to Ras’s distinct positioning at the intersection of nature, science and luxury. He added that the premium beauty segment is poised for robust expansion over the coming decade, and that Ras is well placed to capture that opportunity.
For Ras, the partnership is as much about scale as it is about shared philosophy. Co-founder and CEO Shubhika Jain said Dabur’s 141-year legacy of building trusted, purpose-led brands makes it a natural ally. The capital infusion, she noted, will help accelerate the brand’s omnichannel footprint, deepen research capabilities and invest in team and brand building, with an eye on establishing Ras as a leading Indian luxury skincare name both domestically and overseas.
With this move, Dabur is not just investing in a skincare label. It is placing an early wager on India’s growing appetite for premium, conscious beauty, and signalling that heritage FMCG players are ready to play in the new-age D2C arena.
