Brands
French Essence launches men’s grooming brand MENZ
Mumbai: French Essence, a perfume brand recognised for its quality, has launched MENZ, a new entity focused on premium grooming products for men. With this expansion, French Essence Perfumes enters the men’s grooming market, offering a range of products including shaving foam, aftershave, hair spray, and other essential grooming items.
The MENZ brand is designed to meet the needs of modern men seeking high-quality grooming solutions. Each product in the MENZ range is crafted with the same commitment to excellence that French Essence is known for, ensuring a luxurious grooming experience. MENZ provides everything a man needs, from smooth shaving foam and invigorating aftershave to versatile hair spray.
French Essence founder & CMO Nidhi Gupta expressed her views, “We are thrilled to introduce MENZ as part of the French Essence family. Our goal with MENZ is to provide men with grooming products that not only meet their daily needs but also elevate their grooming routine with a touch of elegance and refinement. We believe MENZ will become a trusted name in men’s grooming, just as French Essence is in the category of fragrances.”
The MENZ grooming range is now available in stores as well as in online marketplaces. French Essence Perfumes invites every alpha male to explore this new collection and experience the perfect blend of quality, style, and care that MENZ offers.
Brands
Zydus Wellness expands Ritebite Max Protein into new formats
RTD shakes, ghee jaggery bars and Korean chips target $10–12 bn protein market.
MUMBAI: Protein is no longer just gym talk, it’s making a full-course entry into everyday India. Zydus Wellness Ltd. is stretching its Ritebite Max Protein portfolio across three new formats, signalling a sharper push to turn protein from a niche supplement into a daily habit. The expansion brings ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes, culturally rooted ghee jaggery bars, and Korean-inspired protein chips under one umbrella, an attempt to build what the company calls a “multi-format protein ecosystem”. The move targets India’s rapidly expanding protein market, currently estimated at $10–12 billion and growing at a mid-teen CAGR.
The numbers suggest the strategy already has legs. In Q3 FY26, Ritebite Max Protein posted near double-digit EBITDA margins following its acquisition, driven by distribution expansion, product innovation and broader category tailwinds.
At the centre of the rollout is convenience. The newly launched RTD shakes available in Choco Burst and Berry Blush deliver 26 grams of protein per 250 ml serving, designed for on-the-go consumption. Meanwhile, the “Roots” Ghee Jaggery Protein Bars blend traditional Indian ingredients with whey and casein, offering 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre per serving.
But the play isn’t just about nostalgia. On the other end of the spectrum, Korean-flavoured protein chips featuring variants like Hot Chilli, Barbeque and Gochujang tap into global snacking trends. Each 60-gram serving delivers 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre, alongside claims such as no palm oil and gluten-free formulation.
The broader insight is clear: the protein category is fragmenting along lifestyle lines. One cohort is leaning into familiarity and traditional formats, while another is chasing novelty and international flavours. Zydus is betting it can straddle both worlds.
With a nationwide rollout planned across e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, the company is positioning Ritebite Max Protein not just as a product line, but as a day-long consumption habit, one shake, bar, or chip at a time.
