Brands
Zlade Ballistic ropes in Milind Soman as brand ambassador
Mumbai: Zlade, one of the fastest growing men’s grooming brands in India, has onboarded celebrated supermodel and actor Milind Soman as the brand ambassador for their Zlade Ballistic range, a dynamic assortment of below-the-belt grooming and intimate hygiene products.
With the multi-faceted Milind Soman coming aboard, Zlade Ballistic aims to strengthen its presence in the men’s intimate grooming and hygiene segment by creating awareness around the importance of ‘manscaping’ among its target audience in India.
This collaboration will see national heartthrob Milind Soman taking centerstage as Zlade Ballistic rolls out an elaborate campaign that involves social experiments, droolworthy photoshoots, and what is touted to be one of the quirkiest and most interesting ad films to grace digital platforms.
To mark this association, the brand released some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage to kick-off the campaign through its YouTube and social media channels. In this video, Milind is seen in an animated, candid conversation about manscaping with his manager. Considering that intimate grooming, pubic hair removal, and intimate hygiene for men have always been tricky and conventionally taboo topics, Milind cleverly uses humour to draw attention towards the subject, also involving the general public to chip in with creative ideas.
Speaking about the importance of creating awareness around manscaping or men’s intimate grooming, Zlade co-CEO & co-founder Suraj Chaudhari said, “There is a tendency in our society to avoid conversations about intimate grooming and hygiene. It is important to us as a brand to normalise the notions people have about manscaping (and create awareness around the subject and the problems or infections the lack thereof can lead to). Milind Soman has always been the epitome of health and fitness and he has never been shy to call a spade a spade. These aspects of his personality, along with his undying popularity across age groups and genders, make him the ideal fit for Zlade Ballistic. Zlade’s association with him will make Indian men more aware of their intimate grooming and hygiene habits. As a company, we aim to introduce manscaping to India and revolutionise the men’s intimate grooming landscape.”
Always known to speak up about issues that matter, model, actor, and fitness enthusiast Milind Soman said, “Feels good to be a part of this campaign by Zlade Ballistic! They are a purpose-driven Indian brand that is pioneering change in the men’s grooming segment; intimate grooming in particular. With a shared vision, Zlade Ballistic and I want to throw light on societal stereotypes when it comes to pubic hair, manscaping, and intimate grooming, and spark a necessary and candid conversation about below-the-belt grooming habits since it ties directly to hygiene, lifestyle, intimacy, and more. I’m delighted to be a part of this initiative.”
With a range of hair removal and intimate hygiene products already in the market, Zlade co-CEO & co-founder Mihir Vaidya said, “With the new Zlade Ballistic range of hi-tech trimmers, we are constantly innovating and making below-the-belt grooming safe, hassle-free, and convenient. Our collaboration with Milind Soman will help us amplify awareness around this category as well as our products across markets. We are thrilled to have him on board.”
The brand, rapidly growing into a force to reckon with in the Indian grooming and personal care industry, also recently conducted an interesting social experiment to understand India’s take on manscaping. The interactive vox-pop engaged random people in candid discussions around intimate grooming, men’s intimate hygiene, pubic hair, sexual intimacy, and women’s preferences towards men’s below-the-belt grooming.
Brands
Ceat FY26 profit rises 68.6 per cent to Rs 812.7 crore
Q4 PAT up 182.5 per cent; revenue grows 15.5 per cent to Rs 15,214.9 crore
MUMBAI: Tyres are rolling faster and so are Ceat’s numbers. Ceat Limited reported a strong performance for FY26, with profit after tax surging 68.6 per cent year-on-year to Rs 812.7 crore, driven by steady revenue growth and improved operating efficiency. For the full year, revenue from operations rose 15.5 per cent to Rs 15,214.9 crore, compared to Rs 13,171.7 crore in FY25. Total income stood at Rs 15,346.4 crore, reflecting both core growth and higher other income.
The March quarter delivered an even sharper uptick. Q4 FY26 revenue grew 18.2 per cent year-on-year to Rs 4,035.9 crore, while profit after tax jumped to Rs 283.6 crore up from Rs 100.4 crore in the same period last year, marking a 182.5 per cent increase.
Operating performance remained firm, with EBITDA margins improving to 14.55 per cent in Q4 from 11.56 per cent a year ago. Net profit margin for the quarter stood at 7.03 per cent, more than doubling from 2.94 per cent in Q4 FY25.
Cost pressures remained visible but manageable. Material costs for the year rose to Rs 9,197.1 crore, while finance costs increased to Rs 359.5 crore, reflecting higher borrowings. However, stronger topline growth and operational efficiencies helped offset these pressures.
On the balance sheet front, net worth expanded to Rs 5,067.0 crore as of March 31, 2026, up from Rs 4,285.8 crore a year earlier. The debt-to-equity ratio stood at 0.59, compared to 0.45 in FY25, indicating a moderate rise in leverage amid expansion and funding activity.
Cash flow from operations remained robust at Rs 1,839.9 crore for FY26, supporting capital expenditure of over Rs 1,076.0 crore towards capacity and asset investments. The company also deployed capital across investments and mutual funds during the year.
In terms of financing, Ceat raised Rs 250 crore through unsecured non-convertible debentures during the year, while Rs 400 crore of such instruments remain outstanding. Additionally, commercial papers worth Rs 500 crore were outstanding but not due for repayment as of March-end.
The numbers suggest a company gaining traction across both growth and profitability metrics, where steady demand, improved margins and disciplined capital allocation are helping CEAT keep its performance firmly on track.
