Launched by JHS Svendgaard Brands Limited – a subsidiary of JHS Svendgaard Laboratories Limited, Aquawhite offers a wide range of Character based innovative oral care products for kids. Neetal Narang, President – Communications & Corporate Affairs at JHS Svendgaard Brands Limited, sheds light on the company, the product range of Aquawhite and the host of unique features it brings to the fore in an exclusive tête-à-tête with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT).
September 04, 2019
MBT: Kindly chronicle the business journey of JHS Svendgaard Laboratories Limited.
Neetal Narang: Led by the visionary Nikhil Nanda, 1st generation entrepreneur, JHS Svendgaard Laboratories Limited (JHS) is one of India`s leading manufacturer of oral-care range of products. 25 year old company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange & National Stock Exchange with expertise and capability in manufacturing oral health products – primarily toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, denture tablets etc.
The company JHS currently manufactures for renowned brands like Meswak & Babool Toothpaste of Dabur, Toothbrushes for Dabur, Dant Kanti Toothpaste & Toothbrush of Patanjali, Amway, Vestige etc and has manufactured for Colgate & P&G in the past.
With over two decades of experience and expertise in the segment, it was a natural evolution for the company to start on the path of building own brand – Aquawhite, back in 2013. Since inception until now, the brand has created its portfolio with both adults and kids range of oral healthcare products.
“there is no single brand in India which can be recalled as a Kids Oral-care brand. We identified this huge void and took the first-mover advantage to create exciting character-based innovative toothbrushes and toothpaste to cater to kids segment.”
MBT: What was the idea behind starting JHS Svendgaard Brands Limited and what primarily led to the inception of aquawhite?
NN: With a wealth of experience in the manufacturing of oral care products; we discerned that the time was right for us to launch our proprietary brand with all the expertise that we have invested in making and creating other private label brands. While JHS Svendgaard Laboratories is the parent company which is manufacturing for private label, JHS Svendgaard Brands is its subsidiary under which we have launched Aquawhite, so as to keep both the businesses distinct from each other. Thus, in October 2018, we re-launched Aquawhite this time with our absolute focus on Kids oral-care segment. I can strongly vouch that there is no single brand in India which can be recalled as a Kids Oral-care brand. We identified this huge void and took the first-mover advantage to create exciting character-based innovative toothbrushes and toothpaste to cater to kids segment. With almost 55 SKU`s in offering, our product range is both mass & premium which starts from as little as Rs.13 and goes upto Rs.500. It gives me immense pride in sharing thatin less than a year of its launch, the products have seen great acceptability offline and online on all leading e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Firstcry, PayTM etc where the products are available. We have also signed Tiger Shroff as a celebrity Brand Ambassador who is a favorite among kids and a sure shot strong driver of brand awareness.
MBT: Divulge some specifics on the design of the aquawhite products.
NN: Aquawhite is a new brand that was launched in October in Delhi, and has already gained second position in the city (quoting from the Nielson Report) in terms of the acceptance of the brand and products. Aquawhite is infact the only brand with 100% focus towards kid’s oral care and the ONLY brand in India to have so many characters in its portfolio to cater to the needs of kids of various age groups. Our basic intent was to excite the kids to brush their teeth which otherwise is a very mundane activity yet a very critical element for their oral care hygiene and overall health. Taking into cognizance this concept, we have launched the range under the property – aquawhite BRUSH-MATES in ten characters for kids to pick their favourite BRUSH-MATE, i.e. a complete series for kids, going on to give them a wide range of options. We have characters such as Chhota Bheem, Chutki, Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Angry Birds, Shiva, PAW Patrol, The Jungle Book, Shimmer and Shine, Sponge Bob Square Pants and Peppa Pig. The toothbrushes we have has a host of features such as 2 minute auto-off music, 2 minute auto-off flash, hygiene cap with 2D stickers, colourful handles, power brush, character-figure and sand timer. We have a theme of ‘Brush for 2 minutes and 2 times a day’ as we realized that there is a need to inculcate a healthy oral habit among kids at an early age. We strive to be a one-stop solution for parents who are looking for innovative and unique ways to motivate their kids to brush regularly.
“The aquawhite products are designed as per the taste and liking of children… we have been extremely conscious and committed towards every development that we have brought out”
MBT: What do you think are the strengths of the company and the aquawhite products in terms of the manufacturing?
NN: We are the only manufacturer in India which has the facility of manufacturing toothbrushes and toothpaste under one roof. Our production facility is in Kala Amb, Himachal Pradesh and in terms of the infrastructure setup, the quality department, R&D department; everything is being taken well care of down to the last detail and we adhere to all the required stringent standards very diligently.
The aquawhite products are designed as per the taste and liking of children. And since this is a very sensitive category,we have been extremely conscious and committed towards every development that we have brought out in product quality and appearance. Even the Toothpaste are fluoride free that are manufactured in different kids’ favorite flavors like Apple Banana, Chill Gum, Dubble Bubble, Strawberry Burst, etc. to make brushing yummy for the kids. Keeping in mind the fact that the fluoride content in water in India is high, we developed a unique range of fluoride-free toothpastes, to prevent the kids from its excess consumption causing harm to their growing bones. Since kids have the tendency of swallowing toothpaste either for its taste or because they are still learning to brush, hence we made sure to make these toothpastes fluoride free.
MBT: What is the vision for aquawhite?
NN: Our vision is to become a dominant leader in Kids Oral- care segment and make aquawhite to be the BRAND OF CHOICE for Kids and Parents
