Unilever is aggressively accelerating its investments in India to capture the country’s rapid consumer shift toward premiumization, global CEO Fernando Fernandez announced at the dbAccess Global Consumer Conference.
Acknowledging that the consumer goods giant was slow to capitalize on China’s historic consumption boom, Fernandez stated that Unilever is adopting a highly proactive approach in India. The company is actively restructuring and scaling its portfolio to align with evolving, high-margin market demands.
India is already an indispensable pillar for the multinational corporation, contributing roughly 16% to Unilever’s global revenue. Describing the Indian market as an “exponential” opportunity over the next ten years, Fernandez highlighted the country as a central driver in Unilever’s multi-year portfolio transformation.
As the Indian market matures, Unilever plans to introduce its highly successful, digitally native international premium labels, including Nutrafol, Hourglass, K18, and Liquid I.V.
The company is banking heavily on Hindustan Unilever’s recent ₹3,000 crore acquisition of skincare and haircare brand Minimalist. Executives view the brand as a launchpad to capture India’s premium science-backed beauty market, with long-term plans to scale it across other Asian territories.
Strengthening its localized innovation capabilities, Unilever recently established a dedicated fragrance hub in Mumbai. The facility is tasked with formulating advanced products tailored specifically for both Indian consumer palettes and global export markets.
The ramped-up focus signals a definitive shift in Unilever’s corporate play. By backing innovation-led, premium categories, the company aims to insulate its margins from raw material volatility in mass segments while anchoring its long-term corporate growth to India’s rising middle-class disposable income.