Haleon, the maker of sensitivity toothpaste Sensodyne, will invest £175 million to set up its first oral health manufacturing plant in India, a top executive at the firm said. The company has manufactured its products through third-party contractors in India until now, and the investment reflects its conviction in the Indian market and the potential it sees here.
“The total investment we are making is £175 million, which is about ₹2,000 crore. All of this investment will be made by Haleon India through our reserves and the cash on our books,” Kedar Lele, president, Haleon Indian Subcontinent, said during a media round table on the plant setup. The plant will be based in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, next to Indore, and will be completed over the next to three years, he added.
Management said the investment would strengthen the company’s supply chain, resilience and agility, reduce its reliance on imports in India, and allow Haleon to respond faster to local needs, particularly in , a business that has seen consistent double-digit growth. Within the oral health segment, it also markets the gum-care brand Parodontax locally.
“Oral health in India is a £1.8-billion category, and Haleon already leads with a 71% share of therapeutic oral health,” said Brian McNamara, chief executive of the parent entity, Haleon plc. He added that this will be the company’s largest investment in India so far.
“It’s now our number-two market globally (for oral care) and one of our fastest-growing markets for Sensodyne,” McNamara said. Haleon plans to reach a billion more consumers by 2030 under his leadership, including about 300 million in India. The company delivered organic revenue growth of 3% to £11 billion in 2025.
Opportunities abound
The US is Haleon’s biggest market, followed by China, where the company recently announced it would set up an oral care facility. “We want India to become one of our top three or four markets globally over the coming years because we see a tremendous number of opportunities,” McNamara said.
McNamara said Haleon is prioritising higher-growth segments and higher-growth markets such as India. “We’re investing in advertising and promotions to help educate consumers. We’re investing more in R&D in India to help meet those consumer needs,” he said. “We’re very open and willing to do bolt-on M&A (mergers and acquisitions) where it makes sense,” he added.
Haleon is also evaluating plans to bring more of its international products to India. It has found success in the US with Centrum Nutrient Replenish, a multivitamin for GLP-1 users. As cheap GLP-1 products flood the Indian market, products like these have scope beyond the US, the company believes.
The Indian toothpaste market includes international and domestic giants. Colgate Palmolive, the market leader, reported flat revenue year-on-year at ₹5,984 crore in FY26. Dabur’s Red is rapidly gaining market share, while sells Closeup and Pepsodent. Startups have also become key players, focusing on specific needs such as whitening and natural ingredients.
Last year, the goods and services tax (GST) on toothpaste was slashed from 18% to 5%, boosting demand. However, the sector faces commodity and currency headwinds from the West Asia conflict, M.S Jacob, chief financial officer of Colgate Palmolive India, said in May.
was introduced in India in 2011. Haleon India Pvt Ltd (formerly GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare) was carved out from GSK and Pfizer in 2022, and houses other well-known brands such as Eno, Iodex, Otrivin, and Centrum.