How wellness is an emerging category for retail expansion?

Elaborate about the recent deal for One8. What made you zero down for this IP?

Scentials has entered into a licensing agreement with Virat Kohli for his brand One8. As a part of the deal, Scentials will manufacture, design, develop, market & distribute a range of men's grooming products under the One8 brand. Our first product line to hit the market is One8 fragrances which includes deo body sprays, EDPs and pocket sprays. Virat Kohli is one of the most popular personalities in the country and has become a role model for the masses. He has been hugely successful and connects with the average Indian consumer. Keeping in mind his attributes and the legacy that he has already built through consistent performances, we believed that Virat was the ideal name to partner with. Together, we are confident of creating value through the One8 range of products.  

Talk to us about the inception and journey of Scentials.

Scentials Beautycare & Wellness Pvt Ltd Scentials is an organization that is built around celebrity beauty brands in the fragrance, skin care and colour cosmetic categories. The company was formed with the aim to manufacture, design, develop, market & distribute quality products that are a reflection of the celebrities choices and lifestyle needs of the Indian consumer.

The team at Scentials has worked over the last 10-12 months to create quality consumer products. The company has collaborated with Indian superstar Virat Kohli for his range of fragrances which is the company's first launch in  the market.  Scentials has entered into similar agreements with big names in bollywood & sports to create multiple Celebrity-led Consumer Brands.

How has the consumer behavior changed over the years in your segment?

In today's fast moving lifestyle, as well as a world that is getting warmer every year, getting a grip over body odour is as part of male grooming. It is a representation of the person, just like his clothes. Fragrances are hence increasingly becoming a part of every consumers wardrobe & way of life.

How do you see licensing as an effective expansion strategy?

At Scentials we are looking at licensing may more celebrity brands , We have many leading celebrities across Bollywood as well as sport who have a large following, both in India as well as globally. In future we see many more upcoming celebrities across different fields who we hope to tap to continue our expansion.

What was rationale behind venturing into wellness space with One8 Fragrance launch?

The fragrance market presents ample opportunity for a new brand to reach consumers across the country. The number of consumers buying deodorants & perfumes is constantly growing and Indian youth & middle-aged population wants to smell great at all times in today's fast moving world... Associating with Virat Kohli for a range of fragrances hence makes perfect sense as he is an icon for the Indian consumers today. 

What were the challenges that you faced while coming up with licensed product range for various brands? How did you address those challenges?

Challenge has always been to create products that are a reflection of the celebrity lifestyle keeping the Indian consumer in mind.Promoters of Scentials have many decades of developing from design to product for many leading global celebrities and brands, and this remains Scential's USP. 

 What product categories and price points perform well for your brand?

We have just launched in the market and are focusing on the affordable premium category. We are hopeful of mass acceptance by the customers.

What are your strategies to market the One8 licensed range.

One8 is a new-age modern brand offering fine French fragrances at affordable price points. It is a brand positioned in the "affordable luxury" category.

The brand targets men in the age group of 16-35, with the deos range fulfilling the needs of the millenial youth and the EDPs catering to the consumers with more spending power.

We will focus on the digital media and niche offline platforms to engage with our target audience. One8's TG constitutes men who aspire to be successful in their respective walks of life. One8 fragrances will be a part of their journey by helping them smell better and feel confident about themselves. 

What are the point of sale and price points?

 One 8 is already available online and is being made available across all channels of trade from Online, department stores, grocery supermarkets and hypermarkets, health & beauty stores, as well as your neighbourhood Kirana and pharmacy stores.

One 8 by Virat Kohli has a range of 6 variants in deodorant body sprays, Eau de parfums, pocket sprays and gift sets.

The pocket sprays (20 ml) are priced at Rs. 75

Deo body sprays (200 ml) are priced at Rs. 249

EDPs (100 ml) are priced at Rs. 1495

 What kind of value proposition are you looking at through this alliance?

The organized Indian fragrance market is estimated to be over 2000 crores and expected to increase to 3000 crores by 2021. We aim to make in-roads and capture significant market share in the next 3 years. We will introduce new lines, flankers & limited editions from time to time, to constantly expand our product portfolio and offer quality to the consumers. 

We believe that Virat's involvement and collaboration in growing the line and promoting on all platforms will build significant value for the brand.