Q3 FY26: Dabur raises ad spends 5%

Revenue from operations also moved up 6.06% YoY

by e4m Staff
Published: Jan 29, 2026 6:54 PM | 3 min read

Dabur India Ltd stepped up advertising and publicity spends in the December quarter, even as it reported a sharp sequential jump in profitability for Q3 FY26.

Advertising and publicity expenditure stood at Rs 238.02 crore in the quarter ended December 31, 2025, up 1.9% quarter-on-quarter from Rs 233.57 crore in Q2 FY26 and 5.0% year-on-year compared to Rs 226.72 crore in the year-ago period.

The higher ad push coincided with a strong recovery in earnings. Net profit for the period came in at Rs 553.61 crore, rising 24.5% sequentially from Rs 444.79 crore, and up 7.3% year-on-year from Rs 515.82 crore.

Revenue from operations during the quarter stood at Rs 3,558.65 crore, growing 11.5% quarter-on-quarter from Rs 3,191.32 crore in the September quarter and 6.1% year-on-year from Rs 3,355.25 crore.

Consumer care drives growth

The consumer care business, Dabur’s largest segment, reported revenue of Rs 3,064.46 crore in Q3 FY26, up 7.5% YoY and 15.6% QoQ. The food business posted revenue of Rs 418.20 crore, down sequentially but largely stable year-on-year.

Total expenses for the quarter rose to Rs 2,972.83 crore, compared to Rs 2,758.33 crore in the preceding quarter, reflecting higher input and brand investment costs. Profit before tax stood at Rs 711.11 crore, up 24.1% QoQ and 8.1% YoY.

Nine-month view

For the nine months ended December 31, 2025, Dabur’s advertising and publicity spends stood at Rs 673.55 crore, marginally lower than Rs 688.24 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine-month period rose 5.5% year-on-year to Rs 1,506.69 crore, while revenue from operations increased to Rs 10,154.55 crore from Rs 9,732.95 crore a year ago.

"Dabur delivered a steady quarter, with healthy volume-led growth across our key business verticals and geographies. We have sharpened our competitive edge through stronger innovation and focused brand building, leading to healthy market share gains.

As demand conditions improve, the combination of favourable macroeconomic indicators and expectations of supportive policy measures, reinforced by recent GST changes, positions us well for the quarters ahead, and we remain confident of delivering sustainable growth, resilient profitability, and continued shareholder value," Dabur India Limited Chief Executive Officer Mr. Mohit Malhotra said.

Our total reach - including Urban and Rural - has expanded by 50,000 outlets, making Dabur the second most distributed company in India with our products reaching to over 8.5 million outlets.

Rural demand continued to outperform urban markets for the eighth consecutive quarter with syndicated data showing a gap of 330 basis points between urban and rural. Dabur's internal numbers also reflect a similar trend with rural growth outpacing urban India. "Our distribution network today covers more than 133,000 villages, giving us one of the deepest rural reaches in the industry," Mr. Malhotra said.

E-Commerce and Modern Trade continue to be growth drivers in urban India, driving premiumisation and bolstering urban growth.

India Business

The India Business saw Dabur's key brands and products report category-leading growths with market share gains across our key portfolio, led by a 193-bps improvement in Hair Oils market share, as per the brand’s media release. With this, Dabur's total hair oils market share now stands at its highest ever level of around 20%. In the Hindi-speaking markets, every second household is today a Dabur hair oil household.

Dabur also reported 131 bps gain in Air Freshener market share with our total market share touching 44%. The release also said, Dabur posted 195 bps gain in Juices & Nectars market share while our share in the 100% juices category grew by around 646 bps.

Dabur's Hair Oils business posted a 19.1% surge during the quarter, while the Toothpaste business, led by continued demand for its flagship Dabur Red Toothpaste and premium brand Meswak, ended the quarter with around 10% growth. The Skin & Salon business reported a 6.6% growth while Hajmola, our flagship Digestives brand, grew by 7%. The Foods business reported a 14% growth in Q3.