Colgate-Palmolive India partners Bombay Shaving Company for Palmolive’s D2C growth

Bombay Shaving Company will take charge of Palmolive’s consumer-facing advertising and customer relationships across e-commerce and D2C channels

by e4m Staff
Published: Aug 18, 2026 4:18 PM | 3 min read

Colgate-Palmolive India has partnered with Bombay Shaving Company to enhance consumer advertising and customer engagement for its Palmolive brand across e-commerce and direct-to-consumer (D2C) platforms.
Managing Director Prabha Narasimhan acknowledged that Palmolive has underperformed but noted its leadership in the premium handwash category, which has potential for growth.
Bombay Shaving Company will manage consumer-facing advertising and customer relationships, while Colgate-Palmolive India retains control over product innovation, quality, and supply chain.
The partnership aims to leverage Bombay Shaving Company's expertise in D2C growth, with initial positive signs observed, though long-term impacts are expected to become clearer in the next two to three years.

Colgate-Palmolive India has teamed up with Bombay Shaving Company to oversee Palmolive’s consumer advertising and customer engagement across e-commerce and direct-to-consumer (D2C) platforms, as the FMCG major steps up efforts to revive and grow its personal care business.

Speaking on the company’s earnings call, Prabha Narasimhan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Colgate-Palmolive India, acknowledged that personal care, particularly Palmolive, has not delivered the kind of performance the company had aimed for.

“Honestly, I don't think we were best-in-class,” Narasimhan said, adding that the company is working towards achieving a best-in-class position across all its businesses.

The company, however, is seeing some encouraging signs from Palmolive. Narasimhan said the brand has emerged as the leader in the premium handwash category, although she pointed out that the segment is still relatively small and has considerable headroom for expansion.

As part of the new arrangement, Bombay Shaving Company will take charge of Palmolive’s consumer-facing advertising and customer relationships across e-commerce and D2C channels. The partnership is not limited to managing media investments, with Bombay Shaving Company expected to contribute its expertise in digital commerce and D2C customer acquisition and engagement.

Colgate-Palmolive India will continue to oversee key areas including product innovation, quality and supply chain. The company will also retain responsibility for modern trade, traditional trade and conventional advertising.

Narasimhan said the partnership was driven by the belief that Bombay Shaving Company has a deeper understanding of the D2C growth engine.

“It’s not a flywheel that we understand as a company,” she said, referring to the D2C model. She added that Colgate-Palmolive India also sees the partnership as an opportunity to learn from Bombay Shaving Company’s experience in the space.

While the collaboration is still in its early stages, the company has begun to see encouraging indications. Narasimhan said Colgate-Palmolive India is “very, very optimistic” about what Bombay Shaving Company has brought to the business so far, pointing to the “early green shoots” emerging from the partnership.

She cautioned, however, that Palmolive is starting from a performance level that the company is not satisfied with and that there is still “miles to go”.

According to Narasimhan, some of the initial improvements may be relatively easier to deliver, but the partnership’s longer-term impact will become clearer over the next two to three years.

For Palmolive, the tie-up marks a sharper focus on digital commerce and D2C growth, while Colgate-Palmolive India continues to retain control of the brand’s products, supply chain and offline distribution.

Narasimhan said she expects the company to have “better and better news” to report on Palmolive as the partnership develops.