Hindustan Unilever has implemented another round of price increases across its home and personal care portfolio, with Rin detergent variants seeing cumulative price increases of over 8% since March. According to industry channel checks reported by NDTV Profit, the latest revision marks the fourth price increase for Rin 1 kg detergent powder since March, with the product's price rising from ₹111 to ₹120. The 500-gram Rin powder pack has increased to ₹61 from ₹60, while the Rin bar pack of four has been repriced to ₹107 from ₹100, marking a 7% increase and taking the cumulative increase from ₹94 to ₹107, or nearly 13.8%. Latest data shows the Rin powder 1 kg has been increased to ₹120 from ₹117, representing a 2.56% hike in the latest revision.
In the personal care segment, Dove Shampoo (200 ml) has witnessed a sharp price increase to ₹189 from ₹172, translating into a 9.9% hike. As reported by NDTV Profit, this represents the first price increase for the product since HUL began taking selective pricing actions following the rise in commodity costs earlier this year. The Beauty & Wellbeing segment, which includes Dove shampoo, contributes about 22% of HUL's revenue and enjoys EBIT margins of around 30%, making it one of the company's highest-margin businesses.
Industry executives attribute the latest round of increases to persistent inflation in key raw materials and packaging inputs. According to NDTV Profit reports, palm oil prices continue to remain 20-30% higher, supported by elevated crude oil prices, while packaging costs have increased by nearly 50%, adding further pressure on manufacturers. HUL had indicated during its March quarter earnings that it would continue to take selective price increases wherever necessary to offset higher input costs, having already raised prices across several products between April and June, particularly in soaps and detergents.
The price increases reflect the significant cost pressures facing Hindustan Unilever across its key product categories. As reported by NDTV Profit, detergents account for an estimated 25-30% of HUL's revenue with EBIT margins of around 18%, while the Beauty & Wellbeing segment contributes about 22% of HUL's revenue with higher margins. The company's detergents and beauty segments remain key profit drivers, with Rin positioned as one of the company's key mid-market detergent brands alongside Surf Excel and Wheel, both of which have also seen price increases in recent months.
