By Viveat Susan Pinto
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has notified testing standards for the sun protection factor (SPF) in sunscreens, sources said. The move, a first for the domestic beauty and personal care (BPC) market, is significant since domestic players had been demanding a standardised approach to evaluate the SPF for some time now.
Sunscreens are a growing category within BPC in India, valued at Rs 2,500 crore, and expanding at a rate of 30-40% per annum. While legacy beauty firms such as Hindustan Unilever (HUL), LOreal and Nivea are among key players, direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands such as Mamaearth and The Derma Co, both from Honasa Consumer, Dot & Key, Aqualogica, etc, have been turning up the heat in the market over the last few years.
