It promises to be a challenge. Except for Johnson & Johnson which has a 10to 12 per cent market share, the remaining players are all regional brandswith a single digit market share. Also, a recent preference shift todeodorants due to a milder climate even in normally hot cities like Chennaiin 1999, has resulted in a slowdown of the talcum market growth to 5 percent this year against the usual annual growth rate of 10 to 20 per cent.``Our confidence comes from our strength in identifying fragrances that suitthe Indian tastes,'' said CavinKare group product manager M. Muneer.

The company is starting with floral and woody fragrances and may introduceother fragrances later. These fragrances are unisex and promise to last sixto eight hours. The Exotic variant has special emollients to make the skinsoft and smooth, according to Muneer.

CavinKare is mainly targeting the urban market as the talc is a premiumproduct. The fragrance talc is being launched in a phased manner, startingwith Andhra Pradesh in December 1999, followed by Tamil Nadu in earlyJanuary this year and the product is expected to go national by end-2000.The company is first concentrating on the South market as the four southernstates account for 40 to 45 per cent of the total talcum market, accordingto Muneer.

The fragrance talc under the Spinz brand is one of the company's initiativestowards constantly identifying gaps in beauty care products and fillingthose gaps, say company officials.

The company is planning an integrated advertising campaign, includingInternet, television, print, film theatres, and hoardings to create brandawareness. It is currently running a contest on Vijay TV upto January 27based on the Spinz Fragrance Talc commercial, which is to be aired shortlyon all the major channels.Prior to the launch, the company conductedqualitative and quantitative market research in Hyderabad and Madurai inSouth and Delhi and Lucknow in the North to study customer preferences.

Under the umbrella of the Spinz brand, the company had also launchedperfumes -- which claim to be India's largest-selling perfume with 11 to 12per cent of the market share-and deodorants, with eight per cent marketshare.