India’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is adding more Rs 100-crore brands every year as quick commerce, wider distribution and higher advertising spends accelerate branded consumption. Dabur India led the latest additions, adding four brands to its Rs 100-crore portfolio in FY26 and taking its tally of “billionaire brands”—those generating annual sales of Rs 100 crore or more—to 27 from 23 in FY25 and 20 in FY24.
The new entrants are Real Activ Coconut Water, Real Activ Juices, Real Koolerz, a ready-to-drink fruit beverage targeted at children and young adults, and Dabur Hommade, the company’s range of cooking pastes, purees and pickles. While Real Koolerz is currently sold exclusively through quick commerce platforms, the other brands are available across both online and offline channels.
“A combination of digital expansion and wider distribution is fueling the growth of billionaire brands,” said Mohit Malhotra, global chief executive officer, Dabur India. “Organised players have also improved their innovation-to-sales ratios and are increasingly aligned with evolving consumer preferences, especially on digital platforms,” he said.
In FY25, Dabur had added Badshah spices, Fem skincare and Honitus cough syrups to its Rs 100-crore brand portfolio.
The trend is visible across the FMCG sector, with established brands becoming larger and digital-first acquisitions scaling up rapidly.
Multi-Tier Scaling
Hindustan Unilever’s portfolio, for instance, continues to expand. Vaseline and Sunsilk crossed the Rs 1,000-crore sales mark in FY26, taking the company’s tally of brands with annual sales exceeding Rs 1,000 crore to 20 from 19 each in FY25, FY24 and FY23, and 16 in FY22.
Marico’s digital-first portfolio also continued to grow strongly. Plant-based nutrition brand Plix nearly doubled revenue to Rs 864 crore in FY26 from Rs 433 crore a year earlier, while men’s grooming brand Beardo grew almost 40 per cent to Rs 299 crore from Rs 214 crore, according to the company’s FY26 annual report.
Together with True Elements, Just Herbs, Cosmix and 4700BC, Marico’s digital-first portfolio crossed an annual revenue run rate of Rs 1,100 crore in FY26, up nearly 47% over FY25.
ITC, too, strengthened its brand portfolio during the year. Aashirvaad now generates annual sales of more than Rs 8,500 crore, up from over Rs 8,000 crore earlier, while Sunfeast has crossed Rs 5,000 crore in annual sales. The company has five brands in the Rs 1,000-crore league, including Bingo!, YiPPee!, Mangaldeep, Classmate and Sunrise.
Its digital-first portfolio—comprising Yoga Bar, 24 Mantra Organic, Mother Sparsh, Prasuma and Meatigo—reported an annual revenue run rate of more than Rs 1,350 crore in FY26, marking 60% growth over the previous year.
Industry experts say organised players are benefiting from stronger consumer trust as well as the rapid rise of digital commerce.
“While organised brands inspire trust owing to consistent brand-building efforts by companies, digital, led by quick commerce and e-commerce, is increasingly playing a significant role in ensuring faster turnarounds from communication to sales as consumers seek better products,” said Anand Ramanathan, partner and consumer industry leader at Deloitte South Asia.
Quick commerce, in particular, has emerged as an important launchpad for new products, allowing FMCG companies to test consumer response, refine assortments and build scale faster than traditional retail channels.
At the same time, companies have expanded direct distribution while stepping up investments in advertising and sales promotion to strengthen brand visibility. Analysts tracking the sector estimate that advertising and promotional spending has increased over the last two years as easing commodity inflation created room for higher brand investments.The higher marketing outlay has also been driven by the need to revive volume growth and counter rising competition from regional and local brands.