Established in 1897, the Godrej Group has its roots in India's Independence and Swadeshi movement. Our founder, Ardeshir Godrej, lawyer-turned-serial entrepreneur failed with a few ventures, before he struck gold with a locks business.

Today, we enjoy the patronage of 1.1 billion consumers globally across consumer goods, real estate, appliances, agriculture and many other businesses. In fact, our geographical footprint extends beyond Earth, with our engines now powering many of India's space missions.

With a revenue of over USD 4.1 billion we are growing fast, and have exciting, ambitious aspirations. Our Vision for 2020 is to be 10 times the size we were in 2010.

But for us, it is most important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. Approximately 23 per cent of the promoter holding in the Godrej Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our Good & Green strategy of 'shared value' to create a more inclusive and greener India.

At the heart of all of this, is our people. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are also deeply committed to recognising and valuing diversity across our teams.

Godrej Consumer Products is a leading emerging markets company. As part of the 122-year young Godrej Group, we are fortunate to have a proud legacy built on the strong values of trust, integrity and respect for others. At the same time, we are growing fast and have exciting, ambitious aspirations.

Today, our Group enjoys the patronage of 1.1 billion consumers globally, across different businesses. In line with our 3 by 3 approach to international expansion at Godrej Consumer Products, we are building a presence in 3 emerging markets (Asia, Africa, Latin America) across 3 categories (home care, personal wash, hair care). We rank among the largest household insecticide and hair care players in emerging markets. In household insecticides, we are the leader in India, the second largest player in Indonesia and are expanding our footprint in Africa. We are the leader in serving the hair care needs of women of African descent, the number one player in hair colour in India and Sub-Saharan Africa, and among the leading players in Latin America. We rank number two in soaps in India and are the number one player in air fresheners and wet tissues in Indonesia.

But for us, it is very important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. Approximately 23 per cent of the promoter holding in the Godrej Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our 'Good & Green' approach to create a more inclusive and greener India.

At the heart of all of this, is our talented team. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are also deeply committed to recognising and valuing diversity across our teams.

For more information, visit our website: www.godrejcp.com

Timeline

At the beginning

Ardeshir Godrej, founder of the Godrej Group, learns the first lesson of success: failure. Not one, but two of his businesses go bust. Then, he sets up a lock company and what follows is the stuff of legends. Today, over 600 million people use a Godrej product on a daily basis. His perseverance is our inspiration.

 

1897

World's first 'vegetable' soap

Innovation isn't new to us, nor is standing up for a cause. We go against the tide of the Raj, and launch Chavi, the first soap in the world to be made without animal fat. We score for not only ahimsa, but also swadeshi.

The launch of a soap using vegetable oil, obviously called for an effective marketing campaign. Ardeshir distributed pamphlets in Gujarati titled 'Vacho ane Seekho' (Read and learn) explaining how to make soap using vegetable oil, thus winning over the confidence of consumers.

 

1918

It's all in the name!

Close on its heels, we launch another soap, Godrej No.2. Why the name? To borrow Ardhesir Godrej's explanation, "If people find No.2 so good, they'll believe No.1 to be even better!"

 

1919

Godrej No. 1 is launched

In case you were wondering, Godrej No.1 isn't far behind. Born into swadeshi fervour, it is lauded and fondly endorsed by many, including Annie Besant, C. Rajagopalachari and Rabindranath Tagore. Today, it is one of India's biggest soap brands.

 

1922

Cinthol, a legend, is born

We launch Cinthol on India's independence day and another legend is born. From the unforgettable Vinod Khanna riding a horse into the sunset to Virat Kohli's jig in a locker room, Cinthol is fresh and packed with high energy. That's what makes it a household favourite across India. Together with Godrej No. 1, it makes us the second largest soap player in India.

 

1952

We go green

We go green way before it is cool to do so and decide to let mangroves be mangroves. You will find a dense cover of the greenest mangroves, owned and cared for by us, right in the heart of our global headquarters in metropolitan Mumbai. Our shared value commitment, 'Godrej Good & Green', is our pledge to build a greener and more sustainable India of 2020.

 

1974

Powder hair dye, our new offering

In 1974, we launch our first hair colour brand - Godrej Liquid Hair Dye. In the following years, we get a little bolder with hair colour and develop a hair dye in powder form. It is the first in a series of innovative hair colour offerings tailored specially for our Indian consumers. They respond and how - numbers suggest that today 8 sachets of our powder hair colour are purchased every second!

 

1981

Translektra, our first acquisition

The Godrej Group makes its first acquisition, Translektra, with its brands Good knight and Hit - a game-changing move that opens up a whole new category to play in. Between Good knight and Hit, a household revolution of sorts begins in the country.

 

1994

Godrej Sara Lee is formed

Translektra enters into a strategic alliance with Sara Lee USA, which brings in much more to learn and explore over the next 17 odd years, including the air freshener brand Ambi Pur, styling cream, Brylcreem and shoe polish, Kiwi. A few years later, the company is renamed Godrej Sara Lee.

Good knight enters vaporiser market

Good knight starts branching out into new formats. We enter the vaporiser market with the Good knight liquidator and a new liquid mosquito destroyer machine.

Good knight comes up with the Maha Jumbo Coil

Mats, as a category, is losing share in the overall household insecticide space. Good knight starts looking to build on new product categories and introduces a 10-hour coil. Later, Good knight works on alternatives and comes up with a low smoke variant that soon becomes popular.

 

1995

We turn 100!

The Godrej Group turns 100. So, how did we stand the test of time? Simple: by never resting on our laurels and keeping in step with the times. But our evolution has never been at the cost of great things that Godrej has always stood for: trust, integrity, humility and respect for our people. What distinguishes us is our remarkable past. But we also know that we owe the future our sincerest best.

 

1997

GCPL, as you know it

Our company, known back in the day as Godrej Soaps, is demerged into two separate entities. One, a Chemicals business, Godrej Chemicals, continuing on one of the oldest businesses of the Godrej Group. The other, is a focused FMCG business, Godrej Consumer Products, as we are now known. And this is where our story picks up pace.

Acquiring Keyline Brands

Most people know us as an inextricable part of India and her history. And we are incredibly proud of that. That is why it probably surprises them to know that today, nearly half our revenues come from our international businesses. It all started with us dreaming a little bigger and testing the waters with our first acquisition, Keyline Brands, a personal care player in the UK.

The remarkable Good knight Activ Plus

We enjoy constantly innovating and offering our consumers a much choice as we can. Good knight does just that with a new Activ plus range - a liquid vapouriser with a inbuilt switch which lets users monitor how strong they want the impact to be.

 

2001

2005

2007

Brighter Living, our new mission

The Godrej Group undertakes a massive rebranding exercise. Brighter Living, the new mission for the brand, is born of a vision to take what is good and timeless about Godrej and make it great and topical. So that today and forever into the future, Godrej will continue to serve its over 500 million consumers with reliable and innovative products and services.

Introducing Godrej Expert

Godrej liquid and powder hair colours is rebranded as Godrej Expert. We continue to be the number one player in the hair colour category in India, constantly innovating and exploring new ways to delight our consumers.

Hair extensions, the African way!

After delighting hair colour users in India for decades, it is time to learn something new. We choose Africa for many reasons, especially because there is much in common across consumers in developing nations. Rapidol and Kinky open up the very exciting world of hair extensions and hair colour in Africa. We are proud to say that thousands of African women now use our products.

 

2008

GCPL merges with Godrej Sara Lee

A big turning point for us. Godrej Consumer Products mergers with the erstwhile Godrej Sara Lee. No longer just a leading soap and hair colour company, we also add the number one players in the growing household insecticide market to our portfolio.

Our 3x3 strategy

Now we get really serious about going global. 4 acquisitions in 4 months. Our entire approach is built on our 3x3 strategy - a presence in 3 emerging markets (Asia, Africa and Latin America) across 3 categories (Personal Wash, Home Care and Hair Care). We add to our Africa presence with Tura, a major personal care brand from Nigeria. Latin America opens up with leading hair colour players, Issue and Argencos. And we team up with Megasari, a heavyweight in the home and personal care markets of Indonesia

 

2010

Partnering with the Darling Group

We delve deeper into the Africa market with a partnership with the Darling Group, the number one player in hair extensions in 14 African countries and counting.

Rebranding Godrej Expert

Godrej Expert is a clear leader in hair colour with a growing base of happy consumers. But we want to offer them more, so we undertake a big rebranding exercise and add two new variants - Care, with a natural flavour and Advanced, an exciting gel based format - to our ever popular Original. Happy hair, happy you!

 

2011

Acquiring Cosmetica Nacional

Our next stop - Chile - where we acquire Cosmetica Nacional, a leading hair colourant and colour cosmetics company, to grow our presence in Latin America.

Refreshing Cinthol at 60!

Cinthol turns the big 60 and what better way to celebrate than a refreshed look? We also have a brand new proposition - Alive is Awesome - and catchy jingle. That's not all. We expand our range of variants and for the first time, add shower gels to our portfolio.

 

2012

India's first Twitter sourced song

We are here to change the air. The way it smells, and the way it spells. Godrej aer, our delightful range of home and car air fresheners is thus born. Among the many fun things we have done, is creating India's first Twitter sourced song, Don't Smoke Because...

The revolutionary Expert Creme

We introduce India to a revolutionary new format in hair colour - a first time ever creme in a sachet - Godrej Expert Rich Hair Creme

 

2012

Our small solution to a big problem

Did you know that over 3.3 billion people are at risk of malaria? 24 million cases are cited each year in India alone. And 90% of the population resides in malaria prone areas. What's more worrying, is that rural India hardly uses available solutions because they are either expensive or require electricity. So, we offer a small solution to this big problem - Good knight Fast Card, a new paper based solution at just one rupee.

Introducing Hit Anti Roach Gel

We constantly look for new solutions for our consumers.Our latest offering, Hit Anti Roach Gel, is an effortless, non-messy gel-based product, which attracts and kills even hidden cockroaches.

A Great Place to Work

In 1978, our employee count was 1,000. Today, it is over 20,000 and growing. As our business continues to expand globally, we continue to do our best to be an inspiring place to work every day. 2013 made it our tenth year in a row on the list of Great Places to Work for in India. So here’s a big thank you to our super team!

 

2013

Our new health & wellness range

We foray into the health and wellness plat form with protekt, a delightful range of three hand washes, a hand sanitiser and anti mosquito spray.

Introducing the B SYSTEM

In collaboration with Adhuna Bhabani-Akhtar and her team at BBLUNT, we create the B SYSTEM, which houses world- class products, tools and expertise customised for Indian hair. The B SYSTEM offers, for the first time in India, salon expertise in a simple 3-step approach.

Our foray into the face wash category

We extend the Godrej No.1 brand into the face wash category. For the first time in India, we introduce a face wash in a multiuse sachet.

 

2014

Godrej LOUD television series

We partner with CNBC TV18 to create a seven episode television series on Godrej LOUD (Live Out Ur Dream), our innovative approach to recruiting at business schools. Indian Ocean, a popular Indian rock band, performs in the LOUD finale at our head office in Vikhroli.

A Great Place to Work

In 1978, our employee count was 1,000. Today, it is over 20,000 and growing. As our business continues to expand globally, we continue to do our best to be an inspiring place to work every day. 2013 made it our tenth year in a row on the list of Great Places to Work for in India. So here's a big thank you to our super team!

 

2014

Acquiring Frika

We entered into an agreement with Frika Hair, for the acquisition of 100% stake in its hair extensions business, which enjoys a premium position in South Africa. This acquisition helps us consolidate our presence in the South African hair extensions market.

Ranked among the best workplaces
in Asia

We are ranked number 14 on the Great Place to Work's Best Workplaces in Asia list, the highest rank for a company headquartered in India. The list recognises companies that focus on creating and sustaining high-trust, high-integrity and high performing cultures for their people.

 

2015

Goodknight personal repellents

We made a foray into outdoor and personal repellent category under our flagship brand, Goodknight. The range includes innovative formats that are easy to use, and protect against dengue and chikungunya mosquitoes outdoors. The highlight of this range is Goodknight Fabric Roll-On, India's first format wherein consumers apply 4 dots on their clothes and stay protected from mosquitoes outdoors for 8 hours. The range also includes Goodknight Cool Gel and Goodknight Patches.

BBLUNT Salon Secret

BBLUNT, India's premier hair salon, today announced the launch of 'Salon Secret' – a new at-home hair colour range with a special shine formula called 'Shine Tonic'. The hair colour range, comprising 7 most salon-requested shades, was created keeping in mind Indian hair texture, skin tone and weather. The product consists of a 3-part ground-breaking formula as against the regular 2-part formula. Its revolutionary addition, Shine Tonic, when added to the creamy colorant and developer, brings alive the vibrancy and rich sheen of the colour, nourishing each strand.

Acquiring Strength of Nature

As a further step to scaling up our presence in Africa, we invest in Strength of Nature (SON), to serve the hair care needs of women of African descent. SON, a USA-based company with a significant presence in Africa and the Caribbean, is one of the fastest growing companies in the hair care category for women of African descent. It has a compelling portfolio of heritage, category-leading brands in Wet Hair Care, across relaxers, maintenance, styling and shampoos. This includes iconic hair care brands – such as African Pride, TCB, Just for Me, Motions and Profectiv MegaGrowth – with affordable and innovative products that have been serving women across 50 countries.

 

2016

The Godrej Way Refresh

We introduce our refreshed purpose and values, The Godrej Way. It talks about why we exist and how we add value together. How we bring meaning to what we do. What will guide our decisions. And importantly, the mirror that we can hold up to ourselves.

India's first professional salon range

Godrej Professional is the first Indian professional hair range developed in partnership with the Indian hairdressing industry, tested and certified by salonists and scientists alike. With years of R&D and global exposure, the Godrej Professional range brings the best of natural ingredients and science of Indian hair together. The colour range consists of 21 stunning hair colour shades, all specifically created for Indian hair.

 

2017

The world’s first powder-to-liquid handwash

We launch Godrej Protekt Mr. Magic, a revolutionary handwash that transforms from powder to liquid, when mixed with water. Protekt Mr. Magic is our endeavour to make handwash accessible to every home in India, with its affordable price point of just INR 15 and its innovative powder to liquid formula.

#FindYourBeautiful with Darling Africa

Catering to the dynamic hair needs of 100 million pan-African women, our Darling brand continues to be a leader in hair extensions, in Sub-Saharan Africa. We recently relaunched the brand with a new campaign “Find Your Beautiful,” empowering and encouraging the African woman to find what makes her feel her most beautiful, confident and, mostly importantly, herself.

 

2018