Wipro Consumer Care buys 60% stake in Dermatouch skincare company
New Delhi, Aug 19: Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting has acquired a 60 per cent stake in skincare brand Dermatouch at an enterprise value of Rs 387.5 crore.
The remaining 40 per cent will be acquired over the next three years, with the consideration linked to the brand’s performance.
The acquisition is Wipro Consumer’s latest move in a consumer-care strategy built around acquisitions, with the company saying it has invested more than USD 1.1 billion in acquisitions over the years.
Dermatouch reported FY26 revenue of Rs 131 crore, up 114 per cent from the previous year, according to Wipro Consumer executives.’
Wipro will retain Dermatouch’s existing management and brand identity, with founders Anish Nagpal and Amit Khuswani continuing to run the business.
Kumar Chander, CEO at Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting, said the decision to acquire 60 per cent was partly aimed at ensuring continuity of the current team, which has agreed to continue for at least three years.
The consideration for the remaining 40 per cent has not been disclosed. Chander said it could be linked to performance metrics, while the company expects the brand to continue delivering strong growth.
Ahmedabad-based Dermatouch is an over-the-counter skincare brand with products spanning face washes, sunscreens, serums, soaps, moisturisers, hair sprays and body cleansers.
Nagpal said the company focuses on concerns such as pigmentation and acne and has built its proposition around clinically proven, science-backed ingredients.
For Wipro Consumer Care, the acquisition adds an Indian skincare brand to a portfolio that already has significant international skincare exposure.
Chander said skincare accounts for about 7 per cent of Wipro’s revenues globally, while the acquisition also supports the company’s strategy of building a presence in digital brands.
“Today’s digital brand is looking very well. So, we need to have a presence there. This creates that presence,” Chander said while outlining the rationale for the deal. He added that Wipro could use Dermatouch’s capabilities to strengthen expertise across its broader portfolio.
The brand has already built a strong online presence, with Wipro executives saying about 85 to 88 per cent of its reviews come from online channels. Dermatouch also has an offline presence, which Wipro sees as an area that can be expanded over time.
Nagpal said the partnership would give Dermatouch access to Wipro’s research and development capabilities and experience in operating businesses at scale. “Wipro brings expertise in R&D scale, managing business at massive scale, which we are keen to learn from them,” he said.
Wipro Consumer Care expects India’s skincare market to expand as consumer affordability rises. Chander said the company’s estimate puts current annual per-capita skincare spending in India at about USD 2, compared with around USD 20 in China.
He clarified that Wipro’s market estimate differs from some industry estimates because online and offline market calculations vary. Chander said India’s skincare category is currently growing at about 15-16 per cent annually. He said the gap in per-capita spending with China was meant to illustrate the market’s longer-term potential, with convergence potentially taking 10 to 20 years.
Nagpal said Dermatouch was built around increasing awareness among Indian consumers about skincare and daily personal-care needs. The brand’s lead categories include face cleansers and face washes, followed by sunscreens, serums and gels. (BVI)
