FMCG Companies All Set To Launch 'Eatable Bathing Soap'

By Paagal Patrkaar / Delhi

In a disruptive product innovation that is all set to change the way humans evolve, FMCG researchers have announced “edible bathing soap”.

“This is going to be the next big thing! It will blur the boundaries between two totally unrelated product categories – foods and personal care. Who would have imagined it?” said a product manager at HUL.
“It is all about empowering your people by saving their time. Now they can finish lunch/breakfast while taking a bath. They can invest this time saved in personal growth,” the manager explained why the product was badly needed.

“This is a breakthrough innovation that will address two major problems faced by a developing country like India – hunger and personal hygiene,” the manager further enumerated the benefits.

Industry experts are confident that the users, as well as the FMCG companies, will have no problem accepting this new product.

“Synergies already exist,” a management consultant pointed out, “Companies use many edible ingredients like strawberry, peach, milk, honey, etc. in psoaps and shower gels. For edible soaps, they need to create a cross functional team comprising of people from the personal care and foods division and equipped the team with the wherewithal to develop a unique product.”

Companies agree to this view and have declared that they will soon launch the product.

“We are committed to helping a billion people improve their lives through our products and this is a landmark step towards fulfilling our commitment. We are already in talks with Nitin Gadkari and Vinod Dua for endorsing the new product,” a brand manager at ITC told to this writer.

The edible soaps will come in various flavors, textures, and calorie value. Sugar free soaps will be launched for health conscious people.
“We are already doing testing of a new soap called Fiama Di Sunfeast, which is a combination of our Fiama Di Willis soaps and Sunfeast biscuit range. We hope to launch the new product early next year,” confirmed the ITC brand manager at ITC on the condition of anonymity.

Dabur is also reportedly working on an Ayurvedic soap on the lines of its Hajmola product range. “The USP of our product will be total cleaning of the body – external as well as internal. Also, eat as many soaps as you want, Hajmola will take care of that,” the Dabur guy claimed.
Industry watchers say that edible soaps will give rise to many more such product integrations such as chips with room fresheners.

“PepsiCo could try that,” an industry expert said, “Pepsi has done a lot of research on effective use of air in various edible products such as Lay’s brand of chips. Currently people crib about the air, but it could be sold as room freshener.”