Haleon is making moves to lead in oral care in India and China. This year it announced plans to build oral health manufacturing sites in Shanghai, China and Madhya Pradesh, representing investments of £65 million and £175 million, respectively.

In India, Haleon sees an opportunity to grow and to improve oral health worldwide by focusing efforts outside of major metro areas. Rural India is home to about 65% of the country’s population, spread across more than 650,000 villages, where access to dental care remains highly limited. In fact, a single dentist may serve around 250,000 people, according to statistics. With few people seeing a dentist on an annual basis, many live with untreated conditions for years.

It presents an opportunity, but only if those people have access to products and care. To that end, Haleon is also investing in “last-mile” capabilities and will double frontline teams to serve rural areas that are often beyond the reach of traditional retail and pharmacies. The teams will travel by motorbike to deliver testing kits, samples and simple diagnostic tools that can help consumers recognize symptoms and get connected to treatment, often for the first time.

“India is a key strategic market for Haleon and an important driver of our long-term growth,” said Brian McNamara, chief executive officer.

By increasing access and building its capabilities on the ground, Haleon will be well positioned.

“We aim to expand access to better everyday health for more than 300 million additional consumers in India. This will be key to achieving our broader ambition to reach one billion more consumers globally by 2030,” he said.

China offers expansion opportunities, too. China’s gum health market is the largest in the world. According to Haleon officials, over 70% of adults in China experience some form of gum issue.

In June, Haleon inked a five-year collaboration with Microsoft to scale digital, data and AI capabilities across the business and accelerate delivery of its global “Win as One” strategy. The agreement builds on Haleon’s existing use of Microsoft 365 Copilot and further supports the wider adoption of AI-powered tools across the business. It will also strengthen Haleon’s digital and AI-enabled infrastructure.

Haleon created Haleon Pain Management Institute in 15 countries, which the company says showcases its commitment to accelerate the science and understanding of pain for better pain management and outcomes.

Voltaren, Haleon’s arthritis pain treatment, became the official licensed pain killer of the UEFA Champions League, a move designed to strengthen its relevance among younger, active consumers.

Carl Haney, an R&D executive with extensive experience at The Estée Lauder Companies and Procter & Gamble, joined Haleon as chief research and development officer a year ago.

Comments: Corporate sales fell less than 1% last year to $14.3 billion. Oral care represented 29% of sales, making it the largest business unit. Other businesses include: Pain relief (23%), Digestive Health (18%), and Respiratory Health, and Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements, (15% each).More than 70% of Haleon brands gained or maintained market share, supported by innovation and investment, according to the company.

Oral care sales rose 5.6%. There’s more room to grow. The World Health Organization estimates nearly half of the world population suffers from oral health diseases. Rough half of the population battles tooth sensitivity and gum disease, according to Haleon. Yet, only a third of consumers use a specialty toothpaste designed to treat these conditions.

Sensodyne continued to generate healthy share gains via innovations. For example, Sensodyne Clinical White was rolled out to more than 10 markets and was the top innovation in the US oral health category, according to Haleon. Also in oral care, Haleon launched bioplastic toothpaste caps in several European markets in an effort to reduce virgin plastic use. The Polident Max Hold Plus range was expanded. It is available in more than 40 markets.

Q1 corporate sales fell 2.3%. But oral care sales rose 3.0%, on the strength of the rollout of the Clinical platform for Sensodyne and innovations within the Parodontax and Polident/Polygrip franchises.

“First quarter trading performance was in line with our expectations,” observed CEO Brian McNamara. “All regions and categories delivered positive organic revenue growth reflecting the strength and geographic balance of our portfolio, supported by strong innovation and in-market execution.”

Key Personnel: Brian McNamara, chief executive officer; Tobias Hestler, chief financial officer; Keith Choy, president, Asia Pacific; Filippo Lanzi, president, EMEA and LATAM; Lisa Paley, president, North America; Namrata Patel, chief supply chain officer; Ed Petter, chief corporate affairs officer; Franck Riot, chief R&D officer; Tamara Rogers, chief marketing officer; Björn Timelin, head of strategy; Line De Decker, chief human resources officer

Major Products: Oral care—Sensodyne, Polident/Corega, Parodontax, Biotene, Dr. Best, Aquafresh

New Products: Sensodyne Pronamel Active Shield, Sensodyne Sensitivity & Gum, Parodontax Active Gum Repair

Comments: Corporate sales rose 4.1%. Oral care sales increased 6.1%, as all three power brands, Sensodyne, Parodontax and Polident/Poligrip posted double-digit organic growth.

In a note to investors, CEO Brian McNamara said that within 18 months of its demerger from GSK, Haleon reduced net debt by more than two billion pounds. Haleon sold ChapStick to Yellow Wood Partners in January and will continue to trim its portfolio where it sees fit. The deal was worth about $510 million. ChapStick is the No. 1 brand by volume in the lip care category with over 80% brand awareness. ChapStick is now under the Suave Brands Company within Yellow Wood.

For Q1, 2024, corporate sales declined 2.2%. However, oral care sales rose 5.3%. All three major brands delivered double-digit growth. Sensodyne was particularly strong in Middle East & Africa, China and India. Sales in the US, UK and other markets got a lift from the debut of Sensodyne Clinical White, which was launched in 2022. Parodontax sales were strong in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Denture care sales posted big gains in Latin America and Southern Europe.

In October, Dawn Allen will join Haleon as chief financial officer. She is currently CFO at Tate & Lyle Plc. Prior to that appointment, she had a 25-year career at Mars Inc., where she served as global CFO and VP-global transformation. She will replace Tobias Hestler who oversaw the 2022 spinoff from GlaxoSmithKline.

Sales: $3.6 billion

Comments: Haleon is a new name for a familiar cadre of brands. Last year, GlaxoSmithKline spun off its consumer health care business and the company went public on July 18, 2022. At the time, the move was called the biggest UK listing in a decade.

The name Haleon—pronounced “Hay-Lee-On”—is inspired by the merging of the words “hale,” which is an Old English word that means “in good health,” and “leon,” which is associated with the word “strength.” GSK worked with Interbrand to test more than 2,000 options before narrowing it down to 20 finalists. The company also worked with employees, consumers and healthcare professionals to determine which names worked.

But whatever you call it, Haleon is described as a “100% pure-play consumer health company with a clear purpose to deliver better everyday health for humanity.”

Haleon’s stable of products includes such well-known oral care brands such as Sensodyne, Polident and Aquafresh. Other brands outside Happi’s scope include Advil, Centrum, Theraflu and Voltaren.

Oral care accounted for 27% of sales in 2022, making it the largest segment in Haleon’s business. Sales rose 8.6% driven by favorable forex and the strength of the Sensodyne brand across key markets, particularly India, and Middle East and Asia. Sales of Parodontax rose at a high single-digit rate, with good gains in North America. According to Haleon, Parodontax sales growth was three times higher than the overall global oral care market. Similarly, denture care sales rose high-single digits, as a result of strong growth in EMEA and Latin America.

Q1 corporate sales rose 13.7%. Double-digit gains were recorded in EMEA, LTAM and APAC.3