Is Gillette Indian? Procter & Gamble's Grooming Empire in Every Indian Bathroom

Gillette razors, shaving gels, and blades occupy the premium end of India's grooming market. The brand is aspirational — associated with professional, clean-shaven men in Indian advertising — and available in barbershops, pharmacies, and supermarkets nationwide. It has been in India since the 1980s and is a household name.

Gillette is American. It has been since its founding in 1901 in Boston, Massachusetts.

The P&G acquisition

Gillette Company was founded by King C. Gillette in 1901. For over a century it was an independent publicly traded company. In 2005, Procter & Gamble acquired Gillette for $57 billion — the largest acquisition in P&G's history at the time. The deal brought Gillette, Braun, Oral-B, and Duracell under P&G's umbrella.

In India, Gillette had operated through Gillette India Limited, a listed company. After the P&G acquisition, Gillette India became part of Procter & Gamble's Indian structure.

The Indian structure

P&G's India operations are split across two listed entities and one unlisted entity:

• Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd. (listed) — sells Whisper and Vicks
• Gillette India Ltd. (listed) — sells Gillette, Oral-B, and Braun in India
• Procter & Gamble Home Products Pvt. Ltd. (unlisted) — sells Ariel, Tide, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Pampers, Olay

Procter & Gamble Company, USA holds majority stakes in both listed Indian entities.

The Gillette India portfolio

In India, Gillette sells:

• Razors & blades: Gillette Mach3, Gillette Fusion, Gillette Guard (developed for India's price-sensitive market), Gillette Vector
• Shaving preparations: Gillette shaving gels and foams
• Body care: Old Spice (another P&G brand)
• Oral care: Oral-B toothbrushes and toothpaste

The Gillette Guard was specifically designed for India — a low-cost single-blade razor for price-sensitive consumers. It is one of P&G's most successful product innovations for India. But even India-specific innovation does not change where the profits ultimately go.

The verdict

Gillette is foreign-controlled — owned by Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Indian alternatives in grooming include brands from Indian companies like Bombay Shaving Company and Vi-John.