Explained: How Mysore Sandal Soap Is Witnessing Record Success Amid Tamannaah Row, Historic Sales

Karnataka's iconic soap brand is breaking records. Here's how a 109-year-old legacy product is rewriting its future while sticking to its roots.

In May, the state's legendary soap brand Mysore Sandal Soap found itself making headlines for unexpected reasons. Pro-Kannada groups objected to KS & DL's decision to name actor Tamannaah Bhatia, a non-Kannadiga, as the brand's new ambassador.

The backlash was swift and vocal, but so was the consumer response. Far from denting sales, the publicity drove demand. Karnataka Soaps & Detergents Ltd (KS & DL), the government-run maker of the soap, recorded its highest-ever sales for a single month: ₹186 crore in May 2024. That's a 24% jump over the ₹150 crore target.

The brand's growth has been steady in recent years. In 2020-21, annual revenue stood at ₹960 crore. In 2024-25, it touched ₹1,780 crore, almost double. Net profits during the same period went from ₹113 crore to ₹415 crore.

KS & DL credits this rise to increased production and a stronger online push. The company now sees more than 80% of its sales from southern India, with Andhra Pradesh leading the way. But to sustain momentum, expansion is the next step.

That's where the decision to rope in Tamannaah came in. With a national fan base, the actor was seen as a strategic choice to tap into audiences beyond Karnataka.

To support its growing ambitions, KS & DL is investing ₹250 crore in a new factory in Vijayapura, north Karnataka. It's part of a broader push to scale up capacity and reach new markets.

The company has set an ambitious revenue target of ₹5,000 crore by 2028. Karnataka's Industries Minister M.B. Patil hinted that going international might even require a Hollywood face next. While said in jest, it reflects the company's newfound confidence.

The Tamannaah episode revealed how closely people in Karnataka still identify with the Mysore Sandal Soap brand, it's part of culture and state pride.

But even as it grows beyond borders, KS & DL seems aware of its roots.“We are taking it national and even international,” said MD Prashanth P.K.M., suggesting that the brand wants to scale without losing sight of what made it iconic in the first place.

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