There is something very Indian about sandalwood. And there is an Indian brand that has carried the inimitable sandal fragrance through soap, from the pre-independence era. What’s more, it is also a brand owned by an Indian state government.
The manufacturing of Mysore Sandal Soap was initiated in 1916 by the then King of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, who set up the Government Soap Factory in Bangalore with the advice of his Diwan M Visvesvaraya. The factory was set to make use of the reserves as it was difficult to export sandalwood logs to Europe due to the First World War.
SG Shastry, a qualified industrial chemist, was sent to London for advanced training on soap and perfumery technology. Shastry, chosen by Visvesvaraya, was the person behind the making of Mysore Sandal Soap.
The technology of manufacturing the soap using pure sandalwood oil was standardised and introduced in the market in 1918. Shastry designed the soap in a unique oval shape.
In 1980, Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) was incorporated as a company by merging the Government Soap Factory with sandalwood oil factories at Shimoga and Mysore.
KSDL owns a proprietary geographical indication tag on the soap, which gives rights to use the brand name to ensure quality, and to prevent piracy and unauthorised use.
Mysore Sandal soap is billed as the only soap in the world that contains 100pc natural sandalwood oil and thus is in demand and exported globally.
In 2006, Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named the first brand ambassador of Mysore Sandal Soap.
Several variants and innovations have been introduced from the stable. Karnataka Soaps organised an event on 10 May 2016 to commemorate its 100th year by introducing a Mysore Sandal Centennial soap.
Mysore Sandal Soap ad by Pradeep Sawardekar courtesy Humayunn Niaz Ahmed Peerzaada
TVC for Mysore Sandal Gold Beauty Soap – Created and Directed by Rakesh of WHILOS
TVC depicting 100 pc pure Sandalwood oil:
KSDL has launched a ‘Grow More Sandalwood’ scheme to encourage commercial cultivation to promote rural economic empowerment.
From Asia to Australia to America and Africa, the fragrance of sandalwood has been traveling with the brand in the form of soaps, talc and incense sticks for the last 25 years.
Mysore Sandal Soap has a distinctive place among other brands as an iconic symbol of India’s culture and heritage.
