The company said profitability was impacted by regulatory changes, including the introduction of the new labour code and an inverted duty structure–related charge following GST revisions.

Profit before exceptional items and tax stood at Rs 444.09 crore in Q3 FY26 compared with Rs 432.52 crore a year ago. During the quarter, Colgate recognized a one-time employee benefit expense of Rs 8.39 crore as an exceptional item following amendments under the new labour code notified by the Government of India.

Prabha Narasimhan, managing director & CEO of Colgate-Palmolive (India), said, “In the third quarter, our business saw a return to growth, driven by early positive signs in our core portfolio and sustained strong performance in the premium segment. Both urban and rural trade channels experienced improved momentum throughout the quarter, indicating a recovery following the disruption caused by the implementation of revised GST rates.

We also accelerated brand investments to further advance our strategy of premiumization within the oral care category. We expect our growth momentum to accelerate going forward, driven by an improving demand environment and our intense focus on on-the-ground and superior execution.

On the margin front, we maintained a robust gross margin profile for the quarter driven by strict financial discipline through our funding the growth program. Q3 FY26 margin was at 69.7%, ahead of the trailing quarter by +50 bps. The net profit growth was after the impact of regulatory changes, including the introduction of the new labour code and the inverted duty structure-related charge due to GST changes.

As we continued on our innovation journey, we successfully launched the Colgate Visible White Purple Serum in Q3. This launch is a significant milestone in our ongoing 'Oral Beauty' journey.

This innovative, first-of-its-kind whitening booster is designed to enhance daily oral care routines. Leveraging advanced color-correction technology to neutralize yellow tones, the serum provides consumers with an instant, on-demand brightening effect. Furthermore, we've recently made our premium teeth whitening range more accessible by introducing a 60 g access pack of our Visible White Purple toothpaste.”

Colgate-Palmolive (India) provides oral care products under the Colgate brand. It also provides personal care products under the 'Palmolive' brand name.

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (India) shed 0.84% to Rs 2,094.05 on the BSE.