Maharaja of Mysore Sandal: How the Soap Maker Emerged 100 Yrs Ago

How the creators of the Mysore Sandal soap came into being a 100 years ago.

Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), the company that manufactures Mysore Sandal Soaps, completed 100 years on 10 May. (Photo: Facebook/Mysore Sandal Soap)

The state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), the company that manufactures the iconic Mysore Sandal Soaps, completed 100 years on 10 May. The soap was first launched in the market two years later in 1918.

History

A hundred years ago on 10 May, the Maharaja of Mysore Nalwadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar and Diwan M. Visvesvaraya, set up the Government Sandalwood Oil factory in Mysore to extract oil from sandalwood.

The idea for sandalwood soaps came into being two years later, when the Maharaja was gifted a rare gift pack of soaps made using sandalwood oil produced in India.

A view of the Sandal Oil Factory (L) and the Government Soap Factory in 1918 (R); (Photo: KSDL website)

SG Shastry, an industrial chemist, went on to develop the sandal perfume. The Government Soap Factory was established by the Maharaja in Bengaluru and the first indigenous sandal soap was produced and introduced in the market under Mysore Sandal Soap brand in 1918.

A Few Turning Points

A turning point came in the year 1980 when the “Government Soap Factory was converted into a Public Sector Enterprise and the Company was incorporated on 9 July 1980 and re-named as Karnataka Soaps & Detergents Limited.”

In 2006 Mysore Sandal Soap, said to be the only soap in the world that contains natural sandalwood oil, got the Geographical Indications (GI) tag.

In the same year, cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, reportedly the first popular figure to promote Mysore Sandal soap, was appointed the brand ambassador of the brand.

A Legal Battle Ensued

Later however, things turned sour between the stellar sportsman and one of the world’s oldest soap manufacturers, with the latter blaming Dhoni for “defaulting on his commercial commitments”. The five-year long legal battle between the two parties ended with the Karnataka High Court ruling in the cricketer’s favour.

Indian Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Photo: Reuters)

Millenium; The Costliest Soap Ever

In 2012, KSDL launched the priciest soap ever, a super-premium soap called the Millennium. Priced at Rs 720 for a 150 gm bar, it was reported to be the costliest indigenously produced soap with each bar containing 3 per cent pure sandalwood oil.

In 2012, Millenium became the costliest soap ever. (Photo: Facebook/Mysore Sandals Millennium Super Premium Soap)

KSDL has manufacturing units at Bengaluru, Mysuru and Shimoga and produces a host of commodities including soaps, detergents and cosmetics. Over the years, the brand and the company has had to face several hurdles including competition from bigger MNCs and reduced cultivation of sandalwood trees.

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