Emami has announced a fresh identity for its legacy men’s grooming brand, Fair and Handsome, rebranding it as Smart and Handsome.

 To accelerate this milestone step in its journey, the brand also unveiled Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan as its new face. The actor embodies the brand’s ethos of encouraging men to look and feel their best every day, and the association is expected to strengthen the brand’s connection with its young male target audience across urban and emerging markets, stated the brand.

The transformation reflects a bold step forward for the brand in the male grooming market, marking its cultural shift towards more holistic grooming practices. The new positioning statement, ‘Har Roz Handsome Code’ (every day a handsome code) also captures the brand’s commitment to providing men with grooming solutions that enhance both their confidence and personality, according to Emami. 

Mohan Goenka, vice chairman and wholetime director, Emami, said, "We see a tremendous opportunity to address a broader spectrum of grooming needs for today’s dynamic young men. The rebranding from Fair And Handsome to Smart And Handsome is a strategic decision driven by consumer insights that highlight a shift towards individuality, diversity, and confidence focusing on natural skin health among today’s young men. Consumers are increasingly open to multiple new-age product formats and solutions that can help achieve and maintain the best versions of their own skin. With exciting new product launches on the horizon and Kartik Aaryan as the new face of the brand, we are confident that this refreshed identity as Smart And Handsome as a comprehensive grooming solution will further solidify our leadership in the evolving male grooming market.” 

The rebranding comes on the back of a longstanding legal dispute with Hindustan Unilever (HUL) around the use of the term ‘handsome’ in its brand name. It may be recalled that Emami and HUL had been embroiled in a legal battle for four years over HUL's use of the 'Glow & Handsome' mark when the latter rebranded its men’s range from ‘Fair & Lovely’ to ‘Glow & Handsome’in 2020, prompting Emami to challenge the rebranding before the Calcutta High Court (HC), alleging infringement of its mark ‘Fair and Handsome’.

The matter was finally resolved in April last year when the Calcutta HC issued an order of interim injunction, restraining HUL from using the mark ‘Glow & Handsome’ following Emami’s application.

The decision to rebrand, the brand stated, is rooted in extensive consumer research, and the shift reflects changing behaviour where men are increasingly investing in products that enhance their confidence. 

For a seamless rebranding transition, the new packaging will prominently feature the message, ‘Fair And Handsome is now Smart And Handsome’. 

The rebranding campaign, starring Kartik Aaryan, will launch in mid-January and will include television, digital, and social media activations.