With Pronamel, Sensodyne to expand oral care awareness beyond sensitivity

When Sensodyne announced the launch of Pronamel in India in November 2025, the move marked a subtle but significant broadening of how the oral care brand is framing dental health.

Long associated with the management of tooth sensitivity, Sensodyne is now attempting to draw attention to a quieter, slower-moving issue that often goes unnoticed until it manifests as a problem: enamel wear.

Pronamel, which has been available in several international markets for years, enters India as an enamel protection specialist toothpaste formulated to strengthen and protect tooth enamel, the hard outer layer that shields teeth from daily wear.

With this launch, Haleon, the consumer healthcare company behind Sensodyne, is expanding its portfolio to address what it describes as a widespread but poorly understood oral health risk.

Speaking about the rationale behind the launch, Kishlay Seth, category lead for oral health at Haleon India Subcontinent, says the brand sees enamel care as an unrealised consumer need. He explains that while people may recall learning about enamel in textbooks during their school years, it rarely features in everyday conversations around oral hygiene.

“Many consumers today focus on germ protection, cleaning and freshness, but hygiene toothpaste should do more. That is what we are trying to change with the introduction of enamel care,” Seth says.

Pronamel is positioned as a preventive, everyday product rather than a solution for an existing ailment. This marks a departure from Sensodyne’s core proposition, which has historically focused on alleviating the sharp pain associated with tooth sensitivity. Seth is clear that the two serve different purposes within the same portfolio.

“Sensodyne is sharply focused on managing an ailment,” he says. “It is for consumers who have already experienced sensitivity. Pronamel goes into proactive care. It talks about preventive care and changing habits early so that consumers are protected from future ailments.”

The emphasis on prevention is central to how Haleon is approaching the launch. Enamel wear, Seth notes, is a slow process that happens over years through demineralisation.

Because the effects are not immediate, the issue often remains invisible until more serious dental problems emerge later in life. This, he argues, is one of the reasons awareness remains low despite the prevalence of the risk.

Dietary habits play a significant role. Increased consumption of acidic foods and drinks, even among health-conscious consumers, contributes to enamel erosion. Seth points to everyday behaviours such as drinking multiple cups of tea or coffee, eating citrus fruits frequently, and experiencing acid reflux, all of which can accelerate enamel wear.

Certain brushing habits, including using hard-bristled brushes or brushing too aggressively, can also exacerbate the problem.

“These are behaviours we are seeing around us,” he says. “As these habits continue, enamel wear is only going to increase. The problem manifests later in life, which is why you see so many incidences of sensitivity and cavities in India.”

Against this backdrop, Haleon’s communication strategy for Pronamel centres on education. Rather than focusing solely on product benefits, the brand aims to build a broader conversation around enamel and its role in long-term oral health.

Seth describes this as an attempt to shift the language of oral care in India towards a more holistic and preventive narrative.

“The starting point of this journey has to be education,” he says. “Nobody is really talking about enamel right now. It is not the language of dental care in India. So we want to start that conversation first, help consumers understand why enamel care matters, and then introduce the product as part of that understanding.”

This educational approach shapes the brand’s media and advertising strategy. Haleon plans to use a mix of traditional and digital channels to reach consumers, reflecting the continued importance of television and print in India alongside newer platforms. Seth says the campaign will be science-backed but presented in a consumer-friendly manner.

“Traditional media helps in quick reach build-up,” he says. “At the same time, a lot of our media targeting will focus on the right set of audiences in the digital ecosystem, through digital storytelling, premium digital inventories and influencer partnerships.”

Influencer marketing, in particular, is expected to play a key role in carrying the enamel care message to consumers. According to Seth, the focus will be on working with educators and credible voices who can help explain the concept of enamel wear in accessible terms.

“The influencer is someone who can help drive education on an unrealised need,” he says. “They help build that initial understanding around enamel before even talking about the product.”

While the communication strategy is broad-based, the initial target audience for Pronamel is more narrowly defined. The toothpaste is aimed primarily at consumers between the ages of 25 and 45 who are relatively affluent, urban and health-conscious.

Seth describes this group as people who are already investing time and resources into their overall well-being and are aware that the choices they make today will influence their health as they age.

“These are consumers who understand preventive care for the body,” he says. “Oral care, however, is still at an early stage in that conversation. Pronamel is about bringing proactive oral care into that mindset.”

Geographically, the focus will initially be on metros and larger cities, where awareness and purchasing power are higher. Over time, Haleon expects the proposition to travel beyond these early adopters. Seth points out that since the risk of enamel wear affects a vast majority of Indians, the long-term ambition is to make enamel care more mainstream.

“The journey has to start somewhere,” he says. “We start with the upper tiers and then gradually take the proposition further down.”

Pricing reflects Pronamel’s positioning as a premium everyday toothpaste. The product is available in two variants, Daily Protection and Fresh Breath, both designed for regular use. It is priced at Rs 95 for a 40-gram pack and Rs 140 for a 70-gram pack.

Seth says Haleon’s approach to pricing is rooted in offering what it sees as scientifically backed products at what it considers the right price point, rather than competing aggressively on discounts.

“Pronamel has been lab tested to have better enamel protection,” he says. “On that backing, it is appropriately priced for the category.”

Distribution will follow a multi-channel approach that reflects how consumer buying behaviours have evolved since Sensodyne first entered India more than a decade ago. While traditional chemists and large-format stores remain important, Haleon is also placing significant emphasis on e-commerce, marketplaces and quick commerce platforms to ensure availability across touchpoints.

“Consumers are buying from many places now,” Seth says. “Ensuring product availability across all touchpoints is crucial.”

The launch also sits within Haleon India’s wider portfolio strategy. The company currently operates across oral care, digestive health, pain management, respiratory health and vitamin and mineral supplements, with brands such as Sensodyne, Paradontax, Polident, Eno, Iodex, Crocin, Otrivin, Centrum and Ostocalcium.

Within oral care itself, Haleon has been gradually building a more specialised range that caters to specific needs rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

Seth notes that similar trends have played out in international markets, where increasing health consciousness has driven demand for specialised oral care products. Changes in diet and lifestyle, he says, are not unique to India and mirror patterns seen elsewhere.

“These are trends we have seen outside India, and they are happening here as well,” he says. “As consumers become more conscious about overall health, that reflects in their oral care choices. You see more specialisation and products that fulfil sharper needs.”

For now, Haleon appears focused on laying the groundwork by building awareness around enamel rather than pushing immediate adoption. Seth describes the launch as the beginning of a longer journey rather than a finished playbook.

“The journey has just started,” he says. “We start with enamel education. It is important to set the base right. As a brand, we want to continuously give better products that fulfil specialised needs.”

In that sense, Pronamel’s entry into India is less about disrupting the toothpaste aisle overnight and more about nudging consumers to rethink what everyday oral care can and should do. Whether enamel care becomes part of mainstream dental conversations will depend on how effectively that education translates into habit change over time.