Flux Theory targets the 65% Indians still not using body wash

Ranbir Kapoor has entered FMCG as founder of Flux Theory, a new shower-care brand built with co-founder Advay Jhunjhunwala and venture-building platform Think9. The brand launches with five body-wash variants and plans an omnichannel push across its own site, marketplaces, quick commerce and physical retail.

The market is large, but the habit is not

The bath and shower category reached Rs 35,370 crore in 2025 retail sales, up 4 per cent, according to Euromonitor International. Yet Flux Theory’s opening logic rests on a different number: citing Mintel research, the company says 65 per cent of Indians were not using body wash in 2024.

That is the sharpest kind of marketing insight: a big, growing category where the majority still follow an old habit. Soap remains the default, and body wash is the behaviour that has not crossed over.

Targeting non-users, not just switchers

Advay Jhunjhunwala, co-founder, Flux Theory, said the company is “targeting first-time users while encouraging existing consumers to shift from traditional soap and other established formats.”

That framing matters. Many brands fight for existing body-wash buyers with fragrance, format or price. Flux Theory is trying to expand the user base itself, which is a slower but potentially more defensive strategy.

• First-time users need a clear reason to break a daily routine.
• Soap switchers need reassurance that body wash fits their existing shower ritual.
• Quick-commerce availability can turn curiosity into low-friction trial.

The consumer behaviour underneath

This launch is essentially a category-penetration problem. Penetration is low despite availability, so the obstacle is not distribution alone; it is the mental model of what a shower product should be. In behaviour-change terms, the brand has to make the new action easy, attractive and social.

Flux Theory’s distribution plan includes Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Tira, Zepto and Instamart alongside its own website. That is a trial infrastructure, not just a sales network. If first purchase is a swipe away, the cost of experimenting with body wash falls.

What marketers can watch for

The real test is repeat purchase. A celebrity founder can generate attention and early trial, but a habit switch is completed only when the buyer reorders. The company says it will focus on repeat purchases as it scales in shower and personal care.

The lesson is not Ranbir Kapoor’s fame alone. It is that a penetration story changes the target: instead of asking which brand will win body wash, Flux Theory is asking how do we get non-users to take their first shower with body wash.

Source: ETRetail.com