Marico Industries has reportedly planned to set up a new unit in Uttaranchal for the manufacture of hair care products – Parachute and Hair & Care.

Tax benefits in Uttaranchal include a 100 per cent excise exemption for 10 years, besides 100 per cent exemption from income-tax in the first five years of operations, and 30 per cent exemption from I-T in the subsequent five years of operations.

Marico's flagship brands are the Rs.350-crore Parachute, Shanti Amla and Mediker for hair care, besides Saffola. Other brands in the company's portfolio include Hair & Care, Revive (starch), and Sil (jams).

Earlier this year, the company acquired the US-based ayurvedic skin-care brand, Sundari, for a foray into the ethnic skin-care segment. A Rs.10 crore investment had been allocated for Kaya Aesthetics Ltd — a 76:24 joint venture company between Marico Industries and Asif Ali of Adil & Associates. The company is in the process of expanding its Kaya skin clinics in metros such as Mumbai and Delhi. The company, meanwhile, is also exploring options for possible forays in the processed foods category, which may include infant foods.

It might be recalled that Britannia Industries also decided to set up a new biscuit factory in Uttaranchal following the tax benefits being offered by the state government.