Himalaya Wellness Company
 | |
| Formerly | Himalaya Drug Company |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Founder | Mohammad Manal |
| Headquarters | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | |
| Revenue |  ₹37.6 billion (US$450 million) (FY22)[2] |
Number of employees | 10,000 |
| Parent | Himalaya Global Holdings Ltd. |
| Website | www |
Himalaya Wellness Company (formerly Himalaya Drug Company) is an Indian multinational personal care and pharmaceutical company based in Bangalore, India. It was originally established by Muhammad Manal in Dehradun in 1930.[3] It produces health care products containing Ayurvedic ingredients, under the name Himalaya Herbal Healthcare. Its operations are spread across locations in India, the United States, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Oceania,[4] while its products are sold in 106 countries across the world.[5] Its flagship product is a hepatic drug named Liv.52, first introduced in 1955.[5][6]
Himalaya Global Holdings (HGH), headquartered in the Cayman Islands, is the parent company of Himalaya Wellness Company and the global holding company of the group. Apart from Bangalore, HGH has regional head offices in Dubai, Singapore and Houston.[7][8]
History
The Himalaya Drug Company was founded in Dehradun in the 1930s by Mohammad Manal, a self-professed "lover of nature". Manal had the goal of commercialising Ayurvedic and herbal products to suit contemporary needs, by focusing on modern empirical research to demonstrate their efficacy.[3][9]
The company moved to Bombay (Mumbai) in the 1950s. In 1955, it launched 'Liv.52', a hepato-protective, that became the flagship product of the company.[3]
In 1975, Meraj Manal, Mohammad Manal's son, started a manufacturing unit in Bangalore, which helped the company grow its manufacturing capacity as well as to globalise.[3]
Global markets
In 1996, the company entered the US market following the introduction of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. It then expanded into other countries.[3]
As of 2015, the company sold its products in 91 countries with about 50% of its revenue from outside India.[3] The company has a presence in 106 countries.[10]
Products
Himalaya Herbal Healthcare has a very wide range of products, which include "pharmaceuticals, personal care, baby care, well-being, nutrition and animal health products."[11] The company has more than 290 researchers that utilise Ayurvedic herbs and minerals.[12]
Himalaya Neem face wash brand is reportedly the second biggest in India.[13] Mothercare products were launched in 2016.[14]
Controversies
In September 2023, Himalaya Wellness, represented by Udaya Holla of Holla & Holla, obtained an ex parte injunction order against Cyriac Abby Philips, who is known for sharing his critical views on alternative medicine on social media. The advocates alleged that Philips' social media posts had negatively affected the profits of Himalaya Wellness and that he was being funded by modern medicine companies. The injunction issued by a Bangalore civil court required Twitter to restrict access to Philips' account, which was consequently withheld in India. The court order also prohibited Philips from sharing any negative content about Himalaya Wellness. Legal experts criticized the order as disproportionate, pointing out that ex parte injunctions are reserved for truly exceptional circumstances where informing the defendant would lead to significant and irreparable harm to the plaintiff, and a tweet does not qualify as such. Philips maintained that his claims against the Himalaya Wellness Company's products, like Liv. 52, were backed by scientific evidence.[15][16][17] In October 2023, the Karnataka High Court ordered reinstatement of Philips' Twitter account after he deleted his nine tweets about Himalaya Wellness.[18]
References
- ^ "Milestones". Himalaya Global Holdings. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021.
- ^ "India Ratings Upgrades Himalaya Wellness Company to 'IND AA-'; Outlook Stable". India Ratings. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Haydon, Philipe (19 January 2015). "How Himalaya made ancient Ayurveda popular across the globe". Rediff News.
- ^ "The Himalaya Drug Company". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Eastern therapy, universal appeal". The Star. 11 June 2006.
- ^ "Himalaya rolls in new oral range HiOra". Business Line. 17 December 2010.
- ^ "How A Musician CEO Struck The Right Note With Himalaya Drug". Forbes India. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ V, Savitha; Kurian, Boby (13 April 2007). "Manal family to restructure Himalaya Drug". The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Haydon, Philipe (19 January 2015). "40 years ago... and now: Taking traditional Indian medicine to the world". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Himalaya Drug Company to hire 1,000 people, eyes Rs 2,500 crore revenue in fiscal FY18". The Indian Express. 25 September 2016.
- ^ "Himalaya Products". Himalaya Wellness (India).
- ^ Kumar, B. Rajesh; Satish, S. M (2007). Growth Strategies Of Indian Pharma Companies. pp. 122-123.
- ^ Dalal, Mihir (12 December 2012). "Himalaya sees four fold jump in India business over five years". mint. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "Himalaya enters mothercare segment; eyes 6% sales in 2 yrs". The Economic Times. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Priya, Lakshmi (29 September 2023). "The Liver Doctor's many haters". The News Minute. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ Singh, Nikita (28 September 2023). "My posts are backed up with solid evidence, research': Liver Doc on Himalaya Wellness suit". newslaundry. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "X Account of 'The Liver Doc' Suspended After Court Issues Ex-Parte Injunction in Suit Filed by Himalaya". The Wire. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "theliverdr vs Himayala Wellnesss: Karnataka High Court orders reinstation of LiverDoc's X account". CNBC TV18. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.