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I am offended by Marico's advertisement where they deride Ayurveda. They indulge in high decibel advertisement with balloned up, unsupported claims. So, I got irritated enough to reproduce their letter to me - seeking technical help in a way. [ As a Scientist, I do get letters from corporates but only Parachute's letter is made open because of their deliberate and reckless duping of the public ] Their position was no better around 2002 when they phoned me for Cocolite Technology.

Now you can read this page and make your own judgement

 

Who am I ? A Haircare Scientist whom Marico Sought twice

 

This letter is presented in jpeg format on 27-6-2009.

 

Offending Advertisement by Hair Clinic / Parachute Therapy by Parachute seller, Marico Industries
   
  National Geographic Channel, Sunday, 23rd December around 2210 hours
   
Over the limit advertisement

 by a REPACKER ?

"Methi, Shethi Chod they, Hair Expert ka ---"  Leave Methi and Shethi, Use the Hair Expert's product or whatever. A fortnight back, while turning the channels, I heard 'Mehendi, Vehendi ko Chod they; or something similar. 

They mentioned the term, Parachute Therapy on 26th December, 2007

 

Parachute's attempts to sell their 'parachute therapie' and some other products are cheap
     
    I rechecked ingredients / claims of some of their products on Thursday, 27-11-2008 at Reliance Super Stores and then wrote this page
     
What they did / do ?

 

prevalent expertise

and the doubt

   They were and are the largest repackers of Coconut Oil in India in small packets for retail sales. Hair Oil, as a cosmetic, attracts higher tax. Parachute is advertised as a hair oil on TV. T

[ They pay less tax, as edible item, as I recollect having read Lever's fight against Marico - about 3 years before they sold off their Coconut / Nihar oil business to Marico. There must be millions of homes in India where they buy 5ml Parachute Sachet for cooking needs.]

It is difficult for me to believe that Parachute has become an 'expert' in the last 5 years - they had nothing to crow about either in 1998 or 2002.

 

Parachute Therapie - could be a high blown, condemnable, hyperbolic, blabber  -  why ?
     
1. No proof   A company which derides a proven medical system casually, should at least have some solid proof and basis, if they make a counter claim / superiority. In the website or in the outer package, there is none.
     
2. impact   Recommended in cases where the hair fall is between 50 to 100. Fall over 25 is a bad sign. To me, it means that it is an ineffective product.
     
    What does Parachute Therapie contain?  - as per their website contents on 27-11-2008
     
Why  refer to website ?  

Parachute Therapie Hair Fall Solution contains - Root Activising Alpha Proteins that effectively counters hair fall. This is a blend of natural proteins, vitamins, herbs and minerals. Being natural ingredients, it makes the product completely safe and very effective in controlling hair fall. It also contains coconut oil to offer you basic benefits like - making hair soft / smooth / shiny etc.

Who prevented them from making this concoction in all these years ? I did not. Did you ?

     
3 contents  

Why they did not mention these details on the outer carton is not known to me. You can ask them. It is against the Packing Regulations for Ayurvedic and also Cosmetic products.

     
Root activating Proteins ?   It sound very impressive. What is it ? The Body makes about 40,000 Proteins from the food that we eat. Which one is required for the hair and how to supplement that or induce the body to make it, is the basic question. No one in the World knows.
     
Proteins / Amino acids / Poly Peptides   Break up: Proteins - Amino Acids - Poly Peptides - Peptides

Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 and E have all been blared to milk the public. Is it time for Proteins, as you can have 40000 to pick from ?

Japan imports from India, considerable quantity of Hair, to make some special amino acids. They have not found the amino acid that can save the hair.

     
4. zero value Certification   An association of Trichologists do not normally have testing laboratory, trial procedure, competence or authority to certify any product. So the endorsement by American Trichologists Association's certification has no intrinsic value - however it helps in the market to dupe the public with high sounding words.  Trichology can hardly be called a medical science / therapy

No Medical practitioner / association / council can endorse a commercial product.

 

6. guarantee ?   what is the value or penalty of the guarantee that the company will offer ? They have not put any value. Then what is the use ? They shield themselves with a high hairfall number. [ 50 to 100 ]
     
    Just relook at Mr. Gupte's letter to me. He is mentioning clinical trials with 25 persons. Now we are in 2007 / 2008. They conduct a market survey trials and broadcast that, as if it is perfect.
     
Clinical Trials:   Phase 1 trial is done with about 20 persons. Hair Research abroad is done with 50 persons. [ I had done tests with over 50 persons over a period of 3 years and then took my license in 1994.]
     
7.labelling   There is no mention of the Ingredients or License Number in the outer wrapper.
     

 

8 Cost and Price

  

The addition of minor ingredients mentioned above, in 150 ml of Coconut Oil, may not cost much. Refer the index page.

Rs 190 for 150 ml, with 'additions' ?  Who looses ? The buyers

 

The High Decibel Claim on TV is shallow and lacks any merit - they admit that in a way
     
The trial results as advertised / mentioned in their web site

hairfall remedy ?

 

Company claims that it has 1.5 Million outlets to sell their products. It is in business for years. It claims to have spent last 6 years in Research.

And they had time to test the product with about 270 people only ! Whom are they fooling ?

That about 27 % of the users mentioned about smoothness but not about reduction in hairfall. Any oil will make the hair smooth. You can infer more, from what is unsaid !

 

Main site
 

Swapna Hair Enricher - The Proven Hair Saver Plus for

Hairloss / hair loss / hair fall control + dandruff cure / remedy / treatment + hair gain / growth / regain
 
Hairloss Control

Dandruff Remedy

Hair Regain

Electrifying Publicity

Hair Consultation

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Setting New International Standards !  Why not ?

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Let me turn for a minute to Non Sticky Hair Oil  - a part of Swapna, in a way, to give the background picture

 

No major Indian Company had even Technology / expertise that I have,  to make non sticky hair oil
 
why they  contacted me  

Parachute / Marico contacted me on my then Reliance Mobile number, 31020648, in late 2003 or early 2004 for Non Sticy Oil as well.

     
    One Delhi Company as well as one other Bombay Company also referred to me for Cocolite Technology. The combined hair oil sales of these 3 companies must be over 2000 Crores in 2009
     
Parachute   Given the above facts, Parachute indulged in an unwanted and totally uncalled for jibe at Ayurveda. Now let me make my views clear about their products in general

 

Corporate  Research 

 

as I deduced in 1999

   You have the letter above to make your own inferences. When Shri Gupte phoned me in end February or early March 1998, I must have asked him to take 50 or 100 bottles and send the payment in advance. He never contacted me thereafter.

The letter is from the VP Marketing is a point to note - gap in product range portfolio, level of research for immediate new products, Hair & Care status et cetera.

In late 1999, there was a news item that Parachute spent about 7 Crores to reposition their 'parachute'. The earlier slanting Coconut Tree had become straight - the public must have gained immensely in case they earlier feared its fall over their heads !

 Did they, improve the product for the benefit of the Public at that time ? No, in my view

 

Pause and Reflect   And in Parachute, I see a spoilt brat bragging loud, without any foundation. That is why I have reproduced their letter now - in normal circumstances, I would not have.

 

Oil and Dandruff  - inferences from products in the Indian Market
   
2000

 

who delivered ?

 

 

2007

 Marico is now advertising their "Dandruff Solution" and claims that Tea Tree Oil has anti dandruff properties. And the base, is Coconut oil only. Let us turn to Dabur India Ltd., a company that is over 100 years old and  specialising in Ayurvedic Preparations. They have come out 'Vatika anti-dandruff Shampoo' as per their  advertisements broadcast in Zee TV between 2130 to 2200 hours program on 1-10-2000. [ it is a different matter that some months back, they did say that Chemical Shampoos can damage the hair and so, Use Vatika, based on Natural items]

Either these 2 companies are bluffing the public or the Doctor of All India Institute of Medical Sciences is right. Only one can be right. Let them fight and establish their reliability to the public 

Where the Tea Tree Oil has gone in 2006 ? we do not see the advertisements now. Around 1997 or so, AHA was the toast. It has also perished. 

Aug 2007: Marico's Dandruff Solution does not seem to have worked. I have not seen any advertisement on TV. Now they have come out with Hairloss solution

 

Pure Coconut Oil / parachute
     
No value addition   Parachute is 100% pure Coconut Oil is what the wrapper says. So there can be no special ingredient in that, apart from Coconut Oil, to benefit the hair.

If Coconut Oil alone can arrest hairloss, no Tamilian or Keralite, accounting for over 9 Crores of Indian Population, should have hairloss or baldness problem. This is the traditional family hair oil in these 2 states since Centuries
     
One related info   100 ml of Coconut Oil costs only about Rs 4.50 in wholesale market. Parachute is sold for Rs 17 in a non reusable plastic bottle.

 

Advanced Parachute
     
What is  benefit to the user is not clear !  

Coconut Oil, trace of Vitamin E, alpha Protein and perfume. Nothing special about this product compared to plain Coconut Oil. Vitamin E is not a solution or even preventive aid for hair loss as otherwise E. Merck would have rest content with their Vitamin E production and not spent money on Research and promotion to come out with "Propecia'

 

The offenses that others have to attend 

 

 1. Draupadi swore by her hair and kept her promise after 13 years. She was in the Vanvas. She had natural products. The writer does not think in vaccum or is empty headed to have penned an immortal epic like Mahabharat. 

Marico has no business or expertise to denigrate a natural product. So, their message can be considered as an unwarranted slap on common sentiments. 

2. Ayurveda is based on natural products. Ayurveda has its own strengths like most other therapies. It has its weaknesses too like many other therapies including Allopathy. Nothing is perfect. We have no solution even today for AIDS or Baldness. 

Due to poor recording of Ayurvedic therapy in the olden days, neglect of it under the British rule and abuse or misuse of it by many, the invaluable background has been lost.

It can score over many therapies in safety is my view. Here is a proof. Prof Linus Pauling got a Noble Prize first in Organic Chemistry and a second one for Medicine, for advocating the value of Vitamin C

What is it ? Amla is rich in Vitamin C. The rishis / sages in the Himalalyas have been advocating it for Centuries. A fact known to Ayurveda for Centuries is researched and lauded with a Noble Prize

[ Allopathy separates out / identifies a chemical compound / molecule with curative / therapeutic value, from a natural / synthetic compound. The side effects surface after months or years.

Garlic has 200 odd compounds. One molecule with some curative feature can be separated and marketed in Allopathy. Its side effect, if any, will become known, after some damage

Garlic is used for Centuries, as it is, by many across the World. The side effects of one compound may be counterbalanced by another. We do not know. But we all know, how to use Garlic for betterment of our health. There lies safety and strength.

 

 
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Main / original content:  2001: Last minor modifications: June 9, 2010:     Personal website of R. Ranganathan M.Sc., [ MBA - IIMA]