Outreach

Mysore Sandal Soap: Fragrance that has stayed fresh for a century

Tracing the history of an iconic product which spurred early industrialisation of southern India

The fragrance of Mysore Sandal Soap has wafted across the world, creating a brand that India can be proud of. What started as an idea led to the establishment of a 100-year-old legacy, thanks to the efforts of the then King of Mysore (Mysuru), Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar.

When World War I was burning through the world, in 1914, the Mysore Royal Family was taking its baby steps in industrialisation. The erstwhile princely state of Mysore was home to sandalwood trees that were specially grown and exported. After World War I ended, tons of sandalwood logs lay abandoned in the state. The king, who wanted to investigate the source of the sandalwood’s fragrance, sought the help of his Dewan Sir M Visvesvaraya. The minister carried out experiments with the sandalwood log to extricate the oil that produces the pleasant scent. He worked along with another scholar, Sir Chatterton, Director of Industries and Commerce, Mysore. Sir M Visvesvaraya was closely associated with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), established in 1909. He and Chatterton requested them to lend support to this experiment. JJ Sudburough, a professor in the Department of General Chemistry, who had moved from the Department of Organic Chemistry, and HE Watson, an assistant professor from the same department at IISc led this project. 

Their successful experiment led to the birth of the first Sandalwood Oil Factory in Mysore in 1916, which set out to become the world’s largest sandal oil distillery at the time. Soon after, Krishnaraja Wodeyar provided funds to establish another factory near KR Circle in Bangalore (now Bengaluru). 

The process that they used to make the sandalwood oil was simple – and is largely followed even to this day. Sandalwood logs are cut – manually in those days – and the aromatic compounds are separated and processed into powder-like content. This is then distilled and vapourised to rid the material of water content. Next, the vapour containing oil extracts is collected in a pot, and the floating substance is extracted as oil. Further filtration is done soon after and the remaining water content is removed through a vacuum dryer. Finally, what is left is pure sandalwood oil. Most of these processes have become automated during the past 40 years. Although the sandalwood oil was quite popular, the product that really made heads turn was the Mysore Sandal Soap. 

In 1918, a French dignitary gifted a sandalwood soap to Krishnaraja Wodeyar. Quite impressed, the king called for a meeting with his ministers to find out how the Sandalwood Oil Factory can extend its operations to manufacturing soaps that can pack in this unique scent. The then Dewan of Mysore chose Sosale Garalapuri Shastry, who was involved in research at IISc, and sent him to London in order to study the technique of soap manufacturing. Shastry’s successful journey earned him the title “Father of Mysore Sandal Soap”. Once he returned, a soap manufacturing unit was set up near Cubbon Park in Bangalore the same year.

The symbol carved onto each soap to this day also has an interesting history. When you enter the Someshwara temple at Haranahalli, near Hassan in Karnataka, the sculpture of a mythological creature called Sharaba (with the body of a lion and the head of an elephant) greets you. This symbol was stamped on the soap’s oval body – which was also a novelty at a time when all other soaps were rectangular in shape. The Sharaba was chosen to symbolise courage and wisdom. The soaps were packaged just the way a piece of jewellery was gifted – with the outer box resembling a jewel box and the soap wrapped in tissue paper.

Growth after Independence

After India became independent, the Karnataka government took control of the factories under the name Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL). By 1957, a 37-acre plot was chosen at Yeshwantpur in Bengaluru and the foundation stone was laid for two blocks to handle the production of sandal soaps, while the oil factories remained in Mysuru and Shimoga. In 1982, Rs 20 crore was spent on a capacity expansion programme with a new plant to increase production to 26,000 metric tonnes a year from 6,000 metric tonnes earlier.

The Mysore Sandal Soap, which completed a centenary in 2016, has now become a household name, steadfastly holding its place alongside domestic competitors, catching the attention (even the envy) of international soap manufacturers.

“Despite the new plant being installed, production capacity never crossed 7,000 metric tonnes per year for very long. The company recently picked up its [pace] in 2017, clocking an annual turnover of Rs 521 crore, [up] from Rs 350 crore in 2014. In 2018, it was Rs 563 crore; in 2019, Rs 672 crore; in 2020, Rs 917 crore and in 2021, Rs 1104 crore. Just last year, we managed to achieve the production capacity of 26,000 metric tonnes per year,” says BN Aravind, Assistant General Manager – Marketing/PR, KSDL.

According to reports, KSDL was barely able to register a profit of Rs 6 crore in 2008, but is now realising a net profit of Rs 138 crore. “We have registered a 20% growth in 2021 and we hope to steadily increase that year on year,” Aravind adds.

KSDL produces about 50 products. While incense sticks and sandalwood oil are manufactured in the Mysuru factory, soaps, detergents, talcum powder, hair oil, sanitisers, and cleaning liquids are manufactured in Bengaluru. The 75-gram-weighing Mysore Sandal Soap contributes to 40% of the total revenue. A triple-flavoured soap contributes to about 30% of the revenue. About 2,500 metric tonnes of soaps are manufactured every month. 

The products are distributed domestically across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The maximum consumption of the Mysore Sandal Soap in India is in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, standing at 50%. A close second is Chennai at 25%, and third is Karnataka at 15%. The soaps are also exported to the USA, UK, Middle East, Australia and other countries.

“We even have a luxury brand of the Mysore Sandal Soap called Millenium, which has high sandalwood oil concentration. This is priced at Rs 810. The original Mysore Sandal soap costs Rs 43,” Aravind elaborates.

Inside the factory

Manufacturing of these soaps involves a process that is quite elaborate. It starts at the perfumery section where containers of sandalwood oil and other essential oils are stored batch-wise. The pleasant aroma of sandalwood makes it pricey: this oil is typically sold at Rs 1.5 lakh per kg.

Essential oils and colours are added in specific proportions, depending on the type of soap, and mixed thoroughly through a blending process. The blended mixture is pumped into another container where it is allowed to mature. Some mixtures may be stored for 28 days to mature, and others may remain for six months to mature, like in the case of luxury soaps. 

Earlier, there were huge boilers and kettles installed for a process known as saponification, where fats and oils come in contact with lye to form soap. “This gave out a lot of smoke causing pollution and thus had to be stopped. Now we procure soap noodles (basic raw material produced through the saponification process of vegetable oils) from Adani Wilmar,” explains Aravind.

These soap noodles are loaded onto funnel-like storage machines called silos, where the raw material is mixed with talcum powder, glycerine, titanium dioxide, moisturising agents and perfume. The final product passes through a twinworm simplex where it gets crushed in a worm-like shape. Then comes the plodder, where the product is glossed and comes out in the form of long cubical soap cakes. The cakes then pass through a cutting machine to get chopped into oval or round soaps. Then comes the stamping machine where either the Sharaba symbol (for the oval soaps) or other logos or text is stamped. The soaps then pass through pompack machines where they are wrapped in plastic covers and then put into corresponding boxes.

Every half hour, the finished goods are tested by the quality and assurance department, where technicians check and send the goods back to the recycling unit if they fail to pass the test. There is also a cosmetics manufacturing unit at the premises that produces talcum powder, hair oil, face wash and other products. Another unit manufacturing detergents, surface cleaning liquids, sanitisers, and so on is also present. 

“There are over 11 assembly lines. Each is capable of handling 0.5 tonnes per hour. Recently, two of them have been upgraded – one handling 1 tonne per hour and the other, 2 tonnes per hour. This apart, we are planning to get two new-age assembly lines installed this year,” claims Aravind.

“Apart from upgrading 2 assembly lines, none of the machines have been updated since 1982. Most of the staff working for several years at KSDL retired a little before 2020. Depletion of manpower and modernisation of machinery need to be addressed,” comments M Mahesh, Managing Director, KSDL.

The finished goods are finally stocked at the warehouse. Every day, there are 15 lorries carrying the goods to 23 godowns all over India. The company also delivers Mysore Sandal kits free of cost to underprivileged children, according to Aravind.

“With production increasing, we are also focusing on construction of new warehouses and conservation of sandalwood trees,” Mahesh stresses.

The scarcity of sandalwood trees is a grave concern for KSDL, which has taken the initiative to encourage farmers to turn their infertile land fertile. Around 677 farmers have grown sandalwood trees spread over 3,600 acres of land in 2021 through a bilateral treaty with KSDL. 

In the early 20th century, several private industries apart from the sandal oil and soap factories also contributed to the early industrialisation of Karnataka – Maanay Roller Flour Mills (1910), Imperial Tobacco Company of India (1912), Minerva Mills (1919), Kaiser-I-Hind Woolen Mills (1922) and The Steel Construction Company Limited (1924). But KDSL and its products have managed to sustain their rich and sandal-scented legacy across centuries. 

– Pratiba Raman