Astera toothpaste ends reign of multinationals

Astera Cosmetics Romania, a Romanian-Bulgarian company, has become the fourth leading player on the domestic toothpaste market with its Bulgarian Astera brand, leaving multinationals behind, such as Unilever and Henkel. “Astera is number four on the toothpaste market with a 5% market share in terms of volume: the first three positions are held by multinational companies,” said marketing manager Mugur Ganciu. According to the data provided market research company AC Nielsen Romania, Astera Cosmetics is the fourth toothpaste producer on the market after Colgate-Palmolive (Colgate, Super Cristal), Procter & Gamble (Blend-a-Med) and GlaxoSmithKline (Aquafresh). Two other multinationals, Unilever (Signal) and Henkel (Vademecum), rank fifth and sixth respectively. Toothpaste consumption in Romania amounts to nearly 20 million euros a year. Astera Cosmetics Romania was established in 1998 as a joint venture between Bulgarian Astera Holding and Teutonica Trading, a Romanian company specialising in the distribution of cosmetics on the Romanian market. ZF