NEW DELHI: Homegrown Dabur’s Red toothpaste has muscled its way into the top three toothpastes’ charts in the country, riding the herbal Ayurveda wave started by Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali even though his Dant Kanti hasn’t made it to the top ten because of its low base.Two officials quoting data from researcher Nielsen said Dabur Red has overtaken Colgate Max Fresh, Cibaca Top and Hindustan Unilever ’s Pepsodent . Dabur, which also makes Vatika hair-care, Fem bleach and Real juices, saw its Red toothpaste move from the sixth to the third slot.The officials said the year-on-year data for the six-month period was between January and June, comparing 2016 over 2015. While Colgate Dental Cream and HUL’s Close Up maintained their shares at the top two slots in the Rs 7,600-crore toothpaste category, Dabur Red gained incrementally.Dabur Red’s value share went up from 6.4 per cent in January-June 2015, to 7.8 per cent in January-June 2016 in the six-month period, while Cibaca Top and Colgate Max Fresh — both Colgate-Palmolive brands — lost share. Pepsodent’s share has dropped to 6.8 per cent from 7.9 per cent in the same period.Dabur executive director, consumer care business, KK Chutani, attributed the gain in share to ‘consumers increasingly moving towards more traditional forms of products validated by science.“Consumers today are heavily influenced by modern sensibilities but look for products that have strong traditional values too. The natural, ayurvedic formulation has helped drive demand for Dabur Red, giving us a strategic advantage in an otherwise competitive market.”IDFC Securities wrote in a report late last month that Dabur’s numbers growth in toothpastes have been led by Red and Meswak with both brands growing in double digits, led by strong growth in its herbal portfolio and improved penetration.However, risk to revenue growth and margins remain as Dabur continues to invest in advertising and promotion spends to stay competitive. Company chairman Anand Burman had written in the company’s annual report for the year 2015-16 that “ayurvedic products have become the buzzword and we will gain disproportionately."Highlighting ‘important’ trends in the consumer sector, Burman had said brands which will have a significant impact on consumer behaviour and consumption going forward will be the ones based on ayurvedic, herbal and natural platforms