Mumbai: Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (KSDL), makers of popular Mysore Sandal soap brand, would soon start manufacture of liquid soap and shampoo, company sources said.

Research is on to introduce the right type of product and the company would start production of liquid soaps and shampoos anytime next year, G S Babu Siddakumar, executive director of the company, said during the launch of the 'Herbal Care' soap.

KSDL has also diversified and forayed into the baby care segment, with soap, powder and also cosmetic segment with sandal talcum powder.

He said the premium soap segment in the country was worth Rs3,000 crore while there is a Rs600 crore market for herbal soaps.

The company, he said, expects its herbal segment to contribute at least 10 per cent of total turnover in two years.

With an annual turnover of Rs125 crore, including Rs6 crore of exports, the company had six per cent market share in premium soap segment in the country last year, he said.

The new herbal care soap, which has already been launched in Karnataka and Chennai, has received overwhelming response, he claimed.