Cosmo First diversifies into paint protection film and ceramic coatings

The Aurangabad, Maharashtra-headquartered Cosmo First that operates in several industries, including packaging materials and window sunfilm, has diversified into emerging automotive aftermarket products such as paint-protection films (PPFs) and ceramic coatings, with a new entity, Cosmo Consumer. 

The move is in line with its plans to tap into growth opportunities that can leverage Cosmo First’s over 40-year-old expertise in packaging materials and specialty chemicals, with a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Aurangabad as well as an integrated R&D centre. 

The company, which kicked off operations in April 2025, caters to the end consumer with a product portfolio of automotive paint-protection solutions, including two PPF variants – Gold and Platinum – as well as a range of ceramic coating solutions, positioned at multiple price points. While the in-house developed Gold PPF claims a five-year warranty, the Platinum comes with a lifetime warranty. The films are priced in the range of Rs 100,000-150,000, depending on the vehicle size and PPF version. 

The company currently retails its products through a distribution network of 75 distributors and nearly 500 retail outlets across India, and claims to register a strong demand for its offerings. Cosmo Consumer aspires to emerge as a top brand in the emerging domain of PPF and ceramic coatings, which are witnessing strong growth in India and overseas. 

As per studies, the PPF market in India is expected to grow at a 7-8% CAGR over the next five years, and globally, the same could be anticipated in the 5-10% growth rate, with developed economies such as the US, Middle East, and Europe promising strong demand for aftermarket paint protection solutions as buyers move towards more premium and expensive cars. 

Cosmo First estimates a market size of about Rs 200-300 crore (annually) for PPF in India, and a more mature category for ceramic coatings to the tune of Rs 800-1200 crore annual revenue potential. Cosmo Consumer says both segments are highly unorganised, and therefore, the right product positioning and awareness are key to drive growth in the category. 

Speaking to Autocar Professional, Abhineesh Das, Business Head, Cosmo Consumer, said: “We intend to reach as many end consumers as possible, and explain the benefits of our product. That is how we intend to create a super brand with Cosmo PPF.” 

Cosmo Consumer is betting big on its product capabilities and competitive pricing, along with an aggressive marketing strategy to strengthen its reach and positioning in the PPF market. The company aims to clock Rs 30-50 crore revenue from its PPF offerings over the next two-year timeframe. Since it began operations in April 2025, Cosmo Consumer says it has witnessed robust traction for its products at the primary level, with Tier-1 cities being the main demand drivers for PPF. 

“Having said that, we intend to be aggressive in Tier-2 cities as well, as these geographies will soon catch up with the metros, with the growing affordability of the buyer becoming a key driving factor,” Das highlighted. 

“We are hungry for more growth and therefore, continue to expand our product portfolio. In this regard, our robust R&D setup that allows us to leverage synergies from Cosmo First’s specialty chemicals business, is giving us a distinct advantage to enter new segments, while enhancing the performance of our existing products,” he added.

Built with thermoplastic polyurethane, Cosmo's paint protection films provide durability, flexibility and self-healing properties while offering a lifetime warranty.

High-quality products
The company says with a highly unorganised market, there are a lot of sub-standard products with unverified claims of durability, wherein customers are misled towards low-quality films that are made with inferior TPU materials that tend to turn yellow under prolonged exposure to the sun’s UV rays. 

For Cosmo First, while the company locally manufactures window sunshade films at its mother factory in Aurangabad in Maharashtra, it is currently getting its PPF products contract manufactured overseas. However, as per Das, the idea is to bring it in-house within the next 12-18 month timeframe, albeit only focusing on the local assembly of the adhesive and self-healing layers on the fully-imported TPU or thermoplastic polyurethane. 

PPF comprises three layers – the central layer consisting of the TPU, which, on one side is treated with a self-healing coating and an adhesive layer on the other side. While a cap sheet is applied to the final product to ensure its durability during transportation and logistics, a liner is put on the adhesive side to prevent it from getting activated inadvertently. The manufacturing process involves heat curing at moderate temperatures as well.

Cosmo Consumer says its in-house developed paint-protection films are manufactured using high-quality TPU resins being supplied by global players such as Lubrizol, Covestro, and BASF, and that it will focus on strengthening its positioning by spreading awareness about Cosmo’s unique product attributes within the PPF domain. “There are not too many credible products in the affordable range and that is the gap we intend to fill with our products,” pointed out Das.

The company says that with the increasing foray of high-quality products in the market, the low-quality options will have to move out or upgrade to better product standards. According to experts, TPU resin is the key cost component leading to the high pricing of most high-quality and durable PPF products in the market, where, in case of India, the country presently sees PPF getting imported majorly from the US, China, and Korea.

“We are fighting for a space in the branded market, and intend to increase the size of the branded-PPF market itself. Cosmo Consumer aims to command a 25% market share of the PPF market in the next two years,” outlined Das.

Cosmo Consumer is also eyeing tapping into export opportunities with PPF, and aims to leverage its existing overseas infrastructure of warehouses and offices to distribute its products. “While our primary focus will be on the domestic market, we see in-house manufacturing aiding the export potential of these products from India,” he said. 

Globally, the demand for PPF is going up, and Cosmo Consumer is eyeing markets such as the Middle East and Europe, where the volume of high-end vehicles is quite high. “India too is reflecting global trends where the adoption rate of PPF is higher in the premium-segment cars, than the entry-level category, where the consumer is more price sensitive,” Das pointed out. 

With growing consumer interest in keeping their rides shiny and clean to reflect their personality, Cosmo Consumer is also eyeing strong growth in gloss-enhancing ceramic coating treatments, as well as sunshields which offer UV-block characteristics, and aim to keep the vehicle cabin cooler than the ambient temperature.