Unilever India business' price hikes power Q2 profit beat

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Hindustan Unilever reported a bigger-than-expected rise in quarterly profit on Friday, as price increases for products such as Dove soap and Surf Excel detergent powder cushioned the blow from higher costs of raw materials.

Net income increased to 26.16 billion Indian rupees ($315.8 million) in the second quarter ended Sept. 30, from 21.87 billion Indian rupees, a year earlier.

Analysts on average had expected a profit of 24.03 billion rupees, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. ($1 = 82.8510 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)