- Contents
- *Overview
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Products covered in this Report
- Excluded
- COVID-19: Market context
What you need to know
While the category has shown value decline in recent years, consumer interest in new ingredients and formats can drive product repertoires. 38% of oral care users have not used but would be interested in using specialised day and night products, while 24% would be interested in oral care products with probiotics/prebiotics.
As the category was in decline even before COVID-19, the pandemic is expected to have little impact. Consumers were streamlining their routines in 2019, buying brands on promotion and switching to own-label brands already – all behaviours that are expected to continue in the years ahead.
Heavy discounting is eroding the value of brands in the category, while competition from the own-label sector is encouraging consumers to trade down. Consumers are also disengaging from the category and choosing to streamline their routines, removing products deemed as non-essential.
However, health and wellbeing trends emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic offer opportunities for brands. Oral health impacts both physical and mental wellbeing, so brands should position the role of oral care as a holistic solution to promoting good health. Products with a beauty positioning also have opportunities to encourage spend, with the category seeing NPD in launches blurring the line with beauty in 2019 and 2020.
Key issues covered in this Report
The impact of COVID-19 on the oral care market
How the market will fare post-COVID-19
The value of individual segments and brand performance in 2019
Launch activity opportunities for 2020
Usage of oral care products and factors influencing purchase in the last 12 months
Consumer interest in oral care products and ingredients to drive value
Trial and purchase of oral care products
Products covered in this Report
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
Toothbrushes – standard manual, electric (rechargeable), battery-powered (non-rechargeable), replacement toothbrush heads, travel brushes and combined toothbrush/tongue scrapers.
Toothpaste – including pastes, gels, polish and powder formats.
Mouthwash/rinse – primarily for the maintenance of dental and oral hygiene, includes medicated and non-medicated.
Denture products – cleaners and fixatives and cleaners for orthodontic appliances.
Dental accessories/ancillaries – includes cosmetic whitening products, eg gels, fresh breath dental chewing gum (ie Colgate Whitening Dental Gum) with product licences for the treatment and maintenance of oral hygiene, tongue scrapers, fresh breath strips and other breath fresheners, dental floss/tape, interdental sticks and brushes, disclosing tablets.
Excluded
Products used solely by the dental profession or products available only on prescription.
General-purpose antiseptic liquids, treatments for sore throats and products for the treatment of oral lesions, sores and mouth ulcers such as gums, pastilles and teething gels are not included in the market size data but are discussed within the scope of the Report.
COVID-19: Market context
The first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the UK at the end of January, with a small number of cases in February. The government focused on the ‘contain’ stage of its strategy, with the country continuing to operate much as normal. As the case level rose, the government ordered the closure of non-essential stores on 20 March.
A wider lockdown requiring people to stay at home except for essential shopping, exercise and work ‘if absolutely necessary’ followed on 23 March. Initially, a three-week timeframe was put on the measures, which was extended in mid-April for another three weeks.
The Health Protections Regulations 2020 came into effect on 15 June allowing the reopening of all non-essential stores in England and the mandatory use of face masks on public transport. Pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers reopened on 4 July and beauty salons reopened on 13 July, while the use of face masks in shops and supermarkets will be mandatory from 24 July.
Our economic assumptions are based on the illustrative scenario included in the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Report, released on 7 May 2020 (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/monetary-policy-report/2020/may/monetary-policy-report-may-2020.pdf ). The scenario suggests that UK GDP could fall by 14% in 2020, recovering by 15% in 2021 and that unemployment will reach 8% by the end of the year, easing slightly to 7% by the end of 2021. The current uncertainty means that there is wide variation on the range of forecasts, however, and the numbers presented in the BoE’s illustrative scenario are at the more pessimistic end of the spectrum.
