Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
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- Figure 1: Total US retail sales and forecast of aircare products, at current prices, 2015-25
- Impact of COVID-19 on aircare
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- Figure 2: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on aircare, January 2021
- Opportunities and Challenges
- Focus shouldn’t only be on scent
- Proving value will be a must
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- Figure 3: Select reason for using less often – cost, cost-driven candle shopping behaviors, October 2020
- Communicate safety through transparency and local claims
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- Figure 4: Select attitudes toward aircare ingredients, October 2020
- Change is in the air: younger adults driving shift from functional to emotional
- A new way to shop: boost ecomm strategies
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- A return to slow, steady gains post 2020
- Pandemic wave lifts all boats
- Evolve or fall behind: brands need to adapt to remain relevant
- Widen functionality and health benefits
Market Size and Forecast
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- 2020 surge will be fleeting
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- Figure 5: Total US retail sales and forecast of aircare products, at current prices, 2015-25
- Figure 6: Total US retail sales and forecast of aircare products, at current prices, 2015-25
- Impact of COVID-19 on aircare
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- Figure 7: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on aircare, January 2021
- Lockdown
- Reemergence
- Recovery
- COVID-19: US context
- Learnings from the last recession
Segment Performance
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- Candles maintain dominance; COVID-19 spurs growth in every segment
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- Figure 8: Total US retail sales of aircare products, by segment, at current prices, 2018 and 2020
- Pandemic shopping lifts all channels, even drugstores
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- Figure 9: Total US retail sales of aircare products, by channel, at current prices, 2015-20
Market Factors
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- Fewer kids mean fewer aircare needs
- Consider the Identity of an increasingly diverse population
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- Figure 10: Number of households, by race and Hispanic origin of householder, 2013-23
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- Figure 11: Harlem candle co., September 2020
- External competition could diminish importance of certain segments
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- Figure 12: Scent substitution within aircare, November 2019 and October 2020
Market Opportunities
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- Tap into lingering effects of pandemic at-home lifestyle
- A clean slate: embrace positive impact
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- Figure 13: Gilded Instagram page
- Cleaning the air
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- Figure 14: Ozium Original Air Sanitizer (Oct 2020)
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Scent expansion supported growth for P&G
- Reinforce the wellbeing benefits of aircare for mind and soul
- Premium moves into the mainstream
Market Share
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- P&G leapfrogs SCJ to gain leading position
- Sales of aircare by company
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- Figure 15: Multi-outlet sales of aircare, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2019 and 2020
Competitive Strategies
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- Start the fire: support wellbeing and change
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- Figure 16: Anecdote candles, October 2020
- Premiumization: novel and premium scents migrate to mass market
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- Figure 17: MULO sales of premium candles, by companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2019 and 2020
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- Figure 18: Private and mass brands with premium fragrances, US, 2020
- How local can communicate safety and trust
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- Figure 19: US launches of aircare products, by top five claim categories, 2015-20*
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- Figure 20: Illume Gardenia Luxury Soy Candle, Illume Instagram
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Profile of heaviest aircare users
- Slightly more than one third claim to be using aircare more often
- eCommerce poised to disrupt retail landscape
- The need to innovate beyond scent grows
- Support wellbeing interests: both physical and mental
Aircare Usage
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- Most stick to long-established formats; pandemic impacts repertoires
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- Figure 21: Repertoire of aircare usage, October 2020
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- Figure 22: Aircare usage, December 2016, October 2018, November 2019, and October 2020
- Usage continues to be driven by young consumers
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- Figure 23: Repertoire of aircare product usage – five or more products, by generation, parental status, Hispanic generation, October 2020
Aircare Usage Frequency and Motivators
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- One third of Americans are using aircare more often
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- Figure 24: Aircare usage frequency, October 2020
- Disrupted routines fuel move from functional power to emotional value
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- Figure 25: Motivators for using aircare more often, October 2020
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- Figure 26: Select motivators for using aircare more often, by generation, parental status (presence of children under 18) by gender, October 2020
- Pandemic-driven lifestyle shifts also negatively impact usage
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- Figure 27: Motivators for using aircare less often, October 2020
Aircare Purchase Locations
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- Air freshener and essential oil shopping driven by convenience
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- Figure 28: Retailers shopped for air fresheners and essential oils, October 2020
- Adjust to an online candle shopping experience
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- Figure 29: Retailers shopped for candles, November 2019 and October 2020
- Younger and multicultural adults shop around, gravitate toward local
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- Figure 30: Select aircare purchase location, by age, October 2020
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- Figure 31: Select aircare purchase location, by race and Hispanic origin, October 2020
Candle Shopping Attitudes and Behaviors
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- Scent development and experimentation remain key
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- Figure 32: Candle shopping attitudes and behaviors, October 2020
- Online an important part of product discovery among younger gens
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- Figure 33: Select candle shopping behaviors, by generation, parental status, and living location, October 2020
Attitudes toward Aircare
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- Conscious consumerism fuels natural, local preferences
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- Figure 34: Attitudes toward aircare, October 2020
- Increasing access to natural and premium scent can drive usage
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- Figure 35: Select attitudes toward aircare, by repertoire of aircare product usage, October 2020
- Providing benefits beyond scent will ward off external threats
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- Figure 36: Aircare scent substitution, by generation, race and Hispanic origin, parental status, October 2020
Interest in Aircare Innovations
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- A focus on health and wellbeing fuels innovation areas
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- Figure 37: Interest in aircare innovations, October 2020
- Create unique scent experiences to reach younger audiences
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- Figure 38: TikTok, November 2020
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- Figure 39: Interest in select aircare innovations, by generation, parental status, October 2020
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 40: Total US retail sales and forecast of aircare products, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2015-25
- Figure 41: Total US retail sales and forecast of aircare products, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2015-25
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Appendix – Companies and Brands
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- Figure 42: Multi-outlet sales of candles, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2019 and 2020
- Figure 43: Multi-outlet sales of vehicle air freshners, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2019 and 2020
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- Figure 44: Multi-outlet sales of home air fresheners, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2019 and 2020
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