Sales of dishwasher products outperformed those of washing-up liquids during 2013, helping to grow the market for dishwashing products by nearly 3% to £495 million. The major change during the year was the entry of the Persil brand into dishwasher tablets, but own-label sales also grew strongly in machine dishwashing, although Finish and Fairy continue to dominate the market.

P&G’s Fairy brand has further strengthened its lead in the hand dishwashing market, with its wide selection of washing-up liquids appealing to a range of consumer priorities, including variants focused on fragrance, cleaning power, killing germs and being friendly on sensitive skin. In machine dishwashing the big brands compete mainly on cleaning performance, but protection is also important.

This report looks at the frequency of washing up by hand or using the dishwasher, purchasing of different dishwashing products, the factors most likely to influence product choice, usage of washing-up liquid for purposes other than cleaning dishes and attitudes towards dishwashers and dishwashing.

Hand dishwashing detergents

• Products formulated for dishwashing by hand, including regular and antibacterial variants

• Pre-wash, spray-on products such as fairy power spray.

Dishwasher detergents

• Products exclusively formulated for use in automatic dishwashers, including tablets/combination products, powders and liquids

• Ancillaries or dishwasher additives including salt, rinse aids and dishwasher cleaners, fresheners and protection products.

Excluded:

• Dishcloths, sponges, scouring products, washing-up tools and rubber gloves, which are covered in Mintel’s Household Cleaning Equipment – UK, June 2013 report.

Value figures throughout this report are at retail selling prices (rsp) unless otherwise stated. Market sizes at constant 2013 prices are calculated using Mintel’s Household Goods deflator.

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