What you need to know

The soap, bath and shower (SBS) products market grew at a sub-inflation rate of 0.9% to reach an estimated £659 million in 2018, and is forecast to decline by 0.1% in 2019. Brands in the market are contending with pressures from a variety of directions, including price-focused consumers, the rise of discounters, and commoditisation in the category. To overcome these challenges, brands may have to find greater levels of differentiation and seek to persuade consumers to pay more for premium products.

Baylis & Harding has experienced success by targeting consumers on the basis of its premium product positioning. Few brands have yet risen to meet the challenge of providing an eco-friendly, sustainable mass-market SBS product, offering an opportunity for a mainstream brand to fully capitalise on consumers interested in ethical and environmentally-friendly products and to create similar differentiation among consumers.

Products covered in this Report

This Report covers the UK retail market for soap, bath and shower products (including specific male, female and family products – ie those that can be used on children and babies) and includes the following:

  • Toilet soaps in both bar and liquid form, including hand washes

  • Hand sanitisers

  • Bath additives such as foam, crème, oil and bubble bath, bath pearls and beads and solid bath products such as salts, grains, crystals and cubes

  • Shower products such as gels, mousses, body shampoos and body washes

  • Products marketed as soap-free, such as Dove or Oil of Olay moisturising bars, as well as products such as Oilatum, which are formulated specifically for problem skin.

Excluded

This Report excludes facial cleansers such as scrubs and foams, which are included in Mintel’s Women's Facial Skincare - UK - July 2018 and Men’s Facial Skincare – UK, July 2018 Reports.

This Report also excludes other bodycare products, used outside of a cleansing routine, as well as wash accessories such as sponges, loofahs, mitts etc.

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