Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Best- and worst-case forecast of total value sales of feminine hygiene and sanitary protection products, China, 2014-24
- Companies and brands
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- Figure 2: Leading manufacturers' share of value sales of feminine sanitary and hygiene products, China, 2017 and 2018
- The consumer
- Traditional sanitary pads adopted by 89% of females in the last six months
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- Figure 3: Usage of feminine sanitary and hygiene products, July 2019
- Over half of females see feminine washes and wipes as suitable for everyday use
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- Figure 4: Perceptions of feminine hygiene products, July 2019
- Breathability problem is the first to tackle
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- Figure 5: Pain points for pads, July 2019
- Consumers seek clean and safe pads offering cleaning benefits
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- Figure 6: Consideration factors for pads, July 2019
- Consumers prioritise natural materials and comfort when trading up
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- Figure 7: Features worth paying extra for, July 2019
- Females generally savvy about feminine health and are positive towards regimens
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- Figure 8: Attitudes towards pH balance, over-cleaning and free period, July 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Caring for her with professionalism, nature and nourishment
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 9: Example of feminine sanitary product that features CBD for pain relief, UK, 2019
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- Figure 10: PMS survival kit, US, 2018
- Build zero-feel periods with segmented elegance
- The facts
- The implications
- Healing ingredients and mild formula demanded for feminine washes
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 11: Example of feminine wash with amino acid formula, China, 2019
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- A stable market with total value sales of RMB43 billion in 2019
- Further standardised market with e-commerce emerging as a new fast lane of growth
- Pads support the total value and hygiene products lead growth
Market Size and Forecast
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- An RMB43 billion market with steady growth
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- Figure 12: Best- and worst-case forecast of total value sales of feminine hygiene and sanitary protection products, China, 2014-24
Market Factors
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- Consumer base and usage frequency supporting pad consumption
- Consumers trade up for health and wellness
- More comprehensive industry standards reducing defective offerings
- E-commerce brings opportunities
Market Segmentation
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- Feminine sanitary pads segment relying on trading up
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- Figure 13: Value share of segments in feminine hygiene and sanitary products market, China, 2019 (est)
- Figure 14: Examples of feminine sanitary pants, China, 2019
- Insertion sanitary products framed by traditional concepts
- Escaping its medical image, hygiene segment takes a leap
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- Figure 15: Examples of feminine washes encouraging daily usage with mild formula, China, 2019
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Centralised market stimulated by e-commerce
- One step closer in consumer engagement
- Innovation led by consumers’ trade-up interest
Market Share
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- Top five companies make up over 50% of the market
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- Figure 16: Leading manufacturers' share of value sales of feminine sanitary and hygiene products, China, 2017-18
- Unicharm expanding online with attractive designs
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- Figure 17: Examples of Sofy products targeting young females, China, 2019
- Continuous technological innovation aids P&G and HengAn’s growth
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- Figure 18: Examples of expansions of FlexFoam sanitary pads, China, 2018-19
- Close followers surrounding KAO and Kimberly-Clark
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- Figure 19: Examples of sanitary pads claiming zero-feel, China, 2018
- Figure 20: Examples of Kotex approaching younger females with new products, China, 2018-19
- Pharmaceutical companies invading the market
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- Figure 21: Examples of pads from pharmaceutical companies, China, 2019
Competitive Strategies
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- Selling premium online
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- Figure 22: Light life presents its premium cotton, China, 2019
- Selling niche through communities
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- Figure 23: LUÜNA selling organic sanitary products online, China, 2019
- Diving into subcultures
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- Figure 24: Offline channel display of Whisper x Luotianyi, China, 2019
- Figure 25: Kotex and Hello Kitty mystery box, China, 2019
- Communications leveraging lifestyles
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- Figure 26: Purcotton x National Geographic Cotton Natural Human art exhibition, China, 2018
Who’s Innovating?
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- For sensitive skin, tested and more
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- Figure 27: Examples of coversheets utilising silk and PLA for sensitive skin, China, 2019
- Absorbent core free from fluff pulp for clean and natural
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- Figure 28: Example of pads with cotton core, China, 2019
- Raised centre to offer targeted absorption
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- Figure 29: Examples of sanitary pads with raised centre, Japan and China, 2019
- Segmented with activities to offer suitable breathability
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- Figure 30: Spa7ce sanitary pads for long-term sitters, China, 2019
- Ingredients on coversheets to bring extra variety and enhanced benefits
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- Figure 31: Examples of adding nanosilver and essential oil to pad coversheet, Singapore and China, 2019
- Figure 32: P&G expands natural cotton pads into three variants with essential oil added to coversheet, China, 2019
- Helping to maintain pH balance and a healthy microbiome
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- Figure 33: Example of sanitary pad that maintains pH balance of private area, China, 2019
- Figure 34: Examples of sanitary pad and hygiene product building a healthy microbiome, China and US, 2018-19
- Durable feminine sanitary products also evolving
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- Figure 35: Examples of new products in menstrual cups, China and US, 2018-19
- Figure 36: Thinx reusable sanitary pants, UK, 2019
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Saturated market with incremental opportunities in hygiene
- Homogenisation frames differentiation of washes from wipes
- Breathability and poor absorption still bothers over half of women
- Consumers root for pads superior in cleaning benefits and safe materials
- Materials and comfort leading consumers’ trading up
- Carefree periods demanded by one fifth of respondents
Usage of Feminine Sanitary and Hygiene Products
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- Panty liners a necessity for 78% of females
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- Figure 37: Usage of feminine sanitary and hygiene products, July 2019
- Early 20s are in favour of softer coversheets over net-coversheets
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- Figure 38: Usage of feminine sanitary and hygiene products, by age, July 2019
- 25-29s lead hygiene products consumption
- Opportunity in affordable period elegance for lower earners
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- Figure 39: Usage of feminine sanitary and hygiene products, by monthly personal income, July 2019
Perceptions of Feminine Hygiene Products
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- Washes should enhance healing properties to differentiate from wipes
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- Figure 40: Perceptions of feminine hygiene products, July 2019
- Non-users don’t buy into functional benefits while being more concerned about safety
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- Figure 41: Gap of perceptions of feminine hygiene products between non-users and users (as benchmark), July 2019
Pain Points of Pads
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- Balance breathability and absorption
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- Figure 42: Pain points for pads, July 2019
- Camouflage the period for young females
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- Figure 43: Pain points for pads, by age, July 2019
- Improve softness, thinness and fitting to please higher earners
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- Figure 44: Pain points for pads, by monthly personal income, July 2019
Consideration Factors for Pads
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- Low loyalty but high interest in clean materials
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- Figure 45: Consideration factors for pads, July 2019
- Suitable for sensitive skin sought by young females
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- Figure 46: Consideration factors for pads, by age, July 2019
- Coversheet material draws shared attention across income levels
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- Figure 47: Consideration factors for pads, by monthly personal income, July 2019
Features Worth Paying Extra for
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- Willing to pay for better material and better sensations
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- Figure 48: Features worth paying extra for, July 2019
- Younger females interested in activity segmented pads
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- Figure 49: Features worth paying extra for, by age, July 2019
- Good for mature women and for the planet
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- Figure 50: TURF analysis of features worth paying extra for, 30-49 yrs, July 2019
Attitudes towards Feminine Sanitary and Hygiene Products
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- Consumers generally aware of pH balance and importance of cleaning
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- Figure 51: Attitudes towards pH balance and over-cleaning, July 2019
- Enhance mildness to convert frequent usage from cleaning-phobics
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- Figure 52: Usage of feminine hygiene products, by attitudes towards over-cleaning, July 2019
- Giving birth produces altered pad usage behaviour
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- Figure 53: Attitudes towards frequent pad change, July 2019
- Figure 54: Attitudes towards frequent pad change, by family structure, July 2019
- Carefree periods appeal to over one fifth of respondents
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- Figure 55: Attitudes towards free period, July 2019
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- Figure 56: Key drivers of ‘I think female shouldn’t change daily schedule in periods’, July 2019
- Plain and fashionable packages are demanded half-half
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- Figure 57: Preference over package designs, July 2019
- Figure 58: Preference over package designs, by monthly personal income, July 2019
- 20-24 age group most reluctant to try tampons
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- Figure 59: Attitudes towards trying tampons, by age, July 2019
- Potential users of tampons chase beauty over active lifestyles
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- Figure 60: Gap of daily used apps between positive and negative (as benchmark) opinion holders towards trying tampons, July 2019
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- Upgrade coversheet add-ons to appeal to Mintropolitans
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- Figure 61: Gap of consideration factors for pads between Mintropolitans and non-Mintropolitans (as benchmark), July 2019
- Mintropolitans long for innovations
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- Figure 62: Gap of features worth paying extra for between Mintropolitans and non-Mintropolitans (as benchmark), July 2019
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 63: Total value sales of feminine hygiene and sanitary protection products, China, 2014-24
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Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Fan chart forecast
- Abbreviations
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