•EuroTrends
CLEANSERS
IN TURBULENT
REMAIN
WATER
AFLOAT
ON THE FACE OF IT, bathroom product sales have remained steady
and most countries in Europe’s
Big 5 registered some growth in 2007
due to much new product innovation.
KATIE RODGERS
EDITOR,
EUROPEAN COSMETIC
MARKETS
EUROPEAN COSMETIC
MARKETS IS PUBLISHED
MONTHLY BY WILMINGTON
MEDIA. IT PROVIDES IN-DEPTH
DATA AND ANALYSIS OF THE
EUROPEAN COSMETICS AND
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However, any
growth has
been very
slim and
Italy actually
slipped by
1.1% in
value terms.
It seems that
there may be
trouble brewing below the
surface as
countries
struggle to
keep their
head above
water in the
face of continuing economic uncertainty in
Europe.
France’s
bathroom
products category did
manage a
rise of 4.4%
in 2007,
which was a more promising set of
figures than 2006, to reach $908 million (at historical exchange rates).
There was especially strong growth in
the mass and pharmacy channels,
which were up 7.5% and 9.5% respectively to $663 million and $108 million. On the other hand, the selective
channel did not have such good news
to report, slipping by a dismal 24.9%
to $46 million. The direct sales channel also recorded a loss, though not as
worrisome, of 2.5% to fall below $90
million.
Bath and shower products make up
the vast majority of the French bathroom products category and the market was possibly given a boost by the
vast levels of innovation that swept
the country in 2007 via a plethora of
new product launches.
Many French companies have gone
down the route of organically certifying their products to broaden their
appeal with ethical French consumers. In the mass market, supermarket retailer Carrefour launched
Agir Bio, a certified organic skin care
range which includes an aloe vera
shower gel, while Sephora launched
Green Connection, an “awakening
body gel” that has both Ecocert and
Cosmebio organic certification. The
premium channel, too, got a boost
from organic developments with the
launch of an organic body care line
from Florame. The range includes
shower gels, body lotions, foam baths
and bath salts and has also been certified by both official bodies.
Tepid Gains in Most Countries
Meanwhile, Germany reported that
its bathroom product sales increased
by 3.4% in 2008 to $1.1 billion—still
positive news, though nothing to get
excited about. Soaps and syndet
turnover registered a slight dip of
0.2% to $289 million. Bath foams,
salts and shower gels climbed to $855
million, which was a small rise of
1.4% based on 2007’s figures. In
terms of market share in Germany,
shower products accounted for 58% of
the market, bath additives stood at
19.3% and soaps at 22.7%. The fact
that shower products hold such a
large share of the market also means
the value of the category is at a huge
$496 million, up 1.5% on 2007.
Natural personal cleansers were
definitely embraced by German consumers in 2008 and many companies
queued up to present their offerings.
For example, Weleda launched its
Lavender Creamy Body Wash
(Lavendel Entspannungdusche) in
May 2008 to complement its existing
Lavender Bath Milk, which has been
a Weleda bestseller for the past 10
years. The new product is said to
include organic lavender and sesame
oils to help reduce moisture loss and
keep skin soft and smooth.
German natural cosmetics and toiletries company Kneipp also launched
several bath products, starting with
its Urmeer Bath Salts (Badesalz) in
January, followed closely by its
Almond Milk Bath Powder in
February. It also relaunched its
Almond Blossom Gentle Body Wash
in March and did the same with the
Evening Primrose Oil variant in
September. Kneipp products are
made from natural plant-based ingredients and essential oils to moisturize
and gently nourish skin.
Keep Your Head Above Water
It was not good news for Italy as its
bathroom products sector struggled to
stay afloat, posting a disappointing
decline on 2006’s figures. According to
industry association Unipro, the market sank 1.1% to approximately $1
billion in 2007. Breaking the category
down further, liquid soap was the
only sector to post an increase, inching up by a minute 0.8% to just less
