U.S. Wipes Demand
Convenience, consumer acceptance and innovation
are the driving forces in the consumer market; personal
hygiene and general purpose household cleaning wipes
predicted to grow fastest.
By Corinne Gangloff , Freedonia Group
Demand for wipes in the U.S. is forecast to rise 5.1% per year to $2.5 billion in 2016. Sales of wipes
will be aided by ongoing improvements
in the economy. Wipes will continue to
benefit from features such as ease of use,
disposability, portability and reduced risk
of cross-contamination. While disposability has been a primary advantage in the
growth of wipes, it also has the potential
to restrain sales as more consumers become attuned to environmental concerns.
The 2007-2009 recession appears to have
had an ongoing impact on buying habits
in the consumer wipes segment. During
this time, consumers economized by using
private label wipes (limiting value sales
at the retail level), by shifting away from
task-specific wipes to general purpose
products or by returning to traditional
cleaning methods.
Going forward, convenience, consumer
acceptance and innovation will remain
driving forces in the consumer market,
with personal hygiene and general purpose household cleaning wipes projected
to register the fastest gains. Personal hygiene wipes will enjoy increased market
penetration; the concept of wet bathroom
tissue as part of a standard bathroom routine is gaining acceptance especially since
the industry has become diligent in developing not only flushable but also dispersible products. Growth in general purpose
disinfectant wipes will be propelled by
the appeal of one-step cleaning. The large
and more established baby wipes category
18 • Household & Personal Care Wipes
Spring 2013