Consumer Health

Overall, sales of paediatric consumer health are in decline in current value terms in Japan in 2023. Nonetheless, the performances vary by product category with some benefiting from a post-pandemic recovery while others are facing headwinds. For…

2023 saw further positive growth in retail volume sales of NRT smoking cessation aids in the Philippines, although growth rates were considerably lower than the phenomenal performances recorded in the category earlier in the review period. The main…

NRT smoking cessation aids is a small category in South Africa and only relevant to a small consumer group. Since, 2022 NRT gum has been the only product type that has been available locally over the counter. Other products such as NRT patches are…

Regulations against smoking are becoming stricter worldwide, and the situation is no different in Japan. These stricter rules have encouraged large numbers of smokers to quit, especially since the law banning smoking indoors in principle (Health…

Alternative medicine is increasingly commonplace in the Philippines and this continues to support rising demand for herbal/traditional products. Local people are increasingly favouring consumer products based natural ingredients such as camphor,…

Since the pandemic, consumers have slowly begun to prioritise their health and wellness. This in turn has led to growing sales of herbal/traditional products. For example, Clicks stocks a brand called Sela. Sela is a tea bag brand that is available…

In 2023, with COVID-19 moving to a class 5 disease and restrictions on social behaviour being lifted, consumers started to go out without wearing masks, leading to an increase in influenza, infectious diseases with cough symptoms, and heat stroke. In…

The key trend behind rising demand for standard eye care in the Philippines is the increased amount of screen time in the daily lives of many local people. Indeed, dramatic increases have been seen in the amount of time that Philippine consumers…

During 2023, more consumers suffered from eye health issues due to much more time spent using technology, such as computers and laptops. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, children were unable to go to school or workers to their workplace and…

With the pandemic declared to be over in 2023, sales of both standard eye care and allergy eye care have benefited from increased opportunities to get out and about, a recovery in the number of inbound travellers, but also high pollen counts.…

One factor that spurred growth in sales of OTC digestive remedies during 2023 was the return to pre-pandemic lifestyles, with the accelerating pace of life in Philippine cities encouraging consumers to eat fast food and convenience food more often,…

Since 2022, South Africa has been suffering from rolling electricity blackouts. The scheduled blackouts can often occur in some areas around two to three times a day. Moreover, these blackouts often occur during mealtimes. This has created a strong…

Sales of digestive remedies continue to see a strong recovery in 2023 in current value terms. Sales are rebounding from the negative impact of the pandemic with the lifting of restrictions increasing the opportunities for consumers to go out to eat…

Probiotic supplements generated further positive sales growth in 2023 as the category continued to recover from the significant sales declines registered in 2021. Many consumers began taking probiotic products as a way of strengthening their immune…

During the review period, South Africa experienced high levels of inflation that impacted essential categories such as food, fuel and even mortgage payments. Consumers were cutting down on discretionary spending as they had less disposable income.…

Similar to the pattern seen in vitamins, sales of dietary supplements continue to see steady growth in current value terms in 2023 due to increasing health consciousness. The market has been hit by the rising cost of raw materials and production…

2023 saw rising demand for dermatologicals supported by the return to pre-pandemic daily routines and lifestyles as greater exposure to the causes of various mild skin conditions resulted in a higher incidence of skin infections and parasite-related…

Many consumers in South Africa rely on pharmacist recommendations when it comes to dermatological products. Most consumers within South Africa are highly unlikely to visit a doctor or even a dermatologist to treat some dermatological issues. As a…

Dermatologicals has seen a return to growth in current value terms in 2023, which is mainly due to the waning impact of COVID-19 on consumer lifestyles and behaviours. Antipruritics is one of the largest categories within dermatologicals and has also…

In the Philippines, one interesting aspect of OTC products in general and cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies in particular is that consumers are generally very aware of the active ingredients that are contained within these products and the…