Costa Rica

Baby wipes continued to record positive retail value growth in Costa Rica in 2023. These products benefit from having a versatile nature, being widely employed for various non-baby related uses. Brands like Scott, for instance, have introduced wipes…

Demand for polishes has remained steady over the review period, as consumers continue to regularly use floor and furniture polish, as part of their cleaning routine. That being said, volume growth was muted, as competing products such as surface care…

Value sales for bleach continued to slow, and consumers increasingly favoured less toxic home care products. Bleach has been cast in a negative light in terms of environmental and also health impacts. As such, consumers are looking to reduce bleach…

Dishwashing registered healthy volume growth in 2023, as price increases eased. Hand dishwashing continued to account for most value sales and also registered the highest value and volume growth. As such, value sales for automatic dishwashing…

In 2023, retail tissue in Costa Rica recorded positive retail value growth. Due to rising prices, consumers were increasingly seeking savings without compromising the quality of their retail tissue products. Consumers in Costa Rica expect a certain…

Air care was the weakest performer in terms of volume growth in 2023. While air care registered both high current and constant value growth, volume growth was marginal. The increased prices dampened volume demand and consumers prioritised essential…

While there was still economic uncertainty, inflationary pressure eased significantly in 2023, even falling into deflation territory for part of the year. With the improved economic situation, home care registered healthy current value and modest…

Laundry care registered healthy current and constant value growth in 2023, though volume growth was much more muted. Powder detergent continued to be the most popular format, followed by liquid detergent. Liquid detergent, however, registered the…

Volume growth in toilet care was muted. Two factors led to the muted growth. With the pandemic having passed, there was less frenetic cleaning. In addition, with inflation still being relatively high, consumers traded down as much as possible and…

Overall, surface care registered muted volume growth in 2023. However, given the diversity of this product area, some products performed better than others. Reckitt Benckiser continued to have a strong lead in surface care, thanks to its wide…

There were significant price rises for home-insecticides in 2023, and in particular for spray/aerosols, as supply chain disruptions still lingered and this resulted in high current and constant value growth. However, despite significant price…

Menstrual care in Costa Rica recorded double-digit retail value growth in 2023, driven by prices and the essential nature of the products. To aid sales, sanitary pads, tampons and panty liners had a VAT rate of 1% from 1 February 2023, down from the…

In 2023, retail adult incontinence products in Costa Rica recorded strong levels of double-digit retail value growth. This growth was driven by high price points, in addition to the ageing population, which is fuelling the demand for adult…

Carbonates saw a surprisingly strong sales performance over the review period, in both the off- and on-trade channels, with volume growth remaining positive for the second consecutive year. Consumers have continued to purchase carbonates as unit…

Beer registered healthy volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The FIFA World Cup in December also contributed to the high levels of…

With consumers being more price sensitive, pre-shave products such as the shaving foams offered by Gillette, Nivea, and Barbasol continue to see declining volume sales in 2022 as they are perceived to be non-essential and easily substitutable items.…

Considered an essential product, deodorants record further growth in 2022; however, brand loyalty is waning as consumers look to economise due to the difficult economic climate and high inflation in Costa Rica. To encourage consumption, some…

The juice category was negatively affected by the high inflation affecting the country, with some of the highest unit price increases within soft drinks being applied to juices. In addition to persistent inflationary pressures, issues regarding the…

In 2023, coffee prices began to normalise in the country, with much slower inflation taking hold from July 2023. Consequently, most consumers began to return to previous consumption patterns, creating a favourable impact on retail volume growth in…

Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a slight increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers are…