Intensification of international sanctions on Iran in 2012 and lower oil prices since mid-2014 took a toll on the Iranian economy. However, the removal of most of the international sanctions in January 2016 has helped boost trade and investment in ...

The economy will slow but still grow at a healthy pace in 2017. Higher oil prices provide a boost but this is partially offset by Iran’s compliance with OPEC’s oil output cap. An increase in investment is another driver. Stronger activity in ...

Years of economic sanctions have left Iran’s business environment underdeveloped. The situation is expected to improve with the lifting of the sanctions, although the government has to grapple with a number of key challenges including an inefficient ...

The Iranian household market has become increasingly attractive to consumer businesses, as the number of households expands healthily and local consumers are transforming to more modern and urban lifestyles. Household penetration of durables and ...

Iran’s per capita disposable income and spending returned to positive growth in 2016, due to the partial recovery in global oil prices, and the lifting of economic sanctions on the country. The latter factor is expected to support long-term growth of...

The population aged 0-11 was estimated to be more than 15,700,000 in 2016, below 20% of the total population. This implies a relatively strong consumer base for baby and child-specific products. Nevertheless, total value generated in this category ...

Body wash/shower gel and liquid soap, as modern bath and shower options, gained popularity in 2016 and consumers continued to switch from bar soaps to these alternatives. The performance of bar soap as the oldest and still most popular product type ...

Colour cosmetics remained influenced by two positive and negative factors which affected demand in 2016. The first was the large number of potential consumers who tend to have a high level of consumption for cultural reasons. The number in this group...

Consumer perception of deodorants changed rapidly during 2016. These products, which used to be considered luxury items to replace fragrances, are gradually becoming a necessary personal care product with special focus on perspiration. This is thanks...

Depilatories remained an immature category in 2016 due to the strong popularity of traditional wax among women. More than 60% of potential consumers used wax as the primary hair removal method and awareness regarding creams and gels classified as ...

The continuous decline of purchasing power for middle-income consumers was a key aspect of the economy in 2016, which affected demand for both mass and premium fragrances. A general trend of popularity growth for mass products occurred in response to...

Hair care is one of the categories within which the presence of multinational brands was significant in 2016. Players such as Unilever Group, L’Oréal Groupe, Procter & Gamble Co, Beiersdorf AG and Henkel AG & Co KGaA competed aggressively in ...

An important aspect of men’s grooming is the high level of penetration of smuggled products, especially in razors and blades, which significantly affected demand for legitimate products in 2016. This was due to the fact that Procter & Gamble’s ...

Toothpaste and manual toothbrushes had maximum consumer awareness and drove retail value growth in 2016. Other categories such as electric toothbrushes, dental floss and mouthwash remained immature and have good potential for growth. Rising awareness...

The low base in many categories, rapidly changing lifestyles and the significant increase in the size of the urban population remained drivers of growth for beauty and personal care. One key trend was consumers upgrading from basic offerings to more ...

Most skin care categories had very low bases in 2016 and thus strong potential for growth. Iranian young and educated women were increasingly concerned about their appearance – clear skin is considered by them as a sign of attractiveness. Widespread ...

Factors that stimulated growth in sun care after the loosening/removal of sanctions included the low base (per capita consumption was low), greater retail penetration (more importers were able to launch multinational brands or expand the presence of ...

Adult incontinence was still one of the hygiene sectors with a very small base during 2016 mainly because of its relatively low level of penetration. It is important to note that adult incontinence products emerged only in 2007 and, thus, a ...

Sales of away-from-home tissue and hygiene products remained considerably less developed compared to tissue and hygiene sales in the retail channel in 2016. In fact, only boxed facial tissues, napkins, toilet paper and adult incontinence are ...

The key story of 2016 was the official relaunch of Pampers by Tehran Bouran Co (subsidiary of Procter & Gamble in Iran). The brand, which had been discontinued due to international sanctions, became available again and its presence had a major impact...