Air Care in Hong Kong, China

PROSPECTS

Value sales of car air fresheners are expected to decline in the forecast period

Whilst one of the main purposes of car air fresheners is to remove the odour from cigarette smoke, the number of smokers dropped dramatically in 2017. According to SmokeFreeHK, a government organisation raising awareness of the hazards of smoking, the percentage of smokers in Hong Kong dropped to a historic low of 10% in 2017.

Consumers are wary of airborne air care products

According to trade sources, air fresheners are seeing declining demand as consumers in Hong Kong are afraid that the chemicals they contain are bad for human health. This trend applies especially to electric air fresheners, gel air fresheners and spray/aerosol air fresheners.

Charcoal is the latest product trend

Charcoal air care products are increasingly available in most supermarkets and department stores; the material is used in many types of air care products, such as fridge deodorisers, shoe cabinet deodorisers and even car air fresheners. One of the reasons that households in Hong Kong favour these products is because charcoal is a natural dehumidifier.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Air Wick and Glade see declining shares in spray/aerosol air fresheners

In the declining category of spray/aerosol air fresheners, Dettol saw an increase in its value share in 2018, whilst Air Wick and Glade saw declines. According to store checks, Air Wick and Glade had limited shelf space for their spray air fresheners.

Japanese brands benefit from the rise of Japanese department stores

Despite the low store presence of Kobayashi and boutique Japanese brands in major supermarkets, they have significant shelf space in Japanese department stores. With the increasing presence of Japanese department stores and supermarkets such as Japan Home Centre, YATA and Aeon, Kobayashi and boutique Japanese brands have a rising store presence, which gives them an increasing advantage over larger Western brands.

The rising popularity of small Japanese brands will negatively affect larger brands

Consumers in Hong Kong find Japanese home care products particularly attractive. Such products have brand loyalty, as households in Hong Kong consider that they are more premium, yet have a fairly reasonable price tag.

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