Bleach in Spain

2020 IMPACT

Volume sales growth accelerates rapidly in bleach as consumers stockpile

In Spain, the huge efforts to maintain and improve household hygiene since the arrival of COVID-19 have benefited bleach more than any other home care product. The surge in demand for it emptied retail aisles of in the first week of the pandemic, pushing manufacturers to find ways to increase their production quickly.

Older demographics are traditional drivers of bleach sales

Bleach continued to record low retail volume growth prior to the pandemic. Its popularity is traditionally driven by older generations of Spaniards who use it to sanitise and disinfect different areas of the home.

Private label increases its already high share

Bleach remained a fairly consolidated competitive landscape in 2020, led by Neutrex from Henkel in brand terms, while Bosque Verde by Mercadona led the strong presence of private label in bleach, due to the basic nature of the category and its low price. Indeed, private label’s collective share rose even faster in 2020 as consumers rushed to disinfect their homes.

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

Strong performance to continue until COVID-19 threat subsides

In 2021, bleach will still be purchased much more frequently as consumers do their best to safeguard their homes from the potential transmission of COVID-19. Despite the efforts of eco-friendly players to remove chlorine from cleaning products that are mixed with water, the rise of bleach was inevitable during the global health crisis, and it will make further strong volume growth gains over the forecast period.

Younger generations likely to push bleach out of favour over time

Spanish consumers, especially the younger generations, are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers related to using certain chemicals when cleaning their homes. Domestic incidents through using bleach and other powerful liquids such as ammonia have been widely reported in the local press, leading to increasing awareness of the health hazards linked to their usage.

Wide range of use for bleach supports sales

Bleach tends to be mainly used in Spain for its disinfecting properties, which besides COVID-19 is particularly pertinent due to the prevalence of bacteria that arises from the country’s mild climate conditions. Spaniards have traditionally used bleach to disinfect their entire homes including bathrooms, particularly the toilet area, in addition to using it to effectively whiten laundry.