Deodorants in Italy

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Deodorant sprays and roll-ons drive sales growth in 2019 as consumers still value convenience and effectiveness

Consumers’ increasingly hectic lifestyles grew the demand for convenience in 2019. This trend continued to benefit deodorant sprays and roll-ons because of their fast application and absorption.

Players look to innovation to capture increasingly demanding consumers

While consumers remained cautious and price-sensitive, they became increasingly demanding when choosing deodorants. Thus, players tried to make their brands stand out by offering added-value attributes, such as long protection (24- or 48-hours) from sweating or odours, and no stain and nourishing properties.

High brand recognition and trust and innovation keep Dove ahead of the field

Unilever Italia continued to lead a quite fragmented competitive landscape in 2019. The company’s leading brand, Dove, offered a variegated line of antiperspirant deodorants.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Sales of deodorants are now expected to fall by 1% in 2020 in 2019 constant value terms in light of the impact of COVID-19. This compares to an expected very marginal rise forecast for 2020 during research conducted at the end of 2019 before the spread of COVID-19.

Affected products within deodorants

While retail value sales of deodorants are projected to perform below expectation at 2019 constant prices over 2020, compared with the forecast during research conducted at the end of 2019, COVID-19’s impact on the category is predicted to be relatively modest. The immediate post-COVID-19 period is likely to see increasingly price-sensitive consumers delay purchases until available on promotions.

Recovery and opportunities

Sales are set to recover slowly over the forecast period, but the growth performance is projected to be slower than previously expected due to lingering effects of COVID-19 crisis on the Italian economy and consumer budgets and confidence. Nonetheless, as consumers return to more normal socialising and work habits, daily-use products like deodorants can be expected to see steady demand.

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