Deodorants in Japan

PROSPECTS

Growth supported by rising awareness of sumehara

In 2017, rising awareness of the sumehara concept (meaning “smell harassment”) continued to support the growth of deodorants in Japan. Sumehara addresses the concept that other people’s body odour, bad breath, or applying too much fragrance may cause distress or discomfort for certain people.

Premium products stop unit price from dropping

Private label continues to provide products with affordable prices, which can be seen particularly among deodorant wipes. Competing with these, branded manufacturers have launched premium-type deodorants which contain ingredients with higher efficacy or have skin care benefits.

Different deodorant types for different occasions

Among deodorants, different types are used based on the occasion, suggesting that consumers are positioning the deodorant types depending on their needs at the time.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Nivea-Kao Co Ltd continues to lead deodorants

Although the company did not launch any new brands in 2017, joint venture Nivea-Kao Co Ltd maintained its value share by evolving its existing brands with product renewal or line-up additions. In 2017, the company’s 8x4 brand underwent a major product renewal introducing new types such as Roll-on Sensitive.

Long-established players show the strongest growth

Domestic players are still strong in deodorants and well positioned to take advantage of the emerging consumer preference for a variety of deodorant formats within brand portfolios for a variety of needs. Among them, Mandom Corp and Rohto Pharmaceutical Co Ltd showed the strongest growth in 2017.

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