Deodorants in Japan

PROSPECTS

Sumehara helps combat maturity in deodorants

Rising awareness of sumehara, which translates as “smell harassment”, will continue to support the growth of deodorants in Japan, despite the category already having reached a fair degree of maturity. Sumehara refers to the concept that other people’s body odour, bad breath or applying too much fragrance may cause distress or discomfort for certain people, particularly in the workplace.

Sales of men’s deodorants particularly benefit from sumehara

Rising awareness of sumehara has had a particularly prominent effect on men's deodorants, sales of which have been growing more rapidly than deodorants for women, continuously increasing the share of men’s deodorants within total sales. With an increase of women in the workplace, who tend to be more sensitive to odours, men, especially middle-aged men in their 30s and 40s, are increasingly becoming conscious of how they smell, and have started to become more interested in deodorising products.

Jikanuri is on the rise

Within deodorants, sales of deodorant creams, roll-ons and sticks are on the rise, helping to combat the decline of deodorant sprays. Although sprays have been mainstream for a long time, sales have been rapidly decreasing, with the share of this category being taken by jikanuri, a collective term for products which can be directly applied to the skin, including creams, roll-ons and sticks.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Nivea-Kao maintains its lead in deodorants

Nivea-Kao continued to lead deodorants in Japan in value terms in 2018, competing with many strong domestic players with its powerful brand 8x4. With more than 40 years’ history in the country, the brand has been embraced by a wide range of consumers, but in order to further increase awareness, the company underwent a major product renewal in 2017, introducing new product types, such as Roll-on Sensitive, for the first time since its launch.

The second and third players

Shiseido remained the second company in deodorants in Japan in value terms in 2018. It also saw a slight increase in its value share, thanks to the rising shares of both its Ag+ and Sea Breeze brands.

Lion Corp holds the second brand in deodorants

Despite holding fourth place in company terms, Lion Corp held the second brand in deodorants in Japan in value terms in 2018, Ban, despite seeing a declining value share. During the review period, seeing the rapid increase in demand for jikanuri and the sharp decrease in demand for deodorant sprays, the company tactically streamlined its product portfolio to retreat from deodorant sprays and focus on jikanuri, which it believes is more profitable.

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