Oral Care in Costa Rica

PROSPECTS

Additional levels of specialisation continue boosting oral care sales during 2017

Further levels of segmentation continued to characterise oral care development in Costa Rica during 2017, as specialised brands (such as the Spanish toothbrush brand Pierrot) and homeopathic products (such as the Bulgarian toothpaste and mouthwash brand Bilka) continued finding room to target more-specific groups of consumers interested in such added-value lines. Besides finding room for such types of high-end products, major brands such as Colgate and Oral-B continued to unfold additional levels of innovation and segmentation, targeting mostly whitening oral care lines that cover all oral care categories, including dental floss.

Complete oral care lines continue promoting sales of complementary products, such as mouthwashes

Despite not reaching the position of staple products, the development of complete healthcare lines (including toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss and mouthwash) continued to boost sales of less-essential product types, particularly in the case of mouthwashes. There was the promise of providing more-efficient results when using mouthwashes along with their corresponding toothpaste, which continued to boost the comparatively smaller sales base of mouthwashes.

More-natural formulations will continue to have good development opportunities over the forecast period

As local millennials continue to increase their relevance within the sales dynamics of major product types, it is anticipated that their health and wellness concerns will provide additional development opportunities for more-natural options over the forecast period. Homeopathic brands capable of offering high-quality products (free of fluoride and other chemicals), as well as plant-based and more-natural whitening alternatives (based on activated charcoal or baking soda formulations), are anticipated to continue gaining momentum by focusing on younger upper-income consumers and children.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

International players continue to lead oral care in Costa Rica

Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica maintained their dominance of oral care in 2017, benefiting from strong product awareness (brands Colgate and Oral-B) and from the capacity to provide broad levels of segmentation to reach all types of consumers. These global brands are available throughout most modern and traditional grocery retailers in Costa Rica, offering all types of oral care products.

Walmart’s private label line competes strongly

As products became more specialised, major manufacturers continued to focus on developing additional levels of segmentation and sophistication, particularly within toothpaste where higher-end whitening and gum care options continued gaining momentum across a larger base of mid and upper-income consumers. On the other hand (unless consumers are diagnosed with specific conditions), the offers of toothbrushes, dental floss and mouthwashes were becoming more standardised and generic, often competing through pricing and availability.

Further specialisation will continue to characterise oral care over the forecast period

As local consumers become more aware of the importance of having proper oral care to support their overall health and wellness, it is anticipated that further levels of specialisation will continue to characterise the development of new products within oral care over the forecast period. While teeth-whitening claims are expected to continue attracting younger consumers, gum health products are anticipated to gain further relevance, focusing more on the functional details of proper oral health rather than just appearance.

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