Personal Wipes in North America

North America, the largest market for sales of personal wipes, is starting to see growth slow

The personal wipes market in North America was valued at nearly USD3 billion in 2017. While the market saw positive growth over the past five years, with a CAGR of 2-3%, growth is beginning to slow due to maturity and competitive pressures on prices.

Baby wipes dominate sales, but smaller categories see faster growth

Baby wipes currently accounts for over half of total sales of personal wipes in North America. However, it is a slower growing category compared with smaller categories such as cosmetic wipes and moist toilet wipes, which have seen a recent expansion in product variety and new product development.Consumers in both the US and Canada are thus increasingly adopting these formats into their daily routines.

E-commerce is becoming an increasingly important channel for sales of personal wipes

Though sales via internet retailing still represent a small share of total personal wipes distribution in North America, this channel has seen the most significant growth in recent years. With the ongoing shift in the retail landscape towards e-commerce, and the rising presence of Amazon and small direct-to-consumer companies in personal wipes, internet retailing is expected to become one of the single most important distribution channels in North America.

Smaller brands create a threat for industry leaders

P&G saw the largest loss in market share over 2012-2017. Meanwhile, smaller brands, such as The Honest Co., founded in 2011, are growing. There are many new entrants in the personal wipes space, specifically in niche segments, though not all smaller brands will survive due to profitability issues.