Western Europe

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies have witnessed stronger growth in 2023, due to warmer weathers and increased time spent out of the home. Warmer weather in Switzerland has led to an increase in pollen and the incidence of allergic…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies remained the largest product area within consumer health in Sweden in 2023. Following a two-year period of buoyant volume growth for most subcategories, demand weakened significantly in 2023, This was due…

After the surge in sales that cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies experienced in 2022, demand is waning in 2023, with the category recording more subdued growth rates. Traditionally, sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies in…

During the winters 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, the circulation of cough, cold and flu viruses was limited by the restrictions implemented to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Winter 2022/2023 was the first one with no restrictions in place at all and this…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies remains the largest OTC category in Norway, accounting for more than one-third of total OTC value sales in 2023. Despite the already relatively high penetration of these products, the category registered…

Cough/cold remedies are set to see high single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, with sales likely to benefit from a high number of cases of cold and flu in the 2023/2024 season. Furthermore, value sales will likely also be boosted by unit…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies are enjoying strong growth in 2023 as the category continues to recover from the sharp declines seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Flu, common coughs and colds and seasonal allergies in the Irish…

In May 2022, Greece lifted all COVID-19 related regulations. This included the compulsory use of face masks and social distancing rules, and although use of face masks remains fairly high in Greece compared to other European countries, it appears…

Cough and cold remedies were recording see high single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, with sales benefiting from the large number of cases of cold and flu in the 2023/2024 season. Furthermore, value sales were also being boosted by unit…

Within OTC consumer health in France, value sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies are continuing to record the fastest growth in 2023, following a dynamic performance the previous year. Within the category, demand for various formats…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) sales are expected to be slightly down in 2023. This is partly a result of the very strong performance seen in the previous year, as the lifting of COVID-19 related restrictions led to greater social contact and…

Cough remedies and decongestants, which had seen strong growth during the pandemic period, saw more moderate growth in 2022 and 2023 as the contagion receded and public concern waned. Current value sales growth partly reflects inflationary pressures,…

Sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies are seeing strong growth in current value terms in 2023. This is partly due to inflation-driven price increases (also the consequence of supply shortages in some cases) and an increase in cough,…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies received a strong sales boost in 2022 due to consumers returning to working in the office more frequently again and kids returning to in-school classes. This led to consumers spending more time among other…

In the upcoming years, consumers and businesses face an array of challenges, with income inequality, mass migration and rising uncertainty about another crisis being among the major ones. Nevertheless, within this lie untapped opportunities. This…

Economic instability, characterised by very high inflation, continues to restrain retail volume sales at the end of the review period. The Turkish economy is taking longer than many other countries to recover from the economic effects of Coronavirus…

Consumer health continues to experience high retail current value growth in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than 2022. Higher costs of materials, ingredients and services are naturally leading to strong price increases in 2023, thereby driving up value…

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had a major impact on almost every category within consumer health in the Netherlands. While the COVID-19 situation eased by 2022, 2023 is the first full year after the pandemic in which players, retailers and…

Consumer health witnessed a solid performance in 2023, with current value growth gaining momentum for the fourth consecutive year. Overall there has been little change in the price of OTC products, despite the slightly higher inflation rate in 2023,…

The Swedish market consumer health saw healthy growth in retail current value terms in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. However, this was driven mainly by inflationary pressures, rather than any real upturn in demand. While the rate…