Western Europe

Unlike most other OTC categories, in which marketing activities targeted not only the pharmaceuticals community, but also consumers, this was not previously the case in eye care. Companies would reach out to doctors and to chemists/pharmacists in…

Eye care category sales continue to post relatively solid retail volume growth in 2023, despite the high costs of living that is putting a squeeze on consumption in Ireland. Many people are still regularly working remotely and frequently choosing to…

Standard eye care is set to continue benefiting from the increasing amount of time consumers are spending in front of digital screens. Sales are expected to deliver steady growth in current value terms in 2023, with this being boosted by unit price…

Eye care recorded another positive sales performance in 2023 as various background trends contributed to rising demand. In particular, further increases were seen in the already high amounts of screen time that most Norwegian people have on a daily…

Eye care is projected to post a moderate rise in retail volume sales over 2023, accompanied by a more substantial increase in retail current value sales. This pattern of volume-value growth mirrors the trend observed in several consumer health…

Herbal/traditional products continues to see strong growth in current value terms in 2023. This is partly down to the impact of inflation alongside the rising cost of energy and imported ingredients, with herbal substances often having a higher cost…

Herbal/traditional products is expected to register an increase in current value sales in 2023 thanks in part to rising inflation due to the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine, which is driving retail prices. However, as fears around…

As consumers shift towards a more holistic approach to their health, sales of herbal/traditional products continue to grow. As evident across most of the French consumer health industry in the aftermath of the pandemic, preventive health and immunity…

Herbal/traditional cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies has posted very strong growth in 2022 and in 2023 as the category has benefited from the surge in respiratory illness that was seen in Greece in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 in line with the…

Consumer demand for health products made from natural ingredients is already well developed in Ireland, and this trend supports sales of herbal/traditional products in 2023. Consumers tend to use these products for minor ailments, but will shift to…

Herbal/traditional cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies is expected to benefit from another tough flu season in 2023-2024, with cases expected to be higher than pre-pandemic levels again. This should boost sales of herbal/traditional cough…

In line with the general trends seen across the Norwegian consumer health industry during the review period, 2023 saw herbal/traditional products record positive volume and value growth as demand continued to rebound from the negative sales…

Digestive remedies is expected to see the highest retail volume and current value growth in herbal/traditional products over 2023. This is the first full year without any Coronavirus (COVID-19)-related restrictions since the outbreak of the pandemic…

During the pandemic many smokers delayed quitting due to the stressful environment and the switch to home working, which resulted in a small drop in volume sales of NRT smoking cessation aids. However, with the pandemic over and with a renewed focus…

The pandemic was a boon for NRT smoking cessation aids, as is the ongoing health and wellness trend, with many people trying to give up smoking as COVID-19 put the spotlight on lung health. The category is seeing an increase in both volume and…

Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Health and Nutrition Survey, fielded January to February 2023 (n=21,221) indicates that 23.2% of respondents smoked daily, 2.6% once or twice a week, and 1.4% once or twice a month, figures that…

The retail prices of all NRT smoking cessation aids product types have been subject to significant hikes in 2022 and 2023 and this has led to strong growth in value in those years. The penetration of NRT smoking cessation aids in volume terms remains…

The pandemic period led to unhealthier lifestyles for a large number of Irish consumers, with some returning to smoking regular cigarettes as retail outlets selling vapes and other alternatives were closed. The stress and anxiety related to the…

Since the end of the pandemic, smoking prevalence rates have been increasing in Italy, reaching 20% of the population in 2023, up slightly on the previous year. Smoking prevalence fell during the pandemic for several reasons. Firstly, media articles…

Positive volume sales growth returned to NRT smoking cessation aids in 2023 following two years of declining volume during 2022 and 2021. This followed two years of very strong sales growth during 2019 and 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged…