Wipes in Australia

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Wipes benefit from consumers seeking convenience and hygiene in 2019 but environmental concerns still pose constraints

Due to the fast-paced lifestyle of Australians in combination with a growing focus on hygiene, consumers increasingly looked for convenience in household cleaning in 2019. Therefore, wipes experienced a healthy volume and value growth throughout the year.

Premium baby wipes increasingly positioned as gentle and natural but many consumers focus on value for money in 2019

When it comes to baby wipes, parents continued to focus on two main aspects in 2019: quality and value for money. As wipes are used on a daily basis and for a range of tasks, their quality is determined by their effectiveness in cleaning.

Kimberly-Clark remains resilient despite Kleenex flushable wipes facing ACCC action in 2019

Kimberly-Clark Australia was by far the leading player in 2019 in wipes. The company’s strong position is linked to its wide portfolio of brands in different wipes categories.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Sales of wipes are now expected to grow by 5% in 2019 constant value terms in 2020 overall in light of the impact of COVID-19. This compares to a 2% rise forecast in 2019 constant value terms in our 2020 edition of tissue and hygiene published in February 2020 (pre-COVID-19).

Affected products within wipes

General purpose wipes in particular saw sales boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic and consumers’ stronger focus on hygiene, with antibacterial wipes in particular benefiting. While these products saw panic buying and stockpiling at the start of the pandemic in February and March 2020, demand is expected to remain strong throughout 2020 as consumers seek to prevent the spread of germs.

Recovery and opportunities

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to offer opportunities in wipes throughout the forecast period. General purpose wipes and facial cleansing wipes will in particular benefit from consumers ongoing focus on hygiene and will see stronger growth in the forecast period, increasingly being used to sanitise surfaces, hands and faces as consumers seek to prevent the spread of germs.

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