Wipes in South Korea

PROSPECTS

Baby wipes the main growth engine for personal wipes

After the Oxy humidifier sanitiser issue, consumers requested official investigations into baby products to confirm their safety, which saw the government look at selected baby wipes to answer consumers’ concerns. The investigation to look for coliform bacillus, heavy metals, formaldehyde, phthalate, preservatives and nine other possible ingredients in a total of 147 different baby wipes was completed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in September 2017.

Moist toilet wipes have great potential

High levels of interest in hygiene is a major trend in South Korea, with consumers keen to use moist toilet wipes as they do not want to use public electronic bidets. During menstruation, female consumers prefer to use their own moist toilet wipes when away from home.

Internet retailing the main distributional channel

Internet retailing is expected to continue to be the main distribution channel over the forecast period because major baby wipes companies have started to sell their wipes through internet retailing. The unit price is generally lower via the internet and free delivery service is sometimes provided, depending on the amount of product bought.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Domestic players in a strong position in wipes

Three of the four main players in wipes are local players KleanNara Co Ltd, Suomi Co Ltd and AJ Co Ltd, which each held a double-digit percentage value sales share in 2018. KleanNara held the leading position in 2018, which it took over in 2016 from Yuhan Kimberly Co Ltd, now in second place.

Premium wipes with safe ingredients

Consumers became conscious about chemical ingredients in wipes after the chemicals issue experienced in the country, increasing the willingness to pay more for premium wipes with eco-friendly ingredients like bamboo and guaranteed certification by the South Korean government. Before the chemicals issue, the perception of wipes among consumers was of an ordinary product that did not have to have too high hygiene standards, but this has changed since then, with rising concerns about product safety.

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