While shampoos enjoy near complete penetration in the ‘Big 5’ countries and much of Europe, conditioners are still fighting for their place in the bathroom. Conditioner penetration varies from a high of 73% in the UK to just 40% in France.

Manufacturers have tried to stimulate greater take-up with a raft of new launches, but while these have held sales steady, they haven’t managed to make much of an impact on sales. The problem is that conditioner sales are heavily dependent on discounting and multi offers, and the products last much longer than shampoos even though they are not priced significantly higher.

As a result, sales have remained stable, or fallen slightly. The hope is that renewed emphasis on natural formulations and additional benefits might help to shake the conditioner category up in the coming year.

European FMCG reports - now new and improved!

In response to increased demand and client feedback, Mintel European FMCG reports now cover more market sectors on a Pan-European scale and are enhanced with even more consumer and market analysis. In 2010, we will publish more than 60 reports across five key FMCG categories, providing insight into the major European markets including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

All you need to know about your market

Each title explores a specific sector on a Pan-European scale and helps you stay on top of market sizes, shares and forecasts, consumer trends, brand news and product innovation.

How we do it

Using Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), the reports look at new product development trends and launches in Europe including country, product and claim comparison. In addition, the new reports provide market size and share information,allowing cross-market analysis and forecasts. Consumer research has been enhanced with TGI Europe and Toluna data.