2026
8
China Bath, Shower and Bodycare Market Report 2026
2026-09-23T12:02:08+00:00
REP4E5B568A_6EE6_4D26_9B56_8A6EE65D26B1
3695
196376
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Report
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With category usage already high, growth opportunities in bath and shower and bodycare increasingly come from meeting more specific needs, expanding existing usage and building value across categories. Zoey Song,…
China
Soap, Bath and Shower Products
simple

China Bath, Shower and Bodycare Market Report 2026

With category usage already high, growth opportunities in bath and shower and bodycare increasingly come from meeting more specific needs, expanding existing usage and building value across categories.

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • Definitions
    • What you need to know
    • Bath and shower market size and forecast
    • Bodycare market size and forecast
    • Market factors
    • From broad usage to greater value: growth pathways for the bath and shower and bodycare market
  2. THE MARKET

    • Market size and forecast
    • Bath and shower market expected to grow by 2.1% in 2026, with a five-year CAGR of 1.8%
    • Graph 1: bath and shower market retail sales forecast (best- and worst-case scenarios), 2021-31
    • Shower products drive category growth, while basic cleansing categories grow steadily
    • Graph 2: bath and shower market value sales, by sub-category, 2022-26
    • Graph 3: bath and shower market growth, by sub-category, 2022-26
    • Bodycare market expected to grow by 5.6% in 2026, with a 2026-31 CAGR of 4%
    • Graph 4: bodycare market retail sales forecast (best- and worst-case scenarios), 2021-31
    • General bodycare is the largest segment, with growth concentrated in high frequency, high volume categories
    • Graph 5: bodycare market value sales, by sub-category, 2022-26
    • Graph 6: bodycare market growth, by sub-category, 2022-26
    • Market factors
    • A broad user base underpins the market, while future growth will come from expanding existing demand
    • Graph 7: bath and shower product usage, 2025-26
    • Graph 8: bodycare product usage, 2025-26
    • Bodycare continues to outperform online, while bath and shower delivers steady growth on a large sales base
    • Graph 9: BPC ecommerce value sales and growth by sub-category (Tmall and Douyin), 2025
    • Bath and shower product sales are shifting towards higher mass market price bands, although products priced below RMB50 still dominate
    • Graph 10: volume sales share of bath and shower products by price band, 2024-26
    • Graph 11: volume sales share of bath and shower products by price band, 2024-26
    • Bodycare sales on Douyin are shifting from below RMB25 to the RMB25-50 price band, while Tmall's price mix remains stable
    • Graph 12: volume sales share of bodycare products by price band, 2024-26
    • Graph 13: volume sales share of bodycare products by price band, 2024-26
    • Domestic brands are the leading choice for most consumers, but brand origin is not the only point of differentiation
    • Graph 14: purchase of bath and shower and bodycare brands, 2026
    • Basic benefits remain the foundation of leading products, while fragrance and targeted care strengthen differentiation
  3. COMPANIES AND BRANDS

    • Market share
    • Leading bath and shower brands on Tmall remain stable, while the mid-tier market becomes more diverse
    • Leading bath and shower brands on Douyin remain relatively stable, while mid-tier brands pursue more targeted positioning
    • Leading bodycare brands on Tmall remain stable, while diverse positioning drives competitive differentiation
    • Bodycare rankings on Douyin are more dynamic, with established and platform-native brands competing side by side
  4. CONSUMERS

    • Product usage by category
    • Traditional shower gels remain the most widely used format, while other formats play more complementary and niche roles
    • Graph 15: bath and shower product usage, 2025-26
    • Body lotion and hand cream form the core of bodycare routines, while more advanced categories show tiered adoption
    • Graph 16: bodycare product usage, 2025-26
    • Pain points
    • Bath and shower pain points span multiple aspects of the experience, with rinsing and fragrance concerns mentioned most frequently
    • Graph 17: bath and shower product usage pain points, 2026
    • Bodycare concerns are concentrated around texture, with greasiness and slow absorption standing out
    • Graph 18: bodycare product usage pain points, 2026
  5. ISSUES AND INSIGHTS

    • Pathway 1: strengthen reasons to choose bath and shower products
    • With a broad user base already in place, bath and shower products need stronger reasons to be chosen
    • Bath and shower products are more commonly used individually, although shared household use remains widespread
    • Graph 19: use of personal vs shared bath and shower products by age, 2026
    • Bath and shower product choices are not fixed, with seasonal changes driving widespread switching behaviour
    • Graph 20: seasonal use of bath and shower products, by gender and age, 2026
    • Skincare benefits and post-wash skin feel matter most when choosing products for different seasons, while sensory elements further strengthen differentiation
    • Graph 21: factors influencing the choice of bath and shower products by season, 2026
    • Fragrance is not the main factor driving seasonal product choices, but it has greater influence among younger consumers
    • Graph 22: factors influencing the choice of bath and shower products by season, 2026
    • From seasonal relevance and specific skin concerns to effortless experiences, bath and shower products can build clearer reasons to choose
    • Cooling sensations can be combined with specific occasions and care benefits to create a more complete seasonal proposition
    • Bath oils can move beyond broad moisturisation claims by strengthening relevance and specialist positioning
    • Oil-to-foam textures combine a nourished skin feel with familiar cleansing cues, making bath oils easier to adopt
    • Fine exfoliating particles and clearly defined occasions can broaden the everyday appeal of exfoliating body washes
    • Pathway 2: support sustained bodycare use
    • Bodycare has an established place in daily routines, but usage triggers and ease of use can be improved
    • Graph 23: regularity of bodycare product use, 2026
    • Graph 24: perceptions of ease of use of bodycare products, 2026.
    • Bodycare innovation can prioritise sensory appeal and convenience, then use specific occasions to define when products should be used
    • Graph 25: bodycare product concepts of interest, 2026
    • Interest in bodycare concepts varies across consumer groups, with women showing greater interest in fragrance and men in post-exercise care
    • Graph 26: bodycare product concepts of interest, by gender, 2026
    • Post-exercise care is better suited to targeted occasions, with stronger interest among 30-39s and higher-income consumers
    • Graph 27: bodycare product concepts of interest, by age and income level, 2026
    • Make bodycare part of everyday life by strengthening usage triggers and reducing effort
    • Morning and evening occasions can support different care needs, creating clearer usage triggers for bodycare
    • Post-exercise care needs clearly defined care tasks to create distinct product roles
    • Tools can simplify targeted application and provide clearer usage cues
    • Portable and targeted formats can expand bodycare into more incidental moments throughout the day
    • Pathway 3: unlock the value of bath and shower + bodycare synergies
    • The extensive overlap between bath and shower and bodycare users provides a basis for exploring cross-category synergies
    • Shower gels and body lotions are the most commonly used combination, while other pairings offer further opportunities for synergy
    • Graph 28: co-usage of bath and shower and bodycare products, 2026
    • Moisturisation and long-lasting fragrance are shared priorities, while exfoliation remains more closely associated with bath and shower products
    • Link categories through shared care goals to strengthen the overall positioning of sensitive skin ranges
    • Exfoliate first, then follow with targeted care, using differentiated benefits to strengthen the value of the combination
    • Address autumn and winter dryness with oil-based combinations that link cleansing with post-wash moisturisation
    • Use a hero product to target sports-related occasions, then expand into a cross-category care range
    • Fragrance can connect bath and shower + bodycare combinations, with fruity, citrus and herbal scents attracting relatively strong interest
    • Graph 29: fragrance preferences for fragranced personal care products, 2026
    • The ideal fragrance duration is concentrated between 12 and 47 hours, requiring bath and shower + bodycare combinations to balance scent continuity and layering
    • Graph 30: ideal fragrance duration for fragranced personal care products, 2026
    • Fragrance can create connections across bath and shower + bodycare combinations, from matching scents to layered pairings
  6. NEW PRODUCT TRENDS

    • Shower products continue to dominate bath and shower launches, while bar soap gains a small share
    • Graph 31: share of bath and shower product launches by subcategory, 2023-26
    • Natural and moisturising claims lead launch communication, while targeted benefits continue to expand
    • Graph 32: top claims in bath and shower product launches, 2023-26
    • Gel remains the leading texture among bath and shower launches, while oil-based textures continue to gain share
    • Graph 33: top textures in bath and shower product launches, 2023-26
    • Established fragrance families continue to dominate, while occasion-led and thematic scents gain ground
    • Graph 34: top fragrance component groups in bath and shower product launches, 2023-26
    • Handcare gains share of bodycare launches, while general bodycare declines
    • Graph 35: share of bodycare product launches by subcategory, 2023-26
    • Bodycare launches continue to focus on moisturising and botanical/herbal claims, while more targeted care claims gain ground
    • Graph 36: top claims in bodycare product launches, 2023-26
    • Milk textures continue to dominate bodycare launches, while oil-based textures continue to gain share
    • Graph 37: top textures in bodycare product launches, 2023-26
    • Bodycare fragrances are becoming more diverse, with fantasy and outdoors-inspired fragrances gaining share
    • Graph 38: top fragrance groups in bodycare product launches, 2023-26
  7. APPENDIX – MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

    • Bath and shower market size and forecast
    • Bodycare market size and forecast
    • Methodology
Download Report Summary

With category usage already high, growth opportunities in bath and shower and bodycare increasingly come from meeting more specific needs, expanding existing usage and building value across categories.

Zoey Song, Senior Analyst, China Insights

Market Definitions

This Report covers products in the bath, shower and bodycare categories.

Bath and shower products:

  • solid and liquid soaps, including soaps primarily used for handwashing and bathing, handwash products and no-rinse hand sanitisers/gels
  • shower products, including shower gels/body washes, shower liquids, shower mousses, body scrubs and bath oils
  • bath products, including bubble baths, bath liquids (including oils, milks and bath beads) and solid bath products (including bath salts, melts, tablets and powders)

Excludes:

  • facial cleansing products
  • bathing and shower accessories/tools

Bodycare products:

  • general bodycare products, including tone-up creams
  • hand and nailcare products
  • neck care products
  • footcare products

Excludes:

  • breast or intimate care products
  • products primarily intended for slimming, exfoliation, hair removal, sun protection or tanning
  • talcum powder, nail polish/manicure products, foot deodorants/foot powders/deodorising insoles, massage oils or calming essential oils

Market size is based on sales through all retail channels, including direct selling to consumers, but excludes the professional sector (such as beauty salons) and consumer-to-consumer channels (such as WeChat-based social sellers and Taobao individual sellers).

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