Report Summary
Everything you need to make the right decisions
Providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date information and analysis of the Oral Care market, and the behaviours, preferences and habits of the consumer.
Mintel has the answers you’re looking for
What are the key challenges facing the industry? Who is the consumer and what do they want? Where are the opportunities, where are the risks and what lies ahead?
Key points included
- Opportunity for TCM toothpaste?
- How to seize the trend of premiumisation?
- Are Chinese consumers ready for electric toothbrushes?
Covered in this report
This report covers the Chinese consumer market for oral care products, including products in the following categories:
- Toothpaste – including pastes, gels, polish and powder formats; including sensitive, herbal, whitening, children’s and 2 in 1 variants
- Toothbrushes – including standard manual and electric toothbrushes
- Mouthwashes – including medicated and freshening mouthwashes and rinses
- Ancillaries – including dental floss/tape, toothpicks, interdental sticks and denture products
Excluded: Products used solely by the dental profession or products
available only on prescription.
Expert analysis from a specialist in the field
Written by Vicky Zhou, a leading analyst in the Beauty & Personal Care sector, her extensive knowledge delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.
The premiumisation trend continues to influence the oral hygiene market with consumers’ awareness of oral health in terms of both product usage and knowledge accumulation sides. Electric oral care products not only bring more advanced functional results, but also an association with better life quality. TCM toothpaste brands should keep investing in TCM ingredients, especially rare TCM ingredients to prove their effectiveness in relieving dental issues.
Vicky Zhou
Beauty & Personal Care Analyst
Table of Contents
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Overview
- What you need to know
- Covered in this report
- Excluded
- Subgroup definitions (by Monthly Personal Income)
- What you need to know
-
Executive Summary
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- The Market
- Figure 1: Best- and worst-case forecast of total value sales of oral care market, China, 2014-24
- Companies and Brands
- Figure 2: Leading manufactures’ share in value sales of oral care products, China, 2018 and 2019
- The Consumer
- Over half of respondents had bleeding gums in the past one year
- Figure 3: Dental issues experienced in the past twelve months, December 2019
- Gum health heavily weighted both for internals and appearances
- Figure 4: Important features of healthy teeth, December 2019
- 45% are now using electric toothbrush while water flossers still niche
- Figure 5: Product usage, December 2019
- The optimal price for an electric toothbrush is RMB200
- Figure 6: Price sensitivity – optimal price of an electric toothbrush, December 2019
- Breath refreshing and whitening are two must-have functions of toothpaste
- Figure 7: Toothpaste functions sought in the past twelve months, December 2019
- Time to establish prevention over treatment concept
- Figure 8: Attitudes towards prevention over treatment, December 2019
- What we think
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Issues and Insights
- Foreseeable severe competition among electric oral care devices
- The facts
- The implications
- A transition from treatment to prevention
- The facts
- The implications
- Professionalism in gum caring and more
- The facts
- The implications
- Foreseeable severe competition among electric oral care devices
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The Market – What you need to know
- Growth despite impact of Covid-19
- Smaller segments lead the growth momentum in the total category
- Growth from consumers’ increasing attention to oral hygiene
- Growth despite impact of Covid-19
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Market Size and Forecast
- A steady growing market hit RMB40 billion in 2019
- Short-term impact caused by Covid-19 in 2020
- The outlook of next five years
- Figure 9: Best- and worst-case forecast of total value sales of oral care market, China, 2014-24
- A steady growing market hit RMB40 billion in 2019
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Market Drivers
- Growing spending on health and wellness
- Seeking professionalism from products other than dentists
- Oral health and value placed on appearance
- Online channels help expedite launch cycle
- Figure 10: Example of special edition toothpastes, China, 2019
- Growing spending on health and wellness
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Market Segmentation
- Toothpaste
- Figure 11: Best- and worst-case forecast of total value sales of toothpaste market, China, 2014-24
- Toothbrush
- Figure 12: Best- and worst-case forecast of total value sales of toothbrush market, China, 2014-24
- Mouthwash
- Figure 13: Best- and worst-case forecast of total value sales of mouthwash market, China, 2014-24
- Ancillaries
- Figure 14: Best- and worst-case forecast of total value sales of ancillaries market, China, 2014-24
- Toothpaste
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Key Players – What you need to know
- A further expansion of domestic brands
- Finding ways to stir consumers’ trusts and interests
- A further expansion of domestic brands
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Market Share
- Domestic brands furthered their share
- Figure 15: Leading manufactures’ share in value sales of oral care products, China, 2018 and 2019
- Imported brands fighting to secure their market share
- Domestic brands furthered their share
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Competitive Strategies
- Invest in education for kids
- Figure 16: Tooth Wonderland, China, 2019
- Differentiation from expertise and tailoring to the Asian market
- Figure 17: Example of Dr.Bei oral hygiene products, China, 2019
- Using concepts in beauty categories to communicate functions
- Figure 18: Examples of toothpastes using concepts from beauty category, China, 2019
- Innovation concentrated on scented toothpaste
- Figure 19: Examples of toothpastes with interesting flavours, China, 2019
- Invest in education for kids
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Who’s Innovating?
- Toothbrush
- Consumer segmentation went further
- Figure 20: Top 15 increased claims for toothbrushes launched, China, 2018-19
- Varieties in brush heads to bring extra efficiency and better cleaning results
- Figure 21: Example of toothbrushes with increased efficiency, US, 2019
- Toothpaste, Mouthwash, and Ancillaries
- Enhanced breath refreshing benefits from tongue cleaning
- Figure 22: Examples of tongue cleaners, Japan, 2019
- Probiotics and prebiotics combine to tell the story about microbiomes
- Figure 23: Examples of toothpastes and ancillaries feature probiotics and prebiotics, China, Poland, and Japan, 2019
- All natural ingredients catering to teeth and gum sensitivity
- Figure 24: Examples of all natural toothpastes and mouthwashes claimed as suitable for sensitive teeth and gums, UK, 2019
- Natural ingredients included to introduce different flavours
- Figure 25: Example of using natural ingredients to bring novelty scents to toothpaste, Lithuania and China, 2019-20
- More popular beauty ingredients
- Figure 26: Examples of using beauty ingredients in oral hygiene products, South Korea and UK, 2019-20
- Segmented designs to target different usage occasion
- Figure 27: Examples of special package designs for on-the-go occasion, Japan and South Korea, 2019-20
- Toothbrush
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The Consumer – What you need to know
- Gum problems are the mostly noticed dental issue
- Gum health is linked to both inner health and outer image
- 26% of respondents gave up manual toothbrushes and use electrics
- Price threshold of electric toothbrush is RMB100-298
- More varieties on multi-function toothpastes expected by consumers
- Prevention over treatment accepted by over half
- Gum problems are the mostly noticed dental issue
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Dental Issues Experienced
- Bleeding gums ranked as the top one oral problem experienced
- Figure 28: Dental issues experienced in the past twelve months, December 2019
- Females pay more attention to sensitivity while males focus on calculus
- Figure 29: Dental issues experienced in the past twelve months, by gender, December 2019
- Teeth whitening resonates with younger females more
- Figure 30: Dental issues experienced in the past twelve months, by gender and age, December 2019
- Bleeding gums ranked as the top one oral problem experienced
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Important Features of Healthy Teeth
- Healthy gums with healthy colour important for both inner and outer
- Figure 31: Important features of healthy teeth, December 2019
- Young females dread sensitivity and males start to care more since 30s
- Figure 32: Important features of healthy teeth, by gender and age, December 2019
- Demands not lay back in lower tier cities
- Figure 33: Important features of healthy teeth, by city tier, December 2019
- Healthy gums with healthy colour important for both inner and outer
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Product Usage
- 26% has switched from manual toothbrushes to electrics
- Figure 34: Product usage, December 2019
- Figure 35: Electric and manual toothbrush usage, December 2019
- Electric tools stagnated with room to enhance value for money
- Figure 36: Change of product usage, 2018 vs 2019
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- Figure 37: Electric toothbrush and water flosser usage – ‘using now’, by selected demographic, December 2019
- Mouthwashes and breath spray advanced in adoption
- Figure 38: Change of mouthwash and breath spray usage – ‘using now’, by gender and age, 2018 vs 2019
- Manual tools with lower costs increase city tier coverage
- Figure 39: Change dental floss/tape and interdental brush usage – ‘using now’, by city tier, 2018 vs 2019
- 26% has switched from manual toothbrushes to electrics
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Optimal Pricing for Electric Toothbrush
- Ideal price for an electric toothbrush according to consumers
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- Figure 40: Price sensitivity – optimal price of an electric toothbrush, December 2019
- Figure 41: Price sensitivity – threshold price of an electric toothbrush, December 2019
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- Figure 42: Examples of domestic electric toothbrushes priced within RMB100-298, China, 2020
- Significant perceived value gap between users and abandoners
- Figure 43: Price sensitivity – ‘expensive but still consider buying’, by usage of electric toothbrush, December 2019
- Price anticipation increases with incomes while 25-39s willing to pay more
- Figure 44: Price sensitivity – ‘expensive but still consider buying’, mean value, by selected demographics, December 2019
- Ideal price for an electric toothbrush according to consumers
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Toothpaste Functions Sought
- Breath refreshing, whitening and gum caring ranked top three
- Figure 45: Toothpaste functions sought in the past 12 months, December 2019
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- Figure 46: Dental issues experienced and toothpaste functions sought, December 2019
- Include interior caring to target young users
- Figure 47: Attitudes towards multi-functional toothpaste, December 2019
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- Figure 48: TURF analysis of toothpaste functions sought in the past twelve months, 18-29 yrs, December 2019
- Gum care and heat clearing stand out when targeting mature consumers
- Figure 49: TURF analysis of toothpaste functions sought in the past twelve months, 30-39 yrs, December 2019
- Figure 50: TURF analysis of toothpaste functions sought in the past twelve months, 40-49 yrs, December 2019
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- Figure 51: Toothpaste functions sought in the past twelve months – ‘inflammation diminishing/internal heat clearing’, by age, December 2019
- Figure 52: Attitudes towards Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients in toothpaste, by age, December 2019
- Breath refreshing, whitening and gum caring ranked top three
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Attitudes and Behaviours towards Toothpaste
- Prevention of gum and sensitivity problems cited by over half
- Figure 53: Behaviours towards preventing gum problems, by monthly personal income, December 2019
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- Figure 54: Behaviours towards preventing sensitivity problems, by age, December 2019
- Younger generations offer more loyalty for better functional results
- Figure 55: Attitudes towards continuing using the same toothpaste, by age, December 2019
- Higher income and tier one city consumers buy diverse brands
- Figure 56: Toothpaste brand origins, by selected demographics, December 2019
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- Figure 57: Toothpaste brand origins – ‘I use toothpastes from imported brands more often’, by gender and age, December 2019
- Prevention of gum and sensitivity problems cited by over half
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Meet the Mintropolitans
- Placing more attention on gums, breath, and ulcers
- Figure 58: Dental issues experienced in the past twelve months, by consumer classification, December 2019
- Figure 59: Toothpaste functions sought in the past twelve months, by consumer classification, December 2019
- More trust in traditional Chinese medicine ingredients
- Figure 60: Attitudes towards Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients in toothpaste, by consumer classification, December 2019
- Placing more attention on gums, breath, and ulcers
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Appendix: Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 61: Total value sales of oral care market, China, 2014-24
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Appendix: Market Segmentation
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- Figure 62: Total value sales of oral care market, by segment, China, 2014-24
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Appendix: Methodology and Abbreviations
- Methodology
- Price sensitivity analysis
- TURF
- Fan chart forecast
- Abbreviations
- Methodology
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