The demand for specialisation and convenience, along with enhanced health consciousness, is driving the value reconstruction of household cleaning products.
Zoey Song, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This Report covers products in the following categories:
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel categorises household cleaning products in the Chinese market into four segments:
- Bleach/disinfectants with multiple usage occasions in the house, but excluding laundry disinfectants
- Kitchen cleaners, which are mainly used for removing grease in the kitchen, excluding dishwashing products
- Washroom cleaners, which mainly include toilet and toilet bowl cleaners and bathroom/tile cleaners
- Hard surface cleaners, which include window/glass cleaners, floor cleaners, disposable cleaning wipes (eg kitchen wipes, floor wipes), specialised household appliance cleaners (eg oven cleaners, fridge cleaners, washing machine cleaners, but not including dishwashing machine cleaners) and furniture care products (eg wood polish)
Drain cleaners with multiple usage occasions, which can be categorised into kitchen or toilet cleaners according to their usage occasions. Similarly, multi-purpose cleaners can be categorised into kitchen, toilet and hard surface cleaner segments according to their usage occasions.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Slow growth in the household cleaning market expected
- Graph 1: best- and worst-case forecast of value sales of household cleaning products, 2020-30
- The consumer
- What we think
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The market
- Market size and forecast
- Slow growth in the household cleaning market expected
- Graph 2: best- and worst-case forecast of value sales of household cleaning products, 2020-30
- Bleach/disinfectants and hard surface cleaners secured growth
- Graph 3: household cleaning sub-category value sales, 2021-25 (est)
- Graph 4: household cleaning sub-category market growth rate, 2021-25
- Market factors
- Household cleaning categories demonstrate consumer resilience
- Graph 5: willingness to spend on household care products, 2022-25
- Mildness of ingredients are particularly important to Chinese consumers
- Graph 6: attitude towards household cleaning – “I’m interested in cleaning products with milder ingredients (a)”, 2025
- Multi-purpose cleaners have premiumisation potential
- Graph 7: homecare products that consumers are willing to trade up, 2025
- Household disinfection becomes normalised, with demand upgrading towards precision and professionalism
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Companies and brands
- New product trends
- A surge in new bathroom cleaners, floor cleaners and multi-purpose cleaners
- Graph 8: household cleaning new products by sub-category, 2020-25
- Multi-purpose cleaners innovations are thriving, with a focus on naturalness, safety and broad applicability
- Household appliance cleaners: keep up with household appliance upgrades and usage scenarios, enhancing targeted effectiveness
- Antibacterial and odour neutralising claims rise in market share, with convenience leading the direction of innovation
- Graph 9: household cleaning new products by claims, 2020-25
- Optimise package design to provide convenient experiences
- Private labels make strides in household cleaning, highlighting their value-for-money advantage
- Cross-category influence from fragrances gives rise to stronger scent design in cleaning products
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The consumer
- A boom across the range of refined cleaning products; safety and convenience are the next battleground
- The usage rate of traditional sub-categories remains stable, while multiple refined sub-categories are thriving
- Graph 10: household cleaning product usage rates, 2022-25
- Younger people want ‘one bottle to fix it all’; middle-aged people prefer ‘high specialisation in one area’
- Graph 11: multi-purpose cleaner usage rate, by age group, 2025
- Graph 12: specialised cleaner usage rate, by age group, 2025
- Packaging design has shifted from a bonus to a necessity, and the pursuit of safety and convenience will reshape the cleaning experience
- Graph 13: household cleaning product purchase factors, 2025
- ‘Natural formula’ and ‘mild on hands’ claims reassure consumers in household cleaning
- Graph 14: safety claims of interest, 2025
- Traditional kitchen and bathroom cleaning: achieve breakthrough in the growth by offering area-matching products with function combinations
- The kitchen sink is cleaned frequently, and the hob requires a more thorough cleaning solution
- Graph 15: kitchen cleaning frequency, 2025
- Graph 16: kitchen cleaning pain points, 2025
- Kitchen cleaning is evolving towards area-specific treatment and precisely matching different needs
- Graph 17: important cleaning product benefits, by region, 2025
- Most consumers regularly clean their bathrooms, with cleaning effectiveness and odour being the main pain points
- Graph 18: bathroom cleaning pain points, 2025
- Graph 19: bathroom cleaning frequency, 2025
- Deodorising and sterilisation are standard features for bathroom cleaning; build function combinations with unclogging and mould removal
- Graph 20: important cleaning product benefits, by region, 2025
- Hard surface cleaning advances towards refinement; ‘low-effort cleaning’ leads product upgrades
- Floor and pet areas are cleaned frequently
- Graph 21: other hard surface cleaning frequency, 2025
- Segment the household cleaning scenarios and offer specialised cleaners for precise marketing
- Graph 22: other hard surface cleaning pain points, 2025
- ‘Low-effort cleaning’ and disinfection/antibacterial needs drive functional upgrades in household cleaning products
- Graph 23: important cleaning product benefits, by region, 2025
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Issues and Insights
- The need for ‘low-effort cleaning’ drives the entire cleaning process towards minimising hassle
- ‘Low-effort cleaning’ ushers in an era of convenience in the household cleaning category
- No-rinse feature and convenient packaging design reduce the hassle of the cleaning process
- Disposable products for sweat-free housework
- Beyond cleaning: preventative measures and subsequent simplification
- Texture innovation amplifies the cleaning effect and improves the usage experience
- Innovative textures enhance product performance, with the hope of ending product homogenisation
- Enhance the perception of effectiveness by using a thicker texture
- Traditional cleaning categories achieve upgrades in both effectiveness and usage experience through changes in texture
- Woven fabric innovations mark a new era in the cleaning power of wipes
- Not just cleaning agents, but integrated accessories for upgraded solutions
- As the demand for disinfection becomes increasingly refined, household cleaning is moving towards a health-focused direction
- Chinese consumers have a high awareness of hygiene and health protection
- Graph 24: household cleaning behaviour – “I clean surfaces more during cold/flu season”, 2025
- Focus on common viruses and bacteria and segment scenario-based disinfection solutions
- Explore natural ingredients and innovative formulations for peace of mind
- The next step in household cleaning is functional health upgrades
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Appendix – market size and forecast, research methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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