This report looks at the following areas:
- The market size and influencing factors of soap, bath and shower products in China
- The competitive landscape of China’s soap, bath and shower products market, along with an analysis of the top market players
- Consumers’ body-cleansing frequency and behavioural changes
- Changes in consumers’ usage of soap, bath, shower and handwash products
- Purchase factors and key driver analysis for bath and shower products
- Appealing ingredient claims in bath and shower products
- Usage-related pain points in handwash products
The surge in consumers with sensitive body skin is noteworthy. The exfoliating benefits and soothing fragrances of bath and shower products are increasingly appealing to consumers, while enhancements in skin feel and odour-removal functions in handwash products are expected to drive market growth.
Tina He, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This Report covers products in the following categories, including for men, women and children:
- Solid and liquid soaps – including bar soaps primarily used for cleansing the hands or body, hand wash products and no-rinse instant hand sanitisers
- Shower products – including liquid, gel/cream, mousse, scrub and oil formats
- Bath products – including foam, liquid (eg oil, milk, pearl) and solid products (eg salt, melt, tablet, powder)
Excluding:
- Facial cleanser
- Bath and shower tools
The market size is based on sales through all retail channels, including direct-to-consumer, but excludes professional sectors (such as beauty salons) and C2C channels (eg WeChat business and Taobao).
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definition
- What you need to know
- The market
- Market size and forecast: slow growth has become the new normal
- Market factors: benefits and fragrance are noteworthy, while low price ranges are highly sought-after
- Shower products, liquid/gel hand soap and bar soap continue to experience slow growth, while the market for bath products shrinks
- Graph 1: value sales of the total soap, bath and shower products market, by segment, 2020-2024
- Graph 2: growth rate of the total soap, bath and shower products market, by segment, 2018-23
- Companies and brands
- Market share: market concentration declines, with brand revitalisation becoming the key to winning
- Marketing activities: innovating seasonal fragrances, resonating with consumers, and leveraging both online and offline occasion-based marketing strategies to build brand awareness
- New product trends: long-lasting fragrance claims are on the rise, while niche exfoliating benefits are gaining momentum
- Graph 3: top claims in new shower product launches, 2020-24
- Product examples: exfoliating ingredients, format innovation and fragrance technology help bring emotional value to fruition
- The consumer
- The proportion of consumers with sensitive body skin increases
- Graph 4: body skin type, 2023 vs 2024
- Graph 5: body skin type, by oily/neutral/dry skin, 2023 vs 2024
- Over 30% of consumers take baths, while more than 20% have a habit of exfoliating
- Graph 6: frequency of body cleansing and care, 2024
- Consumers' bathing and showering routines are being streamlined, yet new benefits and textures continue to drive a desire to try new products
- Graph 7: changes in body cleansing behaviours, 2024
- Only the usage rate of shower oil has increased slightly, while the usage rates of other products have remained steady or decreased slightly
- Graph 8: product usage, 2023 vs 2024
- Benefits and ingredients greatly influence purchase decisions and are the most valuable areas for brand investment
- Graph 9: purchase intention, 2024
- Whitening/brightening and moisturising/hydrating are key basic benefits, while exfoliating and oil control also appeal to specific audiences
- Graph 10: benefit perceptions, 2024
- Consumers are most interested in bath and shower products with added skincare ingredients
- Graph 11: interested ingredient claims, 2024
- More than half of consumers value long-lasting fragrance, particularly younger consumers
- Graph 12: attitudes towards the longevity of fragrance in bath and shower products, by age, 2024
- Compared to 2020, the issue of insufficient deodorisation in handwash has become a more prominent pain point for consumers
- Graph 13: pain points for handwash users, 2020 vs 2024
- Issues and insights
- What we think
- Concept Generator: Mintel Spark
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The market
- Market size and forecast
- The market enters a phase of slow growth
- Market factors
- Benefits and ingredients are the main considerations, with the fragrance experience also playing a key role
- New benefits, textures and formats continue to attract consumers, while simplifying steps has also emerged as a new trend
- Graph 14: changes in body cleansing behaviours, 2024
- Consumers favour lower-priced products
- Graph 15: average price range per item for soap, bath and shower products on Douyin, 2023 and 2024
- Graph 16: average price range per item for soap, bath and shower products on Tmall, 2023 and 2024
- Market segmentation
- Shower products, liquid/gel hand soap and bar soap continue to experience slow growth, while the market for bath products shrinks
- Graph 17: value sales of the total soap, bath and shower products market, by segment, 2020-2024
- Graph 18: growth rate of the total soap, bath and shower products market, by segment, 2018-23
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Companies and brands
- Market share
- Market share: market concentration declines, with brand revitalisation becoming the key to winning
- Shanghai Soap leverages Douyin to initiate a new growth phase for the long-standing brand
- Little Dream Garden simultaneously develops online and offline channels, building a solid reputation for effectiveness
- Emerging brands are capturing market share, narrowing the space for mature brands to thrive
- Marketing activities
- Varied fragrance innovations, such as seasonal exclusives and themed collaborations, enhance product appeal
- Capture consumers' hearts and minds through influencer collaborations, infusing emotional value into bath and shower products
- Occasion-based marketing for handwash products helps foster consumer usage habits and build brand awareness
- New product trends
- Shower products continue to see strong growth in 2024
- Graph 19: new product launches in the soap, bath and shower products market, by sub-category, 2019-2024
- In shower products, claims of ease of use and long-lasting fragrance are steadily increasing, while exfoliating claims, though niche, are showing significant growth
- Graph 20: top claims of new shower product launches, 2020-2024
- Brands are innovating exfoliating ingredients, making them a key focus of product concepts and textures
- Offer shower and bath options for sensitive body skin
- In new shower products, gel/jelly textures still dominate
- Graph 21: top formats and textures in new shower product launches, 2020-2024
- Fragrance innovation in shower products is flourishing, with a wide range of scents emerging
- Graph 22: top fragrance component groups in new shower product launches, 2020-2024
- Use fragrances to create scenarios that deliver an immersive bathing experience
- In handwash products, antibacterial claims have significantly declined, with the focus shifting to natural qualities, safety and fragrance longevity
- Graph 23: top claims in new liquid soap (handwash) product launches, 2020-2024
- Achieve gentle cleansing through the formulation
- Floral, green/herbal/woody scents, which are common, are becoming more mainstream in handwash products
- Graph 24: top fragrance component groups in new liquid soap (handwash) products, 2020-2024
- Use AI to develop product fragrances
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The consumer
- Body Skin Type
- The proportion of consumers with sensitive body skin increases
- Graph 25: body skin type, by oily/neutral/dry skin, 2023 vs 2024
- Graph 26: body skin type, 2023 vs 2024
- Body cleansing and care frequency
- Over 30% of consumers take baths, while more than 20% have a habit of exfoliating
- Graph 27: frequency of body cleansing and care, 2024
- High-income females aged 25-39 are the key demographic for bathing
- Graph 28: profile of consumers who regularly take baths, 2024
- Females aged 25-39 with high incomes are also more likely to exfoliate regularly
- Graph 29: profile of consumers with exfoliation habits, 2024
- Changes in body cleansing behaviours
- Consumers' bathing and showering routines are being streamlined, yet new benefits and textures continue to drive a desire to try new products
- Graph 30: changes in body cleansing behaviours, 2024
- Compared to a year ago, consumers aged 25-29 and those with high household incomes have increased the variety of benefits in the products they use, while new textures attract those aged 18-39 to try them
- Graph 31: increased formats/textures of bath and shower products used, by age/monthly household income, 2024
- Graph 32: increased types of benefits in the bath and shower products used, by age and monthly household income, 2024
- Consumers with high household incomes have increased their frequency of using handwash products
- Product Usage
- Only the usage rate of shower oil has increased slightly, while the usage rates of other products have remained steady or decreased slightly
- Graph 33: product usage, 2023 vs 2024
- The penetration rate of shower oil has risen significantly among 18-24-year-olds and lower-income groups
- Graph 34: profile of shower oil users, 2023 vs 2024
- Females are active users overall, whereas men show a higher usage rate of regular soap and sulfur soap
- Graph 35: product usage, by gender, 2024
- Consumers with sensitive skin favour shower mousse/foam, shower oil and soap with essential oil
- Graph 36: selected product usage, by skin sensitivity, 2024
- Purchase factors
- Benefits and ingredients greatly influence purchase decisions and are the most valuable areas for brand investment
- Graph 37: purchase intention, 2024
- Females and consumers with high household incomes place greater emphasis on ingredients and benefits
- Graph 38: consumers who agree that 'ingredients' are a very important purchase factor, by gender and monthly household income, 2024
- Graph 39: consumers who agree that 'benefits' are a very important purchase factor, by gender and monthly household income, 2024
- Consumers aged 18–24 and those with lower monthly household incomes are very sensitive to price
- Graph 40: consumers who agree that 'price' is a very important purchase factor, by age and monthly household income, 2024
- Benefit perceptions
- Whitening/brightening and moisturising/hydrating are key basic benefits, while exfoliating and oil control also appeal to specific audiences
- Graph 41: benefit perceptions, 2024
- Antioxidant, barrier repair and firming can help create a premium product image
- Consumers with sensitive or oily skin are more willing to purchase products with oil control and anti-acne benefits
- Graph 42: product benefits that consumers are willing to buy, by skin sensitivity, 2024
- Graph 43: selected product benefits that consumers are willing to purchase, by skin type, 2024
- High-income consumers particularly recognise whitening/brightening, antioxidant, barrier repair and firming as premium benefits
- Graph 44: selected product benefits that consumers perceive as premium, by monthly household income, 2024
- Interested ingredient claims
- Consumers are most interested in bath and shower products with added skincare ingredients
- Graph 45: interested ingredient claims, 2024
- Consumers with sensitive skin are more interested in acid ingredients and water-free formulations
- Graph 46: selected ingredient claims that consumers are interested in, by skin sensitivity, 2024
- Attitude towards product fragrances
- Consumers prefer bath and shower products with a long-lasting fragrance
- Graph 47: attitudes towards the longevity of fragrance in bath and shower products, by age, 2024
- Half of consumers tend to be conservative in their choice of fragrances for bath and shower products
- Graph 48: attitudes towards bath and shower product fragrances, by gender, 2024
- Fruity, citrus and marine scents are popular in summer, whereas woody, gourmand and leather scents are preferred in winter
- Graph 49: preferred fragrance types for bodycare and bath and shower products, by season, 2024
- Pain points in handwash usage
- Difficulty rinsing off and the skin feel after washing are the main issues, while concern about odour removal is more prominent than in 2020
- Graph 50: pain points for handwash users, 2020 vs 2024
- High-income consumers are more bothered by unpleasant slipperiness and a dry/tight feeling after washing, as well as insufficient sterilisation
- Graph 51: selected pain points for handwash, by monthly household income, 2024
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Issues and insights
- Benefits play a key role in consumer purchasing decisions, with the removal of dead skin cells/grainy skin being noteworthy
- Among the benefits expected by consumers, removing dead skin cells/grainy skin has potential
- Mildness is the focus of improvement in removing dead skin cells and smoothing grainy skin
- Removing dead skin cells/grainy skin through acid-based products is also a viable method, offering an alternative approach to the solution
- Fragrance experience is deeply connected to the shower and bathing ritual, serving primarily a healing purpose
- Consumers of bath and shower products prioritise fragrance longevity and tend to prefer traditional floral and fruity scents
- Move beyond the pursuit of novelty by infusing products with the healing power of fragrance
- The mismatch between consumers' growing awareness of hand hygiene and outdated handwash formulations
- Handwashing habits have become the norm post-pandemic, with a focus on improving the skin feel of handwash products
- Formula upgrades to enhance consumer satisfaction
- Demand for deodorisation is growing and is expected to become a key value-added benefit
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Appendix – market size and forecast, research methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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