The German HBF market is steadily growing despite 27% of consumers feeling financially strained by high living costs. The demand for products combining function and sensory appeal reflects a focus…
Germany
Bodycare
simple
Germany Hand, Body and Footcare Market Report 2025
"Sustained, incremental innovation across texture, efficacy and sensory experiences offers a strategic path to reinvent and significantly boost the category."
Silke Lambers - Principal Analyst, Beauty and Personal Care
Collapse All
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for the HBF market
Opportunities
Upgrade to wellness 2.0 with advanced benefits
Boost efficacy by introducing high-performance ingredients
Innovative textures beyond lotion and cream
THE MARKET
Market size and forecast
Germans remain burdened by the rising cost of living
Graph 1: changes in financial situation vs previous year, 2024 vs 2025
HBF takes a backseat to higher-priority segments
Graph 2: beauty/grooming products prioritised if consumers were worried about money, 2025
The premiumisation paradox
AI can help to personalise bodycare
The focus on health and wellness is growing
Germans place a stronger emphasis on bodycare than other Europeans
Graph 3: consumers who would prioritise spending on bodycare if money was tight, by market and gender, 2025
The category proves resilient as innovation and price hikes drive growth
Graph 4: market size and forecast for the retail sales of hand, body and footcare products, 2019-30
Steady HBF market growth has been fuelled by innovation and sustainability
Bodycare is the proven revenue driver with two years of consecutive growth
Strong brands and AI solutions at Beiersdorf and L’Oréal
Unilever and Kenvue focus on wellness
Mass-market and private-label brands lead HBF value sales
THE CONSUMER
Factors that encourage spending on hand, body and footcare products
Product performance and natural ingredients can boost HBF sales
German HBF buyers value effective, science-backed products
Move beyond generic moisturising claims
Answer the call for ‘skinification’ in HBF
Active skincare ingredients will drive HBF growth
Graph 5: factors that would encourage spending more on hand, body and footcare products, by gender and age, 2025
Sensory and visual experiences encourage German HBF shoppers
Graph 6: factors that would encourage spending more on hand, body and footcare products, by interest in novel products, 2025
Limited-edition and fun packaging attracts niche interest
Younger natural enthusiasts are leading the brand-hopping trend
Emerging natural bodycare brands can win with younger experimenters
Preferred scents in hand, body and footcare
Drive a dual-approach scent strategy
Graph 7: scent preferences for hand, body and footcare products, by gender and age, 2025
Fresh/clean scents lead HBF for their universal appeal
Graph 8: preferred scents when buying hand, body and footcare products, by gender, 2025
Cherry, banana and vanilla
Fruity and sweet are the preferred scents for limited editions
Behaviours towards hand, body and footcare
Destigmatising ‘real body’ concerns
Innovative odour-fighting hybrids will keep bodycare brands competitive
Spark concept: Cloud Confidence Pop-Up Tour
The wellness trend fosters the wish for an at-home spa feeling
Address wellness from multiple angles
Support the mind-skin connection with evidence-based ingredients
Bodycare solutions for active, recovery-focused lifestyles
Graph 9: interest in bodycare product features, by generation, 2025
Type of products used
Women continue to view bodycare as integral to their self-care routines
Graph 10: usage of any hand, body and footcare product by gender, 2022, 2024, 2025
Bodycare beyond the binary
Graph 11: gender breakdown of each hand, body and footcare user group, 2025
Purchase channels for hand, body and footcare
Digital natives diversify their shopping habits
Graph 12: top six purchase channels for hand, body and footcare products, by generation, 2025
Purchase behaviours towards hand, body and footcare products
Younger consumers drive premiumisation and social visibility
Graph 13: purchase behaviours towards hand, body and footcare products, 2025
Younger women lead the premium trading-up trend
Graph 14: selected changes when purchasing hand, body and footcare products, by financial situation, 2025
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
Launches shift towards prestige in the German HBF market
Graph 15: launches in hand, body and footcare, by beauty price positioning, 2022-25
Prestige products with function and aesthetic appeal
Drugstore brands continue to lead in launches
Private labels ride the wave of bodycare trends
Traditional textures continue to lead NPD while novel ones grow
Graph 16: top 10 textures in hand, body and footcare NPD, 2022-25
Novel textures spark bodycare innovation
APPENDIX
Report scope
The market
Forecast methodology
Forecast methodology – fan chart
Market size – value
Market forecast and prediction intervals – value
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology
Generations
Other data source methodologies
Mintel Spark
Methodology – consumer research
A note on language
Abbreviations
Germany HBF Market – Trends and Insights
The German HBF market is steadily growing despite 27% of consumers feeling financially strained by high living costs.
The demand for products combining function and sensory appeal reflects a focus on wellness. Notably, 39% of all Germans use stress-relief beauty products, highlighting interest in holistic self-care.
A key industry impact is the ‘skinification’ of bodycare, with German consumers now expecting body products to deliver the same science-backed results as facial skincare, and prestige new product development has doubled.
The single biggest opportunity lies in targeted, concern-specific body serums that go beyond generic moisturisation. Meanwhile, the main threat is that HBF products risk being deprioritised by consumers when budgets tighten, since bodycare ranks lower than hair or facial care essentials.
Looking ahead, innovation will be grounded in sustainability and AI-driven personalisation, which will help maintain steady annual growth of 2-3%. With ongoing demand for wellness, the market is positioned to embrace more holistic, tech-enhanced and inclusive self-care solutions.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
Cost-of-living pressures challenge bodycare prioritisation as HBF is deprioritised vs hair and facial care, but premium and value segments coexist
Active ingredients and natural formulations drive trading up and down, with premiumisation justified by efficacy and science-backed benefits
Consumer demand pivots to wellness 2.0, at-home spa experiences, the mind-skin connection, lymphatic care and adaptogenic ingredients
Texture and format innovation (serums, sprays, whipped oils) create experiential rituals and re-engage consumers beyond traditional lotions
Channel and generation dynamics reveal drugstore dominance for all ages, while Gen Zs prefer omnichannel exploration and say fun packaging influences their purchasing
Mass and private-label brands lead value sales, but prestige launches and premium product innovations are surging, especially among younger consumers
Instant delivery when paying by credit card, invoice orders may take longer
Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Save 10% when you purchase two reports together.
Save 15% when you purchase three reports together.
Save 20% when your purchase four or more together.
Discount automatically applied at checkout
Need help before you buy?
Our research specialists can answer your questions and recommend the reports that best match your business needs.
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave
When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.
They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.
So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.
Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton
Need help before you buy?
Our research specialists can answer your questions and recommend the reports that best match your business needs.