Continued low consumer confidence keeps challenging the hand-, body-, and footcare market in Germany. However, rising bodycare market trends, such as HBF will drive category growth.
The Hand-, Body- & Footcare Product Market – Current Landscape
The German hand-, body-, and footcare market is still navigating economic challenges, despite optimistic indicators like a drop in inflation. As financial confidence remains low, spending on non-essential items decreases, simultaneously boosting private labels, as consumers seek affordable options.
There are opportunities to innovate in specialised solutions formulated to address specific needs, especially since HBF shoppers are willing to pay more for them. Addressing skin concerns, post-surgery care, and protection against environmental factors like UV rays and pollution will resonate with buyers.
Practices like skin cycling and combining actives are gaining traction in the facial skincare category, and can be extended into bodycare as consumers show interest in such options. A holistic approach to health is prevalent among Germans, creating opportunities for products with health-boosting benefits, such as those fortified with vitamins and minerals, or formulated with functional fragrances.
Bodycare Market Trends – Market Statistics
- Bodycare Market Trends: 70% of Gen X who use HBF are interested in products fortified with vitamins and minerals.
- Hand-, Body- & Footcare Industry Forecast: Mintel’s bodycare market report shows that amid financial recovery and interest in specialised solutions a 14% sales growth is expected by 2029.
Bodycare Market Report – What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analysed in this Report
- The effects of the cost of living crisis on the hand-, body-, and footcare product market.
- Usage of hand-, body-, and footcare products.
- Consumer interest in specialised products for specific needs, and willingness to pay more for such solutions.
- Handcare market trends and usage motivations for handcare products, with opportunities to better align offerings with consumer demand.
- Consumer attitudes towards hand-, body-, and footcare products, showing there is still room to learn from the facial skincare category and tap into skinification trends.
- A hand-, body-, and footcare industry forecast.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report is written by Mihaela Suhalitca, Research Analyst. Mihaela researches consumer behaviour and trends in the German BPC market. Prior to joining Mintel in 2023, she gained extensive experience in quantitative and qualitative research as an associate and lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen. She holds an MA in East Asian Economic Studies and a BA in Communication and Public Relations.
Brands in the hand-, body-, and footcare market can drive growth through specialised solutions and products with health-boosting claims. Demand for UV protection and nail/cuticle care is high and can be tapped into to up handcare sales.
Mihaela Suhalitca
Research Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- The five-year outlook for hand, body and footcare
- Market context
- Low financial confidence and soaring prices affect the category
- Germans’ holistic approach to health and wellbeing provides opportunities
- Mintel predicts
- Market size and forecast
- Moderate growth is expected in the category long term
- Sales growth of 14% is expected by 2029
- Opportunities
- Align with consumer demand to boost engagement in the handcare segment
- Graph 1: motivations for using handcare products, by gender, 2024
- Target niche concerns…
- …and charge a premium for specialised solutions
- Graph 2: HBF buyers with interest in specific product features, by willingness to pay for those features, 2024
- Take learnings from the facial skincare category
- Provide bespoke solutions through functional fragrances
- Offer products with UV protection…
- …and fill the gap in protection against environmental stressors
- The competitive landscape
- Mass-market and private-label brands dominate the HBF category
- Graph 3: company shares of hand, body and footcare, by value, 2023
- Financial constraints made 2023 a challenging year
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MARKET DRIVERS
- The German economy
- 2024 remains challenging
- Graph 4: key economic data, in real terms, 2019-25
- Inflation is bouncing back to more-conventional levels
- Inflation is still the key factor affecting consumers’ finances…
- …confidence and expenditure
- Graph 5: financial confidence index, 2022-24
- Low financial confidence continues to impact the category
- Graph 6: consumer perception of the German cost of living crisis, 2024
- Rising consumer prices put pressure on strained budgets
- Graph 7: selected consumer price index rates, 2022- Aug 2024
- Legislative factors
- Legislative changes keep brands on their toes
- Changes in ingredient legislation bring the need to reformulate
- Environmental and demographic factors
- Germans prioritise their health
- Demographic changes bring opportunities to lead with health-boosting formulations
- Environmental changes will impact shopping behaviours…
- …and ingredient sourcing
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Usage of hand, body and footcare products
- The vast majority of Germans care for their body
- Body lotion usage decreased, with consumers divided among other formats
- Graph 8: usage of bodycare products, by format type, 2020-24
- Tempt women to branch out from their tried and tested lotions
- Consider serums for premiumisation…
- …to better address specific skin concerns/needs…
- …or as handy add-ons
- Engage male users with spray formats
- Usage of lotions and emollients has dropped, while alternative formats saw an uptick since 2020
- Graph 9: usage of handcare products, by format type, 2020-24
- Bring older consumers back into the category with hydrating and anti-ageing claims
- Graph 10: consumer non-use use of handcare products, by gender and age, 2020 and 2024
- Usage of footcare is stable across all format types
- Graph 11: usage of footcare products, by format type, 2020-24
- Reconsider store layouts to boost footcare product visibility
- Among category users, the majority own only one product
- Graph 12: repertoire of HBF products used, 2024
- Convenient and on-the-go formats encourage daily usage of handcare products
- Graph 13: frequency of use of HBF products, by product type, 2024
- Interest in HBF products with specific features
- Fortified and UV-protective formulas appeal to the majority of HBF users
- Graph 14: interest in HBF products with functional benefits, 2024
- Products fortified with vitamins and minerals can profit from health associations
- UV protection is high on Germans’ priority list
- Expand the offer of products that protect against sun damage
- Consumers demand solutions against environmental stressors
- Tap into inflammageing trends…
- Graph 15: the volume of social media posts around inflammageing in BPC, by month, 2020-24
- …and tie them to longevity claims for premiumisation
- Address gut inflammation through targeted bodycare formulations
- Consumers covet products that can help treat body acne
- Ingredients to watch in bodycare with anti-acne properties
- Give anti-cellulite solutions a shake-up
- Germans are keen on products with health-boosting benefits
- Graph 16: interest in HBF products with specific features, 2024
- Formulate with scents with health benefits…
- …and bring them into ‘active’ bodycare
- Meet the demand for post-surgery recovery treatments
- Innovate in customisable bodycare options
- Use AI technologies to help younger men personalise their routines
- Amount spent on HBF products
- The majority of consumers spend less than €10 on HBF products
- Graph 17: amount typically spent on a hand, body, footcare product, 2024
- Graph 18: launches in HBF, by beauty price positioning, 2018-24
- Target category shoppers with specialised solutions for specific occasions and concerns…
- Graph 19: HBF buyers with interest in specific product features, by willingness to pay for those features, 2024
- …and drive premiumisation in the category
- The art of indulgence
- Treat and gift purchasing can give the category a boost
- Motivations for using handcare products
- The focus on hydration shows that handcare is still a functional segment
- Graph 20: motivations for using haircare products, 2024
- Align interest with usage of UV-protective handcare products
- A scent-sational dilemma
- Use scent to bring a touch of luxury to handcare…
- …but do not overlook the needs of consumers with sensitive skin
- Zone in on nail care and cuticle health
- Graph 21: motivations for using handcare products, by gender, 2024
- Online nail diagnostic tools can drive purchase
- Attitudes towards HBF products
- Unscented products appeal, but consumers need help understanding actives
- Graph 22: attitudes towards HBF products, 2024
- After-shower application shows opportunities for intimate care
- Capitalise on the health associations of unscented products…
- …but know that not all consumers will be discouraged by fragrances
- Teach younger men how to combine actives for best results
- Offer reusable sheet masks with functional benefits
- Graph 23: consumer interest in reusable sheet masks, by interest in HBF products with select benefits, 2024
- Extend skin cycling trends to bodycare among younger users
- Look to facial skincare for best practices in skin cycling
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LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
- The HBF market is highly fragmented, but private labels are very active in NPD
- Graph 24: launches in HBF products, by top 10 ultimate companies, 2018-24
- The HBF market is highly fragmented, but private labels are very active in NPD
- Graph 25: launches in HBF products, by top 10 ultimate companies, 2021-22 and 2023-24
- Price considerations in the category make private label appealing
- Graph 26: launches in HBF products, branded vs private label, 2020- Aug 24
- dm launched a new brand in cooperation with midwives
- The Rosmann Alterra product range expansion is good for the skin and the environment
- Moisturising claims continue to dominate the bodycare segment
- Graph 27: launches in bodycare products, beauty enhancing claims, 2021-24
- Inspiration: anti-ageing solutions in bodycare
- Ingredient-first facial skincare and makeup brands launch into bodycare
- Vaseline addresses the need for inclusivity
- There is still space to move the handcare category beyond general moisturising and hydration claims
- Graph 28: handcare launches, by select claims, 2021-24
- Zone in on specialised handcare needs
- Consumer and legislative pressures drive a surge in ethical and environmental claims
- Graph 29: launches in HBF, by top five ethical/environmental claims, 2021-24
- Establish a foothold in climate-proof bodycare
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MARKET SIZE and SEgmentation
- The German bodycare market is on the path to recovery
- The bodycare segment is driving growth in the HBF category
- The hand- and footcare segments need a boost to recover from the post-pandemic slump
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Market forecast
- The category recovered in 2023, but is forecast to stabilise to moderate growth in the short term
- Market growth of 3% is expected in 2024 amid rising prices and stagnating usage trends
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MARKET SHARE
- All major players have struggled to gain significant market share in the past two years
- Mass-market brands face an uphill battle
- Private label stands out amid financial concerns
- Prestige brands can offer specialised care to fetch a higher price point
- Graph 30: launches in HBF, by beauty price positioning, 2021-Aug 24
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APPENDIX
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, consumer research methodology and language usage
- Products covered in this Report
- Abbreviations
- Generations
- Consumer research methodology
- Infegy Atlas – coverage
- Infegy Atlas – full list of search terms used
- A note on language
- Appendix – market size and central forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size – value
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – value
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