The Report provides an in-depth analysis of the bar soap market in India, focusing on recent trends and consumer preferences. It highlights the decline in soap, bath and shower products within the BPC category, along with the evolving role of bar soaps with a skincare focus.
Key insights from Mintel’s GNPD include the dominance of botanical and moisturising claims in NPD and the increasing consumer demand for skin-caring and gentle formulations. The Report also explores the demographic factors influencing bar soap usage and the strong brand loyalty observed among Indian consumers.
Additionally, it identifies opportunities for innovation, particularly in addressing specific skin concerns and expanding fragrance offerings.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Soap, bath and shower category launch trends
- Usage of soap and shower products in India
- Household bar soap usage behaviour
- Factors influencing bar soap brand loyalty and brand switching
- The rise of skinification and its impact on bar soap formulations
- The potential for niche skincare claims in bar soap formulations
Bar soap brands are responding to the growing skinification trend. As consumers increasingly prioritise gentle formulations, the emphasis will shift towards promoting benefits that highlight cleaner, safer and gentler bar soap formulations.
Twinkle Behl, Research Analyst – Beauty and Personal Care, India
Collapse All
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this report
- Overview
- The outlook for the bar soaps category in India
- Upgrade bar soap users by embracing the skinification trend in bar soaps
- Graph 1: factors influencing choice of specific type of bar soap, by bar soap loyalists, 2024
- Prioritise gentle on skin formulations in bar soaps for younger Millennials
- Graph 2: reasons for switching bar soap brand in the last six months, 2024
- Generational nuances: reasons for switching bar soap brands
- Deliver value by upgrading fragrance and refreshing claims
- Graph 3: benefits sought from bathing routine, by bar soap loyalists, 2024
-
KEY TRENDS
- What you need to know
- Bar soap launch and innovation trends
- Share of soap, bath and shower products in BPC new launches is declining
- Graph 4: beauty and personal care product launches, by category, 2020-24
- Shower products surpass bar soaps in new launches within the SBS category
- Graph 5: soap, bath and shower product launches, by sub-category, 2020-24
- India dominates bar soap innovation globally
- Graph 6: bar soap product launches, by top 10 markets, 2020-24
- The emphasis on relaunches and new packaging in bar soap launches highlights the need to pivot towards NPD
- Graph 7: bar soap and shower product launches by launch type, 2020-24
- The rise of skinification: bar soaps evolve with a skincare focus
- Skincare gains prominence among Indians
- The increasing prevalence of skin issues among Indian consumers
- Skincare narratives are gaining prominence in the conversations around bar soaps in India
- Bar soap brands in India evolve with a skincare focus
- Botanical/herbal and moisturising claims dominate bar soap NPD; potential for niche skin-caring claims to grow
- Graph 8: bar soap launches, by top claims, 2020-24
- Demand for safer formulations will shape bar soap innovation, focusing on cleaner claims
- Consumers prioritise brand heritage and safety in beauty and personal care
- Graph 9: factors beyond price considered when purchasing beauty and personal care products in the last three months, 2023
- Indian adults also see their skin as sensitive
- Desire for natural and free from claims will drive conscious innovations in bar soaps
- Graph 10: top three most important factors when choosing a beauty and personal care product, 2021
- A global focus on cleaner and safe for sensitive skin formulations
- Hindustan Unilever leads the way with cleaner bar soap formulations by reducing palm oil usage
-
WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- Bar soap usage behaviour
- Bar soaps dominate the bathing routine of Indian adults
- Graph 11: frequency of using bathing products in the last six months, 2024
- The popularity of bar soap as a daily staple spans generations, with Gen Z usage akin to that of Baby Boomers
- Graph 12: daily usage of bar soaps, by generation, region, city tier and socio-economic group
- One third of Indian adults demonstrate strong bar soap loyalty
- Bar soaps win on value: affordability and longevity of bar soaps deter loyalists from switching to shower gels
- Graph 13: attitude towards shower products, 2024
- Most households have each individual use their own preferred soap
- Graph 14: bar soap household usage behaviour, 2024
- Bar soap usage is significant in northern, metro and SEC A households, with each member preferring their own soap
- Graph 15: bar soap household usage behaviour, by region and city tier, 2024
- Graph 16: bar soap household usage behaviour, by socio-economic group, and financial situation, 2024
- Bar soap users exhibit strong brand loyalty due to the brand’s reliability and availability
- Graph 17: reasons for using the same bar soap brand in the last six months, 2024
- Graph 18: bar soap brand usage behaviour, 2024
- Bar soap brand loyalty thrives among older generations, North and West region users and those in smaller households
- Graph 19: bar soap brand usage behaviour, by generation, region, household size, 2024
- Choice factors
- While bar soap users consider brand an important factor in their choice, loyal customers prioritise fragrance above all else
- Graph 20: factors influencing to choose a specific type of bar soap, by bar soap loyalists, 2024
- Graph 21: factors influencing to choose a specific type of bar soap, 2024
- Brand switching is influenced by attributes like fragrance and skin-care benefits, rather than promotions or sales
- Graph 22: reasons for switching bar soap brand in the last six months, 2024
- Generational nuances: reasons for switching bar soap brands
- Embrace skinification claims in bar soaps
- Skincare narratives are gaining prominence in the conversations around bar soaps in India
- Skincare benefits hold a strong appeal for bar soap users
- Botanical/herbal and moisturising claims dominate bar soaps NPD, but what’s next?
- Graph 23: bar soap launches, by top 10 claims, 2020-24
- Navigating claim landscape in bar soaps
- Tackle acne, sensitive skin and dark spots with bar soaps
- Graph 24: concerning skin conditions for bar soap users, by five age groups , 2024
- Cater to acne issues among young consumers
- Exfoliation claims in bar soaps have the potential to prevent skin issues and complement bodycare routines
- Graph 25: bar soap and shower product launches, by exfoliating claim, 2023-2024
- Graph 26: agreement with the statement “Maintaining a consistent bodycare routine is crucial for preventing skin issues”, by bar soap loyalists, 2024
- Combine mild exfoliation step in bar soaps to prevent skin issues like acne
- Conceptualising with Mintel Spark: promote exfoliating bar soaps as complementary to bodycare formats
- Dark spot reduction claim is an untapped opportunity in bar soaps
- Treat dark spots on both facial and body skin
- Put a spotlight on ingredients for reducing dark spots in bar soaps
- Emphasise skin-friendly formulations beyond dermatologically tested claims
- A rising need for gentle-on-skin bar soaps, paired with a gap in focus on promoting such claims, presents significant market potential
- The dermatologically tested claim is gaining traction in bar soaps, yet sensitive skin and other free-from claims holds potential to grow
- Graph 27: bar soap launches, with select claims, 2020-24
- Link free-from claims to denote gentle bar soap formulations
- Note growing focus on ‘no palm oil’ linked to conscious and gentle bar soap formulations
- Graph 28: bar soap launches with palm oil-free claim, 2020-24
- Link no palm oil claim with cleaner and gentle formulations
- Value added features
- Bar soap loyalists’ quest for refreshment, cleanliness and pain relief calls for innovation beyond cleansing
- Graph 29: benefits sought from bathing routine, by bar soap loyalists, 2024
- Reimagine refreshing with energising claims
- Graph 30: bar soap launches with energising claim*, 2023-24
- Reimagine refreshing with energising claims
- Case study: provide value addition with healing and wellness benefits
- Appeal to bar soap users with novel fragrances
- Fragrance drives bar soap brand experimentation
- Sandalwood is the leading fragrance component in bar soap in India, indicating potential for innovative fragrance exploration
- Graph 31: bar soap launches, by top 15 fragrance component, 2020-24
- Leverage a mix of scent profiles to captivate users
- Keep eye on emerging fragrance components in shower products
- Innovate with emerging fragrance components in shower products
-
APPENDIX
- Consumer survey methodology
- Social data research methodology
Why Choose Mintel?
Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.
Access high-quality market research with every purchase of Mintel’s consumer reports. Here’s what else is included in your report purchase:
- Multiple Report Formats: Mintel’s reports are available in PDF and PPT formats, and are delivered straight to your inbox, so you can easily share Mintel’s market intelligence.
- Access to Mintel’s Clients Portal: After your purchase is completed, you’ll receive an invitation to join Mintel’s Clients Portal, providing instant access to supplementary insights from Mintel’s industry experts.
- Interactive Databook: Mintel’s bespoke consumer data is presented as an interactive website, so you can deep dive into your chosen topic, explore demographics and download specific statistics.
- Custom Presentation Tool: Easily incorporate selected research data and analysis into a tailor-made presentation to win over clients and stakeholders.
£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
-
Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Discount automatically applied in basket
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
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
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
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
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
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
