India’s shower routines continue to be anchored in bar soap usage, underpinned by affordability and entrenched habits. Growth for body washes lies in segmentation and premiumisation, with clear headroom in skin-led propositions targeting sensitive, oily and dry skin needs.
Texture is central to the body wash experience and a key driver of loyalty. While gel formats dominate current launches, brands can unlock differentiation through sensorial innovation with novel textures that elevate the shower experience.
Bathing is increasingly viewed as self-care, rather than basic hygiene, opening white spaces for SBS products positioned around wellbeing, sleep preparation and post-workout recovery.
Fragrance, already a critical driver of choice, offers further scope for innovation as a tool for emotional engagement and sensory differentiation.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Soap and shower products used most often during showers
- Occasions when consumers have used body washes
- Features that will encourage the use of bar soaps and body washes
- Ingredients in soap, bath and shower products that consumers are willing to pay more for
- Behaviours towards soap, bath and shower products
Despite bar soaps dominating the market, body washes can see growth by delivering skin-led benefits and texture innovation. Fragrance remains a critical driver of choice across the SBS category.
Tanya Rajani, Principal Analyst, Beauty & Personal Care, India
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- What you need to know
- The outlook for the soap, bath and shower category in India
- Bar soap remains the go-to format for everyday cleansing
- Graph 1: formats used most often for a shower, 2025
- Graph 2: occasions when body wash/shower gel/shower cream is the go-to product for bath/shower routines, 2025
- Bar soaps are functional, while body wash delivers sensorial indulgence
- Graph 3: features that would encourage consumers to use a body wash/shower gel/shower cream product more often or for the first time, 2025
- Graph 4: features that would encourage consumers to use a bar soap product more often or for the first time, 2025
- Bar soaps are functional, while body washes deliver sensorial indulgence
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ACCELERATE BODY WASH ADOPTION THROUGH TARGETED, SKIN-FIRST BENEFITS
- Texture shapes the sensorial entry point for body wash, but skin-led claims can build credibility, trust and everyday justification
- The ‘skinification’ of the soap, bath and shower category is already underway in India
- Sensitive skin
- Sensitive-skin-safe claims can actively motivate trial among women aged 18-44
- India mirrors the global shift towards sensitive-skin-safe shower products
- Graph 5: body wash launches with for-sensitive-skin claims, 2020-25
- Win consumers who have sensitive skin through gentle ingredients
- Graph 6: soap, bath and shower behaviours, the total vs sensitive-skin-safe seekers, 2025
- Now: reinforce sensitive-skin-safe claims with ingredient-led evidence
- Next: offer differentiation within the sensitive-skin-safe segment
- Oily skin
- Position body washes not just as indulgent formats but as targeted solutions for oily skin
- Graph 7: occasions when body wash/shower gel/shower cream is the go-to product, by skin type, 2025
- Now: formulate body washes that solve common oily-skin issues: pore congestion, acne flare-ups and odour
- Now: make body washes for oily skin more solution oriented with antibacterial formulations
- Dry skin
- The market is seeing an uptick in dry-skin-specific launches
- Graph 8: shower product launches with for-dry-skin claims, 2020-25
- Using skincare-inspired actives allows brands to deliver deeper, more targeted hydration
- Graph 9: ingredients consumers would be willing to pay more for in soap, bath and shower products, by skin type, 2025
- Now: differentiate by incorporating skincare-inspired moisturising actives
- Ingredient highlight: ectoin
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PLAY WITH TEXTURES
- Texture has become a central driver of preference in shower products
- Case study: elevate experiences with sensory-driven formats
- Now: focus on the foaming experience to strengthen the impact of product messaging
- Next: innovate with foam formats to create a differentiated experience
- Case study: dual-phase format transforms into rich foam and expands use scenarios
- Create opportunities to move beyond traditional gel formats
- Graph 10: shower product launches, by format/texture, 2020-25
- Bring innovation with novel formats like serums and whipped
- Innovative textures are emerging within the category
- Now: explore innovative textures that give users a rich sensory experience
- Include the sensory cue of freshness
- Graph 11: ingredients consumers would be willing to pay more for in soap, bath and shower product, by bar soap loyalists vs body wash loyalists, 2025
- Now: consider cooling textures designed to enhance sensory engagement
- Next: fill the white space for ‘active beauty’ shower products
- Cater to the needs of avid exercisers
- Anchor texture elevation in exfoliating benefits
- Exfoliating launches are on the rise
- Graph 12: shower product and bar soap launches with exfoliating claims, 2020-25
- Case study: Dove’s body scrub collection with varying exfoliation levels
- Now: upgrade the exfoliating experience
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SCENT PLAYS A DEFINING ROLE IN ELEVATING SBS
- Scent-led experiences continue to drive preference in Indian shower routines
- Graph 13: select ingredient consumers would be willing to pay more for in SBS products, by gender and age group, 2025
- Long-lasting fragrance is the key performance cue in shower products
- Graph 14: top six features that would encourage consumers to use a body wash/shower gel/shower cream product more often or for the first time, 2025
- Graph 15: top five features that would encourage consumers to use a bar soap product more often or for the first time, 2025
- Now: lean into fragrance longevity messaging
- Graph 16: SBS launches with long-lasting claims, 2020-25
- China shows the way on fragrance longevity
- Expand scent portfolios beyond green to capture floral and fruity preferences
- Graph 17: SBS launches, top 10 fragrance component groups, 2020-25
- The Indian market under-explores florals despite their central role in BPC choice
- Bring innovation in floral fragrances
- Explore emerging fruity fragrance profiles
- Showers double as a bedtime wind-down ritual
- Now: embed sleep-supporting benefits into shower routines through wellbeing-focused ingredients
- Mintel Spark imagines a multi-sensory body wash designed to unwind the senses and ease consumers into sleep
- Now: tap into muscle relaxation for better sleep
- Next: tap into next-gen neuroscience-backed fragrance formulas
- Next: curate nighttime routines with products that support both sleep and skin health
- Future: brands and ingredient houses are studying the skin-sleep connection to explore next-generation actives
- Key takeaways
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APPENDIX
- A note on bathing and showering practices in India
- Abbreviations
- Consumer survey methodology
- TURF analysis
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