In the UK, 78% of Gen Z own a pet, more than any other generation. These consumers are likely to be new to pet ownership and therefore more cautious about the household care products they purchase and use. This wariness is translating into purchase behaviours, with 49% of Gen Z pet owners purchasing household care products with pet-friendly ingredient claims.
Product safety in the household category is becoming more common, threatening the pet-friendly household care category. If this trend continues, cleaning products could reach a point where standard formulations are safe for pets, and therefore pet-friendly products are redundant. Meanwhile, 44% of pet owners who are responsible for doing household chores only wash pet cages or beds with water, which could prevent widespread adoption of certain pet-friendly cleaning products.
However, mainstream brands are now exploring pet-friendly household care products, which will address the desire for pet-friendly household care products to be more widely available. With established brands entering the category, innovation in the pet-friendly space could flourish with increased investment into new product development. This could boost spending in the category.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The influence of financial stability on pet ownership
- Most common pet-related cleaning challenges
- Purchase and behavioural changes since pet ownership
- Purchase priorities when buying pet-friendly cleaning products
- Pet-related cleaning behaviours and attitudes
- Product innovation and marketing trends in the pet-friendly household care category
Consumer demand for improved availability of pet-friendly household care products is motivating market leaders to explore the pet-safe cleaning category.
Luke Santos, Household Care Analyst
Market Definitions
This Report assesses pet owners’ attitudes and behaviour towards household care.
This Report refers to consumers who own at least one pet and compares responses across demographics to highlight key differences in behaviours and attitudes. The terms pet-friendly and pet-focused household care products are used interchangeably to refer to products that are specifically designed to be used around pets.
This Report focuses on the following household care categories:
- aircare
- cleaning equipment (eg cloths, mop)
- hard surface cleaning products (eg multipurpose cleaners, cleaning wipes)
- kitchen roll
- laundry products
The Report focuses on the UK consumer market for pet-friendly household care products but does not look at pet food, services and insurance, the purchasing of pets or volume of pet products bought.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for the pet-friendly household care market
- Offer specialist cleaning products for pet accessories
- Unlock the potential of pet-friendly in private label
- Sponsorship opportunities exist in the pet-friendly cleaning space
- What consumers want and why
- Respond to the rise in pet ownership
- Graph 1: pet ownership, 2022-25
- Provide solutions to common cleaning concerns among pet owners
- Graph 2: cleaning problems caused by pet ownership, 2025
- Formulate with pets in mind
- Graph 3: pet-friendly household care purchase priorities, 2025
- Pet retailers are seen as a trusted source for safe cleaning products
- Graph 4: changes in cleaning purchases and behaviours since getting a pet, 2025
- Performance is paramount, despite pet-friendly desires
- Graph 5: attitudes towards pet-friendly cleaning products, 2025
- Convenient cleaners
- Create products for every room
- Graph 6: pet-related cleaning behaviours, 2025
- Innovation and marketing
- Household care leaders tap into pet-friendly trends
- Use social media to provide accurate homecare advice for pet owners
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market drivers
- The cost of having a pet has increased significantly…
- Graph 7: CPI annual rate vs CPI annual rate of pet related products and services, 2015-24
- …but growth in real wages will give pet owners more disposable income
- Graph 8: CPI and total pay growth rate, 2021-25
- A recovery in financial outlook could boost pet ownership
- Graph 9: the financial confidence index, 2016-25
- Pay attention to the impact of dog breed popularity and its impact on cleaning
- Spending on pets could grow, as pet status is elevated
- Graph 10: total number of live births, 2015-24
- Scent matters
- Tap into willingness to spend on aircare
- Media coverage could boost pet owner interest in wall cleaners
- Educate consumers on the role of surface cleaners and laundry products to alleviate pet allergies
- A return to the office could impact spending
- Graph 11: current working situation, 2024
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Pet ownership
- Pet ownership is on the rise in the UK
- Dogs and cats remain the most popular pets
- Graph 12: pet ownership, 2025
- Rising ownership among young consumers will set pet-friendly household care up for long-term success
- Graph 13: pet ownership, by generation, 2025
- Finances also influence ownership
- Graph 14: pet ownership, by household income, 2025
- Cleaning responsibility and frequency
- Cleaning responsibilities lie with women
- Graph 15: responsibility for household chores among pet owners, 2025
- Pet ownership increases cleaning chores
- Graph 16: change in cleaning frequency since pet ownership, 2025
- More frequent cleaning drives a desire for convenient solutions
- Simplify pet-related cleaning with multifunctional products
- Cleaning challenges caused by pet ownership
- The dirty truth about pet ownership
- Graph 17: cleaning problems caused by pet ownership, 2025
- Managing moulting around the home
- Senior pets demand specific solutions for hair shedding
- Graph 18: cleaning challenges caused by pet ownership, by dog lifestage, 2025
- Graph 19: cleaning challenges caused by pet ownership, by cat lifestage, 2025
- Automated major appliances provide convenience to senior pet owners
- Puppy problems
- Simplify toilet training with product sets
- Create products to fight common sources of unpleasant odours
- Make glass cleaning formulations safe and effective
- Tackle dirt brought in from outside at the source
- Purchase and behaviour changes since pet ownership
- Pet ownership shifts purchase behaviours
- Graph 20: changes in cleaning purchases and behaviours since getting a pet, 2025
- Pet owners turn to pet retailers for homecare products
- Pet-friendly formulations are more desirable among younger consumers
- Graph 21: purchases of household care products with pet-friendly ingredient claims since getting a pet, by generation, 2025
- Provide fragrance-free alternatives to prevent potential allergens
- Purchase priorities for pet-friendly household care products
- Pet-centric product development opportunities
- Graph 22: pet-friendly household care purchase priorities, 2025
- Desire for clean formulations is even more apparent among pet owners
- Create laundry specific detergents for pet items
- Pet-related cleaning behaviours
- Create cleaning products for every room
- Graph 23: pet-related cleaning behaviours, 2025
- Provide laundry offerings for all types of pet parents
- Pet-specific sponges are an innovation opportunity
- Attitudes towards pet-friendly cleaning products
- The desire for wide availability opens opportunities for established brands
- Graph 24: attitudes toward pet-friendly cleaning products, 2025
- Respond to the demand for disposable solutions
- Chemical concerns carry weight
- Graph 25: concerns that their pet(s) could ingest/inhale chemicals used in household care products, by generation, 2025
- Aromatherapy appeals
- Provide emotional wellbeing support for pets
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Launch activity and innovation
- Consider pets when marketing products as safe
- Graph 26: new product launches carrying pet-friendly* claims, 2020-25
- Improve safety marketing and messaging to appeal to pet owners
- Laundry innovation for pet owners from around the globe
- Solve bath time issues with product development for pet hair
- Paws Right There provides all round support for anxious pets
- Room exists for established brands to explore pet-friendly ranges
- Dettol’s Home with Pets range is set to succeed
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Social media messaging drives pet-friendly desires among young consumers
- Bugalugs uses TikTok Shop to sell pet care products
- Miniml assures product safety via Instagram
- Cif puts a spotlight on the power of probiotics
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Generations
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