UK OTC Analgesics and Cough, Cold and Flu Remedies Market Analysis
The OTC Analgesics and Cough, Cold, and Flu Remedies Market in the UK has shown steady growth, with over 5% increase in value sales in 2024.
Historically, the market has benefited from consistent demand, driven by the prevalence of ailments and seasonal spikes, such as the “quad-demic” in 2024, which boosted the sales in the cold remedies market and flu remedies market. Over the past few years, innovation in the market has been slow, with repackaging and relaunches dominating, but there is increasing consumer interest in targeted and personalised solutions. Looking forward, the OTC Analgesics and Cough, Cold and Flu Remedies Market is forecasted to grow more than 6% in the foreseeable future, with opportunities in integrating technology, like medication tracking apps and wearable devices. However, challenges such as inflation and supply chain disruptions may temper growth, although the essential nature of over the counter pharmaceuticals market ensures their resilience. The market will continue to be driven by consumer demand for both affordability and efficacy in remedies.
UK OTC Analgesics and Cough, Cold and Flu Remedies Market Trends
Consumer trends in the UK OTC Analgesics and Cough, Cold and Flu Remedies Market show a growing preference for targeted and specific pain relief solutions, with many consumers opting for remedies tailored to particular ailments like headaches, menstrual pain, and sinus discomfort. There is a noticeable shift towards oral remedies, such as paracetamol, with increasing interest in fast-acting and efficacy-driven products. Additionally, a significant portion of consumers (44%) are open to using smartphone apps to track their medication, reflecting a trend towards integrating technology for more personalised health management. While traditional remedies remain popular, there is a rising demand for simpler, more affordable products, with own-label brands capitalising on this trend. Furthermore, marketing is becoming more personalised, targeting specific demographics such as older adults and parents, with social media and influencer campaigns driving engagement. This shift is particularly evident in both the Cough Remedies Market and the Cold Remedies Market, where consumers are becoming more discerning about the efficacy and convenience of the products they choose.
Purchasing the UK OTC Analgesics and Cough, Cold, and Flu Remedies Market Report 2025 reveals that younger consumers prefer targeted, tech-driven remedies, while older consumers stick to traditional, budget-friendly options. The report also highlights growing demand for ingredient transparency and sustainability, driving the market toward more personalised and ethical products.
About The Report
The UK OTC Analgesics and Cough, Cold, and Flu Remedies Market Report 2025 provides comprehensive insights into consumer preferences, Over the Counter Remedies Market trends, and future growth opportunities. The report covers key areas such as product innovation, demand for targeted pain relief solutions, the rise of tech-driven health management tools, and the growing emphasis on ingredient transparency and sustainability. It surveys various consumer demographics, including age groups, purchasing behaviors, and their preferences for both traditional and modern remedies. This OTC Analgesics and Cough, Cold and Flu Remedies Market Report is invaluable for industry stakeholders, including manufacturers, retailers, marketers, and investors, helping them make informed decisions and align their strategies with evolving OTC remedies market demands.
Key Topics Analyzed in the Report
- Market growth and the analgesics and cough, cold and flu remedy landscape
- Outperforming analgesics and cough, cold and flu brands, and successful marketing strategies
- Frequency of pain and severity of ailments experienced in the last 12 months
- The penetration of oral and topical OTC remedies to treat pain/ailments
- Consumer behaviours relating to vaccination and using OTC remedies to treat pain/ailments
| Report Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Published Date | May 2025 |
| Data Range | 2019-2029 |
| Measurement Metrics | Revenue in £ |
| Country Focus | United Kingdom (UK) |
| Consumer Data | 1,954 internet users aged 18+, March 2025 |
| Number of Pages | 98 |
| Market Segmentation | Oral Pain Remedies, Topical Pain Remedies, Cold/Flu Remedies, Cough Liquids, Medicated Confectionery, Decongestant Nasal Sprays, Decongestant Tablets/Capsules, and Other OTC Remedies. |
| Leading Companies | Nurofen, Solpadeine, Voltarol, Panadol, Anadin, Galpharm, Essential Waitrose, Vicks, Weleda, Jakemans, Boots, and Otrivine. |
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Ziyu Tian. Ziyu joined the UK BPCH team in February 2025, having previously worked as an English-Chinese translator in the localisation team for over three years. In her current role, she analyses and writes reports focusing on the OTC and personal care categories as well as the annual ‘A year of innovation’ reports.
To excite the OTC market, there are opportunities to broaden innovation with targeted and combination treatments, as well as tech integration, to personalise pain and ailment management.
Ziyu Tian
OTC & Personal Care Research Analyst
Collapse All
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for the OTC analgesics and cough, cold and flu remedies market
- Combined treatments are well-positioned to tap into consumer needs
- Target different lifestyles with specialised solutions
- Broaden innovation scope to empower pain/ailment management
- Market dynamics and outlook
- OTC analgesics and cough, cold and flu remedies market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- The market continues to see steady growth
- Stronger community pharmacy presence motivates OTC market to keep up
- What consumers want and why
- Body pains and headaches are experienced frequently
- Graph 1: frequency of pains experienced in the last 12 months, 2025
- Consumers prefer oral remedies over topical ones
- Graph 2: use of oral over-the-counter pain remedies in the last 12 months, 2025
- Graph 3: use of topical over-the-counter pain remedies in the last 12 months, 2025
- Severity of ailments varies…
- Graph 4: severity of ailments experienced in the last 12 months, 2025
- …and relates to vaccinations
- Graph 5: behaviours related to vaccination and ailments, 2025
- Pain remedies are widely used for ailments
- Graph 6: use of over-the-counter remedies to ease ailments in the last 12 months, 2025
- Consumers demand more targeted solutions for specific pains
- Graph 7: behaviours related to using over-the-counter remedies for pain/ailments, 2025
- Innovation and marketing
- Relaunches increased their share of NPD
- Graph 8: pain relief launches, by launch type, 2021-25
- Graph 9: decongestive, cough, cold & flu relief launches, by launch type, 2021-25
- Value goes beyond price in cough, cold and flu innovation
- Efficacy remains in the spotlight in analgesics innovation
- Nurofen emphasises powerful and fast-acting pain relief
- Cough, cold and flu brands use social media to boost brand and product awareness
- Brands leverage marketing to spotlight OTC use cases
-
MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market size
- OTC remedy value sales continue to grow
- Growth driven by cough, cold and flu cases in 2024
- Market forecast
- Forecast – note on US trade disruption
- Impact of US trade disruption for OTC analgesics and cough, cold and flu remedy market
- Market forecast for OTC
- Opportunities
- Threats
- Market segmentation
- Analgesics growth remained stable
- Cough, cold and flu remedies saw robust growth
- Market share
- Panadol sees strong growth with a variety of range
- Portfolio strategies help analgesics brands stand out
- Adapt to the ever-changing market landscape
- Day and Night Nurses revert to positive growth
- Own-label brands provide basic but convenient solutions
- Multiple brands benefit from the whooping cough outbreak in 2024
- Coughs have worsened post-COVID-19
- Graph 10: ‘chronic cough’ search trends, interest over time, 2020-25
- Jakemans returns to single-digit growth
- A sustained future for medicated confectionery
- Channels to market
- Discounters and online-only retailers outperform
- Supermarket pharmacies close down
- Market drivers
- Wage growth supports consumer spending…
- Graph 11: CPI inflation rate and total pay growth rate, 2021-25
- …but perceptions of the cost of living crisis still negative
- Graph 12: perception of the state of the cost of living crisis in the UK, 2025
- Vaccine uptake grew in the last winter flu season
- Link OTC remedy use to hay fever season
- The impact of ingredient reclassification
- Support working adults
- Leisure, sports and travel occasions: just in case
- Democratisation of healthcare will boost the market
- Tech and data integration bodes well for all
-
WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Frequency of pains experienced
- Pains are prevalent
- Body pains and headaches are experienced frequently
- Graph 13: frequency of pains experienced in the last 12 months, 2025
- Support older consumers dealing with body pain
- Graph 14: frequency of pains experienced in the last 12 months, daily experience of selected pains, by generation, 2025
- Relieve stress for headache sufferers
- Hormonal support for menstruating groups
- Multiple pains call for holistic solutions
- Graph 15: repertoire of net of pains* experienced in the last 12 months, by gender, 2025
- Oral pain remedies used
- Tablets and capsules with a single active dominate
- Graph 16: use of oral over-the-counter pain remedies in the last 12 months, 2025
- Broaden the reach of alternative formats
- Graph 17: use of oral over-the-counter pain remedies in the last 12 months – select remedies, by age, 2025
- Position combination treatment as choice of value
- Pain sufferers tend to use multiple oral remedies
- Topical pain remedies used
- Active ingredients are important in topical remedies
- Graph 18: use of topical over-the-counter pain remedies in the last 12 months, 2025
- Improve representation to broaden the demographic reach
- Graph 19: use of topical over-the-counter pain remedies in the last 12 months – select remedies, by gender and age, 2025
- Focus on sinus pain
- Revamp TENS to address multiple period-related pains
- Severity of cough, cold and flu ailments
- Most experience of ailments are mild to mid level in severity
- Graph 20: severity of ailments experienced in the last 12 months, 2025
- Ailments have worsened post-pandemic
- Educate the benefits of having a flu jab
- Graph 21: behaviours related to vaccination and ailments, 2025
- Tap into hay fever season to drive sinus remedy sales
- Support parents of young children with wellness benefits
- Graph 22: severity of ailments experienced in the last 12 months – flu, by any children, 2024
- OTC remedies used to ease ailments
- Pain remedies are the most widely used OTC product for cough, cold and flu ailments
- Graph 23: use of over-the-counter remedies to ease ailments in the last 12 months, 2025
- Explore the opportunity to simplify ingredients
- More education is needed for decongestant users
- Create family bundles to support parents
- Graph 24: repertoire of over-the-counter remedies to ease ailments used in the last 12 months, by children in household, 2025
- Behaviours related to using OTC remedies for pain/ailments
- Consumers are confident in their ability to treat pain
- Graph 25: behaviours related to using over-the-counter remedies for pain/ailments, 2025
- Older consumers need more persuasion on the efficacy of targeted pain relief
- Prove effect for segmented pain experience
- Bundles combining pain and flu relief could appeal
- Target menstruating consumers with fast-acting remedies
- Consumers want to track their medication intake
- Incorporate tech to empower medication management
- Graph 26: I would be interested in using my smartphone to track any over-the-counter medication I take, by gender and age, 2025
- Day/night remedies appeal to younger hybrid workers
-
INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Cough, cold and flu remedy launch activity and innovation
- Cough, cold and flu brands focus on relaunches
- Graph 27: decongestive, cough, cold & flu relief launches, by launch type, 2021-25
- Haleon increased its of cough, cold and flu NPD in 2024
- Graph 28: decongestive, cough, cold & flu relief launches, by ultimate company, 2024
- Essential Waitrose rolled out a Max Strength range
- Capsule cough, cold and flu remedy launches more than doubled their share of NPD in 2024
- Topical remedies target congestion
- Natural trends gain traction
- Graph 29: decongestive, cough, cold & flu relief launches, by top 10 claims* based on 2024, 2023 vs 2024
- Innovation highlights tap into flavour and lifestyle trends
- Analgesics launch activity and innovation
- Analgesic brands refresh packaging and relaunch products
- Graph 30: pain relief launches, by launch type, 2021-25
- Haleon also made gains in analgesic launch activity
- Graph 31: pain relief launches, by ultimate company, 2024
- Niche claims have room to grow
- Graph 32: pain relief launches, by top 10 claims* based on 2024, 2023 vs 2024
- Fast-acting topical remedies with active ingredients
- Multiple ingested formats saw growth
- Graph 33: pain relief launches, by format type, 2021-25
- Targeted pain relief innovations offer improved efficacy
- Nufabrx contact-activated pain-relief garments
- Cough, cold and flu remedy advertising and marketing activity
- TV leads cough, cold and flu advertising due to its broad reach
- Boots focuses on everyday occasions to relate
- Graph 34: recorded above-the-line, online display, direct mail and social media advertising expenditure on OTC cough, cold and flu remedies, by leading advertisers, 2024
- Jakemans taps into Monday morning needs
- Otrivin’s campaign covers multiple medias
- Ricola transports its audience to the Swiss Alps
- Analgesics advertising and marketing activity
- Market via social media to engage modern consumers
- Analgesics brands invest in hero product promotion
- Graph 35: recorded above-the-line, online display, direct mail and social media advertising expenditure on OTC analgesics, by leading advertisers, 2024
- Weleda promotes muscle recovery as part of post-run routines
- Nurofen emphasised powerful and fast-acting pain relief
- Panadol promotes the UK’s only liquid capsule paracetamol
-
APPENDIX
- Supplementary data
- CHAID Analysis
- Trends in the age structure of the UK population
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market size and forecast: constant and current prices (total)
- Market forecast: prediction intervals (total)
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Products covered in this Report
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 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
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
We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.
Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.
Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, VML
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
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
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
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
