With the US air care market experiencing growth challenges over the next five years, adapting to consumer behavior and preferences will be pivotal to remaining competitive. This air care market report provides essential market performance analysis and insights to inform your business strategy.
US Aircare Market Overview
Aircare products are considered to be nonessential by many consumers. This puts the industry at risk of poor growth, with economizing habits increasing. Unfortunately, inflation-adjusted growth isn’t much more promising. However, brands can revive the category by repositioning their products as essential in wellness and looking to innovation for low-cost solutions to consumer needs.
Aircare Market Trends
Parents over-index in use of most formats
In light of an overall higher air care usage among parents, wax melts and incense are particular draws for this key demographic. This is important considering this year’s move away from wax melts and incense.
Helping stressed parents unwind with bolder aromatherapy—even mood boosting—claims could be an uplifter for these formats. Brands can look to interweave scent exploration with products that have clinical research to back up further-reaching claims such as for nausea or mental clarity.
Cost is among barriers moving consumers away
Air care products can be relegated to “luxury” in times of economic challenges. Nearly half of consumers cite expensiveness as a reason for using air care less often this year, indicating cost will be an issue to face going forward.
Other reasons for reduced usage include chemical concerns and indoor air pollution. For brands, narrowing focus on why consumers are reducing their air care product usage can encourage distancing consumers to take a step back toward the category.
Topics Analyzed in the Report
- Aircare market performance (market size, share, segmentation).
- Competitive dynamics with brand analysis.
- Innovation trends now and in the future.
- Aircare format usage.
- Consumer interest in innovations and wider preferences.
Report Scope
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel defines the US aircare market as consisting of the following product categories:
- Candles – a body of wax formed around a wick that provides a flame and, in many cases, fragrance when lit. Includes tea lights, votives, pillars, tapers (dinner candles) and birthday candles. Candles can stand alone or be designed for use in a holder or metal container. Both scented and unscented candles are included.
- Home air fresheners – including aerosol/spray, slow-release (solid, gel, liquid, reed diffusers) and plug-in and electric/battery-operated devices.
- Vehicle air fresheners.
- Excluded from the Market Size but discussed in the Consumer section includes wax melts, which consist of a burner device that melts wax pieces as a means of releasing fragrance; potpourri and flameless candles, which use LED lights or light bulbs to create the appearance of a candle flame and incense, an aromatic material that releases fragrant smoke when burned.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
Jamie is an expert in competitive intelligence, strategic thinking, product development, and consumer trends. He uses this background to identify category-level trends that allow brands to think further ahead and develop more future-proof innovation, marketing, and portfolio management strategies.
Growth is tepid, and big innovations are rare. Still there’s cause for optimism as brands embed intelligence into their products and launch innovative campaigns.
Jamie Rosenberg
Associate Director, Global Household and Personal Care
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Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- What consumers want and why
- Market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- Opportunities
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Market Dynamics
- Market context
- Market size and forecast
- Flat growth amid high inflation reflects the discretionary nature of aircare products
- Market forecast is reflective of extreme economizing behavior
- Retail sales and forecast of aircare products
- Adjusting for inflation shows significant growth challenges
- Household aircare expenditures reflect cost-cutting
- Market drivers
- Declining inflation rate is cause for optimism
- Graph 1: Consumer Price Index change from previous period, 2007-24
- Despite a declining inflation rate, confidence hits an eight month low
- Graph 2: Consumer Sentiment Index, 2023-24
- Slow car sales have hurt the vehicle freshener market, but there’s hope ahead
- Graph 3: new vehicle sales and leases, 2019-22
- Market segmentation
- Home air fresheners are the only growth story
- Air fresheners are the category growth drivers
- Graph 4: total retail sales and forecast of aircare products, by segment, at current prices, 2019-29
- Market share/brand share
- P&G has a banner year
- Sales of aircare products, by company
- P&G leads the home air freshener segment, but all market leaders have carved out a niche
- Sales of home air fresheners, by company
- Private label gains suggest the need for candle innovation
- Sales of scented candles, by company
- The vehicle air freshener segment is slow-growing and highly consolidated
- Sales of vehicle air fresheners, by company
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market strategies and competitive opportunities
- Febreze AIRIA Smart Scent Diffuser
- Everspray puts “lighter than air” fragrance in an aerosol.
- Glade MaxControl gives consumers the ability to customize fragrance strength
- Airwick matches air fresheners with bouquets from 1-800-Flowers
- Moodify AI could revolutionize scent discovery
- P&G launches its Mood Collection
- Smart candles can revive the declining segment
- Ludela has closed up shop after five years on the market
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- The pendulum swings away from incense and wax melts
- Sprays candles and diffusers see slight gains, while all other formats slip
- Graph 5: aircare format usage, 2023 vs. 2024
- Prop up declining segments with bolder aromatherapy claims
- Parents seek mood boosting benefits
- Graph 6: use of aircare for health and wellness benefits, by parental status, 2024
- Graph 7: use of wax melts and incense by parental status, 2024
- Parents seek mood boosting benefits
- Wax melts with mood-boosting claims
- Bundle packs that span across value tiers have potential
- Graph 8: trended aircare usage frequency, 2019-24
- Mixing functional and experiential benefits is a winning combination
- Graph 9: reasons for using aircare products more often, 2024
- Cost is pushing consumers out of the category
- Graph 10: reasons for using aircare products less often this year, 2024
- Let consumers try before they buy
- Graph 11: shopping habits for aircare products, 2024
- Young men are a key segment for social shopping
- Graph 12: consumers who have purchased aircare products advertised on social media, and products recommended by influencers, 2024
- Make odor neutralization an underlying feature, even for luxury fragrances
- Consumers are fragrance-driven, but they don’t want to simply mask odors
- Graph 13: attitudes toward aircare products, 2023
- There’s a palpable need for cost reduction
- Graph 14: belief that premium aircare products are overprices, are more effective than budget products, 2023
- Consumer safety concerns suggest brands still need to up their transparency game
- Graph 15: [no title]
- Help candles overcome their occasional usage perception
- Air fresheners are functional while candles are luxurious and mood-enhancing
- Merging benefits and customization are underleveraged opportunities
- Air purifiers with fragrance and customized solutions are top ideas
- Graph 16: interest in aircare innovations, 2024
- Innovate for different climactic conditions
- Graph 17: interest in smart air fresheners that release fragrance based on environmental readings, 2023
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Appendix
- Market definition
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast fan chart methodology
- Total retail sales and forecast of aircare products, by segment, at current prices, 2019-29
- Total retail sales of aircare products, by segment, at current prices, 2022 and 2024
- Total retail sales and forecast of candles, at current prices, 2019-29
- Total retail sales and forecast of candles, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2019-29
- Value, average price and volume of multi-outlet candles sales, 2019-23
- Total retail sales and forecast of home air fresheners, at current prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of home air fresheners, at current prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of home air fresheners, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2019-29
- Value, average price and volume of multi-outlet home air freshener sales, 2019-23
- Total retail sales and forecast of vehicle air fresheners, at current prices, 2019-29
- Total retail sales and forecast of vehicle air fresheners, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2019-29
- Value, average price and volume of multi-outlet vehicle air fresheners sales, 2019-29
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