US Household Paper Products Market Report 2022
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This report provides comprehensive and current information and analysis of the US Household Paper Products market including US Household Paper Products market size, anticipated market forecast, relevant market segmentation, and industry trends for the Household Paper Products market in the US.
Current market landscape
Household paper products have almost universal penetration. For that reason, market growth is historically tied to population growth. Yet the pandemic changed everything. Consumers’ extreme stocking up behavior in 2020 caught brands off guard. This uncharacteristic demand led to a 20.9% growth rate – something that’s quite rare in a category accustomed to growing in the low single digits. Yet consumers can only store so much household paper. Once brands were able to bring supply in sync with demand in 2021, the category growth rate was negative and declined by more than 12% for the year.
Future market trends in the household paper products market
Going forward, Mintel expects that the emotional imprinting of the pandemic and precautions against viral threats still to come will keep usage rates slightly above normal as consumers clean more, try to hedge against future product shortages and reduce the number of shopping occasions.
A key challenge for the market will be the cannibalization of smaller segments by the larger segments. More and more, consumers use paper towels instead of paper napkins and young consumers often prefer toilet paper to facial tissue and only buy tissue when they are ill.
The market is also threatened by the greening of the wipes market. As the fiber composition of natural wipes becomes more like paper towels, there will be reduced sustainability tradeoff between the two segments.
Even so, the pandemic offers innovation opportunities for higher margin products. Paper towels that are stronger and infused with cleaning formulas, either wet or dry, have so far been niche. Yet times are changing. Over the long term, this can preempt the threat from greener wipes.
Read on to discover more about the US Household Paper Products consumer market, read our US Household Surface Cleaners Market Report 2021, or take a look at our other House and Home research reports.
Quickly understand the household tissue paper product market
- The impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior and the household paper market.
- Historical and projected market growth.
- Innovation and competitive trends.
- Consumer usage, attitudes and behaviors surrounding the use of household paper products.
- Paper products market size.
Covered in this report
Brands include: Clorox, Tushy, Kimberly-Clark, Proctor & Gamble, Charmin, Georgia-Pacific, Angel Soft, Quilted Northern, Ultra Soft and Strong, Quilted Northern Ultra Plush, Bounty, Sparkle, Brawny, Marathon, Viva, Scott, Target Ever Spring, Seventh Generation, Peach, No.2, Boulder, Toto, Kohler, American Standard, Nice Pak, Suominen.
Expert analysis from a specialist in the field
This report, written by Jamie Rosenberg, a leading analyst in the Global Household and Personal Care sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis of household paper products market research to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.
Few events have the power to turn the products of a mature, highly-saturated market into a rare commodity, but that’s what COVID-19 did to the household paper market. When the pandemic struck in 2020, the category posted 20.9% growth and added more than $4 billion in sales for the year. Yet as brands addressed supply shortages and consumers stopped hoarding toilet paper and paper towels, sales came back down to earth and declined by 12.3% in 2021. Over the next five years, usage will moderate, but consumers will be more open to innovation as they continue to clean more and hedge against future shortages.
Jamie Rosenberg
Associate Director, Global Household and Personal Care
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Overview
- What you need to know
- This Report looks at the following areas
- Definition
- Market context
- COVID-19: US context
- Economic and other assumptions
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Executive Summary
- Top takeaways
- Market overview
- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of market, at current prices, 2015-25
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- Figure 2: Category outlook, 2022-27
- Opportunities and challenges
- Figure 3: Consumers who believe that paper towels are more eco-friendly than wipes, by age, 2021
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- Figure 4: Consumers who buy household paper products online, 2020 vs 2022
- Key consumer insights
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Market Size and Forecast
- A story of remarkable volatility
- Figure 5: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of market, at current prices, 2015-26
- Figure 6: Total US sales and forecast of market, at current prices, 2015-26
- A story of remarkable volatility
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Segment Performance
- Toilet paper and paper towels show their essential nature
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- Figure 7: Multi-outlet sales of household paper market growth, by category, percentage (%) growth, rolling 52 weeks 2019-21
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Market Factors
- Consumer confidence is offset by high inflation and Omicron
- Figure 8: US Consumer Sentiment Index vs unemployment rate, 2000-21 (Jan-Nov)
- CPI highlights a dilemma on how brands should absorb costs
- Figure 9: Consumer Price Index change from previous period, 2007-21
- Sluggish population growth foreshadows even slower market growth
- Figure 10: Number of new US residents, 2000-21
- Consumer confidence is offset by high inflation and Omicron
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Market Share
- Market growth hits headwinds in 2021
- Sales of household paper products by company
- Figure 11: Sales of household paper products, by company, 2020 and 2021
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Competitive Strategies and Market Opportunities
- As emerging market growth slows, US competitive strategy will become more aggressive
- Figure 12: Forecast retail market spend per capita vs CAGR next five years, by country, 2021
- P&G and private label extend their toilet paper share lead
- Figure 13: Charmin Ultra Strong Mega Toilet Paper
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- Figure 14: Multi-outlet sales of toilet tissue, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
- The paper towel segment is becoming more consolidated
- Figure 15: Multi-outlet sales of paper towels, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
- Beyond Bounty, smaller paper towel brands see mixed results
- Figure 16: Viva Signature Cloth, Bounty Essentials, Brawny Tear-A-Square
- Big gets bigger
- Figure 17: Charmin Forever Roll
- Figure 18: Scott 1000, Brawny Pick-A-Size and Angel Soft
- Brands rely on price hikes and cost cutting to compensate for declining margins
- Improving store brands creates a more challenging competitive environment
- Figure 19: Target Ever Spring facial tissue
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- Figure 20: Household paper value growth, private label vs total market, 52 weeks ending November 28, 2021
- Figure 21: Consumers who believe that store brands are as good as name brands, by age and gender, 2021
- Tree-free fibers gain distribution during the pandemic
- Figure 22: Peach and No.2 toilet paper
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- Figure 23: Launches of bamboo paper towels vs toilet paper, 2012-21
- Figure 24: Consumers who are interested in tree-free fiber, by generation and gender, 2021
- The industry needs more than bamboo for viable tree-free fiber
- Cellulosic wipes blur the lines with paper towels
- Figure 25: Consumers who believe paper towels are more eco-friendly than disposable household wipes, by age and gender, 2021
- From Clorox to eco-niche, new natural wipes threaten paper towels
- Figure 26: Clorox Paper Towel Wipes, Clorox Compostable Wipes and Boulder Clean Disinfecting Wipes
- Bidets make a disruptive splash in the US
- Figure 27: Toto’s Washlet seat attachment with warm water cleansing, heated seat and warm air drying
- Bidets embody key Mintel Trend Drivers
- Figure 28: Bidets and Mintel Trend Drivers
- Flushable wipes reach an innovation milestone
- Figure 29: Total US retail sales and forecast of flushable wet wipes, at current prices, 2016-26
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- Figure 30: Nice ’N Clean flushable wipes and Suominen’s Hydraspun Aguaflo flushable base nonwovens
- Market opportunities
- Prepare for a new era of ecommerce
- Innovate paper towels to compete with greener wipes
- Prepare for disruption from bidets
- As emerging market growth slows, US competitive strategy will become more aggressive
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The Household Paper Consumer – Fast Facts
- COVID-19 gives ecommerce a boost
- Attitudes toward paper towels reflect their growing importance
- Store brands continue to close the quality gap
- Stocking up defined toilet paper shopping during the pandemic
- Young men are most interested in alternative fibers
- Young consumers continue to snub facial tissue
- Napkins are losing relevance
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Product Usage
- Near universal usage is bolstered by the pandemic
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- Figure 31: Household paper usage, by segment, 2021
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- Figure 32: Consumers who believe that paper towels are more germ-free than dish cloths, by age, 2021
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Purchase Locations
- COVID-19 gives ecommerce a boost
- Figure 33: Consumer household paper purchases, by retail channel, 2020 vs 2022
- The cost of ecommerce still hinders low-income consumers
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- Figure 34: Online shopping, by age, income and parental status, 2021
- COVID-19 gives ecommerce a boost
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Attitudes toward Paper Towels
- Attitudes toward paper towels reflect their growing importance
- Figure 35: Attitudes toward paper towels, 2021
- Young men will drive the blurring of paper towels and wipes
- Figure 36: Interest in pre-moistened or antibacterial paper towels, by age and gender, 2021
- Store brands continue to close the quality gap
- Figure 37: Store brand paper towels are just as good as name brands, 2021
- Attitudes toward paper towels reflect their growing importance
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Attitudes and Behaviors toward Toilet Paper
- Stocking up defined toilet paper shopping during the pandemic
- Figure 38: Attitudes and behaviors toward toilet paper, 2021
- Household size is predictive of stocking up behavior
- Figure 39: Stocking up behavior, by parental status, 2021
- Young men are most interested in alternative fibers
- Figure 40: Interest in toilet paper made with tree-free fiber, by age and gender, 2021
- Stocking up defined toilet paper shopping during the pandemic
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Attitudes and Behaviors toward Facial Tissue
- Young consumers continue to snub facial tissue
- Figure 41: Facial tissue usage habits, by age and gender, 2021
- Income is also a barrier to facial tissue usage
- Figure 42: Facial tissue usage, by age and income, 2021
- Parents want antiviral tissue
- Figure 43: Interest in antiviral facial tissues, by parental status, 2021
- Young consumers continue to snub facial tissue
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Attitudes and Behaviors toward Paper Napkins
- Napkins are losing relevance
- Figure 44: Attitudes and behaviors toward paper and cloth napkins, 2021
- Age is behind the prioritization of napkin sustainability or convenience
- Figure 45: Attitudes around the sustainability and convenience of napkins, by age, 2021
- Napkins are losing relevance
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
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Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 46: Total US retail sales and forecast of household paper products, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 47: Total US retail sales and forecast of household paper products, by segment, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 48: Total US retail sales of household paper products, by segment, at current prices, 2019 and 2021
- Figure 49: Total US retail sales and forecast of paper napkins, at current prices, 2016-26
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- Figure 50: Total US retail sales and forecast of paper napkins, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 51: Total US retail sales and forecast of paper towels, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 52: Total US retail sales and forecast of paper towels, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 53: Total US retail sales and forecast of toilet tissue, at current prices, 2016-26
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- Figure 54: Total US retail sales and forecast of toilet tissue, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 55: Total US retail sales and forecast of facial tissue, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 56: Total US retail sales and forecast of facial tissue, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 57: Total US retail sales and forecast of hand/face moist towelettes, at current prices, 2016-26
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- Figure 58: Total US retail sales and forecast of hand/face moist towelettes, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 59: Total US retail sales and forecast of flushable wet wipes, at current prices, 2016-26
- Figure 60: Total US retail sales and forecast of flushable wet wipes, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2016-26
- Figure 61: Total US retail sales of household paper products, by channel, at current prices, 2016-21
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- Figure 62: Multi-outlet sales of paper napkins, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
- Figure 63: Multi-outlet sales of facial tissue, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
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- Figure 64: Multi-outlet sales of hand/face moist towelettes, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
- Figure 65: Multi-outlet sales of flushable moist wipes, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2020 and 2021
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