US Personal Care Consumer 2024

Tap into consumer preferences with this in-depth report covering the US personal care market. How do consumers define their personal care routines? What kinds of products appeal, and why? Answer key consumer-focused questions with this report’s data-backed analysis.

Personal Care Consumer – Current Trends

The personal care product market presents a significant consumer growth opportunity, particularly through the addition of wellness and appearance benefits, emphasizing self-care rituals that go beyond hygienic need. The personal care market size remains rather stable at over $55bn in 2024 (+1.4%), thanks to its functional nature. Achieving long-term growth hinges on brands’ ability to tailor assortments to simplicity attitudes, with many not seeing the need for extended routines and some emphasizing eco-conscious value.

The winning proposition for brands lies in offering personalized support that has proven efficacy without adding overly time- or cost-consuming behaviors. Brands should avoid profit-driven strategies that compromise safety, instead investing in transparency messaging and ingredient intentionality.

Personal Care Consumer Statistics

• Personal care market drivers: Brand positioning around environmentally-friendly claims continues to expand in the US beauty and personal care (BPC) sector; products focus on packaging, ethical treatment of animals, and recycling claims. The pipeline for “new” customers is also strong, with extensive teen and tween usage—brands must be ready to embrace these demographics’ values.
• Personal care consumer routine facts: Average personal care routines cover around 40 minutes a day. Yet, nearly a third of Gen Z spend over an hour on their personal care routines. Brands should consider that time is limited for daily consumer engagement, and added steps and rituals may not be possible. Personalized support through concern-focused offerings emphasizing convenience and efficacy are likely to appeal.
• Personal care consumer barriers to purchase: Almost 40% of personal care buyers avoid buying more due to a preference for a simpler routine. This is a trend that varies between age groups, with more Gen X women saying they don’t need additional products than other generations, demonstrating set routines for this demographic. When marketing personal care products, brands will want to tailor value propositions, for example by tapping into older consumers’ habits with enhanced benefits.

US Personal Care Consumer – What’s Inside?

Key Topics Analyzed in the Report

• Personal care market drivers and context.
• US personal care product market size and forecast.
• Innovation and marketing strategies seen.
• Understanding time spent across morning, night and daily personal care routines.
• Personal care product purchasing behaviors across subcategories.
• Reasons for purchase including replenishment, appearance support, and more.
• Barriers to purchasing more frequently such as cost and safety concerns.
• Frequency of personal care behaviors such as hand washing, bathing, and hairstyling.

Report Scope

This report covers a broad range of products within the personal care market. For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has defined the personal care market as products used for regular grooming and hygiene including the following categories:

• Haircare – shampoo, conditioner, hairstyling products and hair color
• Skincare – facial cleansers, facial moisturizers, specialty skincare products such as acne and anti-aging treatments, hand and body moisurizers, sun protection
• Body cleansing products – bar soap, liquid shower gel, bath products
• Shaving products
• Antiperspirants/deodorants
• Oral care

Excluded from the scope of the Report are beauty products such as:

• Color cosmetics
• Fragrances
• Nail color and care
• Professional services are also excluded from the scope of this Report.

Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis

This report was written by Carson Kitzmiller. Carson joined Mintel in 2022 and currently focuses on beauty and personal care Reports. Prior to Mintel, she worked in various product development and consumer insights roles focused on CPG and personal care within specialty retail, DTC, and contract manufacturing.

The market maintains its status thanks to its hygienic focus, but incorporating health and appearance benefits in simple rituals is essential for future success.

Carson Kitzmiller
Senior Analyst, Beauty & Personal Care