Magazine: Confident deodorant market, widening product selection

Noémi Patai
junior brand manager
Unilever Magyarország

In 2017 sales kept growing in the deodorant category. Brand manufacturers reported a single-digit sales growth in both value and volume. Noémi Patai, junior brand manager of Unilever Magyarország told our magazine that Hungarians bought nearly 28 million deodorants in 1 year. Hypermarkets’ have a 1/3 share in sales, but the share of drugstores has been increasing rapidly.

Katalin István
trade és brand marketing manager
Henkel Magyarország

Katalin István, senior trade and brand marketing manager of Henkel Magyarország’s Beauty Care division underlined the fact that the Christmas period is becoming more and more important in deodorant sales. Last year the category expanded by 15 percent at this time of the year.

We learned from Gusztáv Bartha, key account manager of Orbico Hungary – corporate distributor of Procter & Gamble – that sales of Old Spice stick, roll-on and antiperspirant spray products grew in 2017 in comparison with 2016, but sales of gel sticks were down.

Gusztáv Bartha
key account manager
Orbico Hungary

Mr Bartha added that body spray and antiperspirant spray realise more than 50 percent of sales, while sticks are at nearly 30 percent. From Unilever’s deodorants it is also sprays which are the most popular (they represent about half of the category). Ms Patai informed that women prefer roll-on deodorants, while men like stick products better.

Anna Csapó
marketing assistant
Sarantis Hungary

Sales of Sarantis Hungary Kft.’s deodorants soared by 29 percent (in value) in the shops of Hungarian-owned retail chains. In multinational chains and drugstores sales were up 19 percent – informed marketing assistant Anna Csapó.

As regards brand loyalty, manufacturers’ experience is that women consider more factors when buying and they like to try new products or fragrances, while men are more loyal to products and brands. Ms István told that deodorant sprays are the most popular among both women and men. Ms Csapó added that consumers want products not just to protect them from sweating, but also to have a pleasant scent and to care for the skin. She opines that the majority of deodorant sales is realised in promotion. Ms Patai revealed to us that for brand loyal consumers the No.1 factor is the brand itself when deciding which product to buy, while those who are less loyal to their brand tend to make a decision based on product format.

It is interesting that the representatives of companies have very different experiences about what proportion of consumers use antiperspirant deos and what proportion opt for fragrance products; the same can be said about those who use both product types. Unilever’s experience is that the user groups of the two product types overlap.Instead of parallel use, Orbico spoke to us about switching from fragrance deos to antiperspirant products. Sarantis’ view is that shoppers prefer fragrance deodorants to antiperspirant ones.

Zsuzsa Tabár
product manager
Target Sales Group

Zsuzsa Tabár, product manager of Target Sales Group Kft. explained to us that there are products in the market which satisfy different needs.Soft&Gentle deodorants and antiperspirant products target those consumers who want aluminium-free products with a pleasant scent.

Unilever launched a new AXE antiperspirant product range in 2017. In the women’s deodorant market the new Dove Go Fresh pear and aloe vera antiperspirant deodorant was very successful. A new product line was put on the market in the Dove Men+Care range: DM+C Elements target men who want deodorants that can refresh them.Among Henkel’s Fa deodorants the most popular are fragrance sprays, but new antiperspirants are also gaining momentum in the Hungarian market. This year’s novelty is Fa Island Vibes products (shower gels, deodorants, antiperspirant deos), which have been available since February. Sarantis focuses on the new products launched last year: STR8 Hero, B.U. Absoluteme, DenimTribe and the new BU Passion fragrance. Besides these, the company heavily promotes BU in actionzero% – this deodorant is aluminium-free, gives maximum protection against sweating and lets the skin breathe. Among men’s products the STR8 Ahead premium fragrance and 72-hour protection Denim performance are the new products.

Mária Krämer
product manager
Target Sales Group

In the Target Sales Group portfolio we can mostly find deodorants that satisfy special needs and products made from natural ingredients. Product manager Mária Krämer informed us that they developed Perspirex antiperspirant products for those who tend to sweat heavily. The company’s aluminium-fee Savoderm Med roll-on deodorants are the perfect solution for consumers with a sensitive skin. In 2017 English brand Soft&Gentle Active became the most popular product in the company’s aerosol deodorant segment – these deos are aluminium-, alcohol- and allergen-free; at the end of last year the product’s roll-on format appeared on store shelves.

Orbico Hungary promotes Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice with a perfect in-store presence. Unilever backs its biggest deodorant brands in both ATL and BTL channels – it is still television commercials that can reach the most consumers. Sarantis Hungary also uses television campaigns, but POS activities and secondary placement are also key in grabbing shoppers’ attention. //