Magazine: We save money on personal hygiene instead of buying fewer cleaning products

GfK Hungária’s ConsumerScan report reveals that in the first half of 2011 chemical product sales dropped 2 percent in volume and 4 percent in value. This decrease was not distributed evenly among the different categories: deodorants, hair dyes and tooth care products did well, but less soap, shower gel, hand and body lotion were sold. Households only spent 1 percent less on chemical products than in the first half of 2010. From the previous comparable period the penetration of scrubbing products, limescale removers, toilet rim blocks, fabric softeners and bleaches fell by two-digit numbers, just like that of foaming bath products and body lotions. Households in small towns and in Hungary’s eastern regions cut down on buying chemical products the most. Lowest-income families primarily bought fewer personal hygiene products but kept buying the same volume of cleaning products. It is noteworthy that households consisting of thirtysomethings, those where the head of the family is older than 60, highest-income households and those in Budapest bought more chemical products (in terms of volume) than in the first half of 2010