Magazine: Life beyond the scent

Until the 1980s Hungarians preferred aerosol deodorants with exotic scents. From the early 1990s the trend shifted in the direction of more natural scents and moisturising stick deodorants.

Fóris Ágnes
brand manager
Target Sales Group

When Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum appeared they were already capable of expressing their users’ character or status. Ágnes Fóris brand manager of Target Sales Group Kft. informed our magazine that the same phenomenon still prevails, but among both stick deos and aerosol products several new lines were developed. Annamária Marinova, consumer marketing manager with Presto-Pilot Kft. told us that in the 2000s certain environmental and allergy issues started new trends in deodorant production and buying: some ingredients aren’t allowed to be used any more in natural deodorants – demand for which keeps growing. Szilvia Baranyi, Henkel Magyarország Kft.’s trade marketing & brand manager explained that before launching a new product Henkel always maps what the current trends are. This year the key driver of their innovation activity is technology. Dorottya Tóth, junior brand manager of Sarantis Hungary Kft. said: ‘Our research revealed that the importance of added value is growing. Consumers want their deos to protect from perspiration, have a pleasant scent, soothe the skin and if possible also have natural ingredients.’ The experts agreed that there are two high seasons in the deodorant market: the May-August period and the Christmas period. Unilever’s probably most extreme brand line is Axe and it puts something new on the market every year. This year the focus is on passion and as part of the Anarchy product line, Axe’s first women’s deodorant has come out as well. Natália Horváth, Unilever Magyarország Kft.’s brand manager told Trade magazin that Axe Hungary’s Facebook page is waiting for consumers with many surprises and games. Henkel’s Fa Men Xtreme product line protects from foul body odour for 72 hours. Thanks to the Sweat Detect technology the aerosol versions also help to prevent perspiration, while the roll-on versions use the Fast-Dry formula to speed up drying and to not leave a stain on clothes. The company’s other product line, Fa Classic offers optimal price-value ratio. Sarantis’ B.U. brand targets teenage girls, this year their new scent is Candy Love under this brand, while the B.U. In Action product family also welcomes a new member: the Sensitive version uses the Symrelief technology to prevent skin irritation and it is also hypoallergenic.STR8 is a men’s brand offering two new scents this year: in the Fragrance line Rebel is the new scent and in the Cool&Dry family Skin Protect is the new product. From a functional perspective what we can see is that deodorants have moved on from simply offering pleasant scent: they are also capable of preventing perspiration and leaving no stain on clothes. Salthouse (formerly Murnauers) is a product family distributed by Target Sales Group Kft., products in which are made with valuable minerals from the Dead Sea and are ideal for consumers with sensitive skin. Salthouse crystal deodorant works like a roll-on or stick but before use the crystal has to get some water. In Presto-Pilot Kft.’s portfolio there are three brands to satisfy demand for natural products. As for Presto Pilot Kft.’s Sante and Logona deo sprays, they also contain natural ingredients and are made for men. Henkel added Fa Floral Protect to its classic women’s portfolio, but what else is waiting for consumers this year? Well, Protect 5 deos will appear in the Fa Men Xtreme product range, uniting the five most frequent consumer expectations in their characteristics. Target Sales Group Kft. plans to introduce a brand new product line this year, for those who like flowery-fruity feminine scents. Presto-Pilot Kft. launches Dr. Organic deos with Moroccan argan oil, natural Dead Sea and bioactive pure coconut oil versions early summer. n

Fóris Ágnes
brand manager
Target Sales Group