Magazine: Clean and comfortable – without taboos

Barbara Horváth
senior brand manager
Essity Hungary

Essity Hungary Kft.’s senior brand manager Barbara Horváth told our magazine that the intimate hygiene category had expanded in both value and volume. Sales increased in all segments, with sanitary pad sales improving the most – these make up for nearly half of the market. In this segment duo products are the most popular, while among pantyliners large- and medium-sized packs sell the best. Libresse sales started growing in 2020. Women like to buy intimate hygiene products in drugstores. Johnson & Johnson Kft. is present in the market with two brands, o.b. and Carefree.

Viktória Szabó
brand activation manager
Johnson & Johnson

Brand activation manager Viktória Szabó agreed with Ms Horváth that in former years women tended to purchase intimate hygiene products in hypermarkets, but now they prefer drugstores.

All of Unilever Magyarország Kft.’s Neutral products are characterised by 0-percent proposition, which means that the formula is free from artificial fragrances and colours. We learned from innovation brand manager Nikolett Szőke that Neutral Intim wash gel has been developed for sensitive skin, it contains lactic acid and is dermatologically tested.

Nikolett Szőke
innovation brand manager
Unilever Magyarország

Ms Szőke opines that once a menstruation-related product proves its worth, women stay loyal to it. Johnson & Johnson Kft.’s most popular product is o.b.® ProComfort™ normal tampon in a pack of 16. as for Carefree pantyliners, Cotton Flexiform Fresh is the biggest hit. Presently the company is busy with more innovation projects, developing new products that will be in line with the latest trends.

Ms Horváth also stressed that women are very loyal to intimate hygiene products, especially in the sanitary pad segment. Branded products dominate and shoppers are less price-sensitive than in other categories. In the pantyliner segment, women are a bit more cautious about prices, and they are also more willing to try new products and variants.

Sales in every segment of the intimate hygiene products increase with that of sanitary pads growing the most dynamically

Izabella Kowalska
junior category manager
Essity Hungary

Junior category manager Izabella Kowalska informed that women choose from the normal Libresse range for daytime use and from night products for sleeping. From pantyliners, Libresse Multistyle is the most popular. 2020 is a very special year for Libresse as the new V-design packaging is launched: this was prepared after a global survey with 5,000 women participating on 4 continents. The new design is trendy and feminine, and the company’s sustainability efforts are communicated on the packaging. Pantyliners are marketed in 100-percent renewable packaging made of natural fibres, while the plastic packaging of sanitary pads is minimum 50-percent renewable, utilising sugar beet sourced from sustainable farming. Libresse’s philosophy is to speak freely about intimate hygiene issues that used to be taboos.

From among sales channels, sales drugstores and discount stores heavily grow

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Feminine hygiene products: Drugstores are the main places of buying

Annamária Major
client service manager
Nielsen Piackutató

Between March 2019 and February 2020 combined sales of sanitary pads, tampons and pantyliners reached HUF 19 billion. Drugstores were the most important channel in buying these products in all three categories.

Sanitary pad sales were bigger than HUF 8.5 billion, with value sales up 8 percent and volume sales having improved by 4 percent. According to Nielsen, 15.5 million packs were sold in the examined period. Sales in drugstores increased by 13 percent – 37 percent of value sales were realised here.

Tampon sales generated HUF 5.5 billion revenue, and in spite of the fact that volume sales fell, more than 7 million packs were purchased. Drugstores were responsible for 44 percent of tampon value sales.

Pantyliners were sold for HUF 5 billion, with value sales increasing by 6 percent and volume sales improving by 2 percent. Women bought 47 percent of pantyliners in drugstores (in value) and sales in this channel got almost 10 percent bigger. //

Intimate hygiene is fundamental for women and men alike

Dr. Barbara Csécsei
szaktitkár
KOZMOS

Because of the anatomical structure of the female body, women need to care more about intimate hygiene. While for men any shower gel or soap will do, women might need special cosmetics for this. Vaginal pH balance is acidic and if this changes (e.g. due to irritation, infection, etc.), it must be restored by using some kind of a special wash. However, if there are no such complaints, it is better to avoid using intimate wash products too often, as they can cause harm to the mucus membrane or the bacteria flora. //