Personal Care Wipes Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product Type (Baby, Facial & Cosmetic, Hand & Body), By Distribution Channel (Supermarket, Convenience Stores, E-commerce), And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2025

Report Overview

The global personal care wipes market size was valued at USD 16.3 billion in 2019. Personal Care Wipes have witnessed rapid growth in recent years across the globe. Some of the major characteristics of the product influencing the market growth are cost, convenience, hygiene, performance, ease of use, time-saving, disposability, safety/regulation, and consumer-centric aesthetics. Improving hygiene awareness among people is one of the major factors for the growth of the market. Over the past decade, various kinds of wipes such as intimate, wet, flushable, feminine, and scented have been introduced owing to their diversified applications.

The sudden rise in the infant population, rapid growth in urbanization, high disposable income of female consumers, and a surge in hygiene consciousness among consumers are having a positive impact on the market growth. Wipes allow performing daily tasks in substantially less time for most people who are quite held up in their day-to-day activities due to extreme job pressures and increased children's activities.

The convenience and effectiveness of this product have slowly diminished the usage of traditional cleansing means. Additionally, the portability of wet wipes enables all types of users to easily maintain and raise personal and environmental hygiene standards and eventually reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Baby wipes have been in the market for the longest time due to their widespread usage. They are considered to be a convenient, portable, and hygienic way to keep babies clean.

The feminine hygiene wipes are newer entrants in the market and their benefits for improving quality of life are well recognized by women who use them for hygiene and convenience. Various companies in this space are trying to gain their market share through new innovations and approaches. On a similar business model, Biossance has developed an advanced product called Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Cloths. These kinds of alcohol-free and biodegradable products are intended to remove long-wear makeup, condition lashes and brows, and hydrate skin easily.

The introduction of innovative products such as flavored wipes for cleaning children’s faces will continue to provide growth opportunities. Products categorized in the segment of personal hygiene, pre-moistened facial cleansing, disinfecting, and wet floor care wipes are expected to witness rapid gains. However, the inflated cost of personal care wipes and skin problems caused due to chemical contents in the products are expected to restrain the growth of the market.

Personal Care Wipes Market Trends

E-commerce retail channels play a significant role in the distribution of personal care wipes as a considerable amount of the market revenue is generated through these. Online sales channels make it easy for consumers to browse through millions of products in one place, without having to physically visit retail stores.

E-commerce retail sales are expected to witness substantial gains in the coming years on account of rising consumer spending, growing population, and increasing access to the Internet. In addition, the introduction of mobile shopping apps and the availability of safe & convenient payment gateways are contributing to the growth of the online retail industry. Personal care blogs, as well as social media apps such as Pinterest and Instagram, significantly influence the trends in personal care wipes.

The demand for personal care and skin care products, notably in areas such as hygiene, makeup, and cosmetics has grown tremendously over the recent past. This can be attributed to the increase in awareness about various benefits of these products and is expected to have a positive impact on the overall cosmetic industry, which, in turn, will drive the market for personal wipes over the forecast period.

Personal care wipes have been gaining consumers’ attention worldwide due to their effectiveness as an alternative to the several products used for cleansing, including facewash, soap, handkerchief, cloth, and napkin. Factors such as ease of use, prevention of infection, disposable nature, easy portability, and effective cleaning of the skin, specifically when access to water is limited, have been driving the market growth of personal care wipes.

People buy personal care wipes as these clean and freshen up the skin without requiring any water. These wipes come in small packets, which are easy to carry along. However, brands such as Evolina, Sun Chem India, and Emami have been offering waterless cleansing face washes. These products are made from aloe vera extract & Vitamin E and can be applied directly on the face and wiped off with a tissue or a handkerchief.

Though manufacturing and sales of these are in a nascent stage, the demand is expected to surge in the coming years owing to new product launches. For instance, in April 2017, Emami Ltd., a company dealing in the FMCG sector, launched an innovative product- ‘HE On The Go’ Waterless Face Wash under its male grooming brand ‘HE’. The product contains aloe vera and minerals from marine extracts and provides ease of use and convenience with its waterless cleaning capability.

Product Type Insights

Baby wipes accounted for the largest market share with 30.9% in 2018. Growing urbanization is one of the major factors that offer considerable growth potential to various developing countries of Africa and the Asia Pacific. Though the baby wipes market is a mature market, but price remains one of the major competitive factors in this product segment, thereby providing enough space for the major companies to enter this market.

Facial and hand and body wipes are the other two segments that accounted for the maximum share. They consist of various kinds of wipes including wet, hygienic, intimate, and fragrance. Wet wipes are the perfect solution in many life situations. They can be used as a cleaning tool very often during water scarcity or unavailability, which is a serious problem in many countries. This is one of the reasons for the faster growth of this segment.

Distribution Channel Insights

On the basis of distribution channels, the market has been segmented into supermarket/hypermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and e-commerce. The convenience stores segment was the largest contributor to the market growth in 2018. E-commerce would be the fastest-growing segment over the forecast period owing to steadily increasing internet penetration.

In the 21^st century, wipes have become an important part of daily life. The consumption pattern of these products has increased twofold because of their multiple applications. It has compelled consumers to buy these products in a much shorter term or in a bulk quantity. People find convenience stores and supermarkets as the best channel to buy them as a part of their daily goods purchases, resulting in maximum market share for convenience stores and supermarkets.

Though e-commerce has gained popularity to a large extent in the retail business, it accounts for a small percentage of the total retail sales across the world. The absence of the need to try before purchasing and the easy accessibility of online shopping is significantly driving consumer’s attention toward e-commerce. Countries such as India, China, and Germany have witnessed rapid growth in the online buying of these products. The e-commerce segment is likely to emerge as the fastest-growing segment over the forecast period due to the above-given factors.

Regional Insights

North America emerged as the largest regional market in 2018 owing to the growing demand for wipes for hygiene and household work. In 2018, the U.S. was the largest market with a 61.0% share in the region owing to growing demand by the U.S. population for the products that can provide convenience, save time, and still give the same cleaning result.

The U.S. emerged as the largest market for personal care wipes in 2019 in North America, with a market share of 61.3%. It is expected to progress at a healthy CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period. Personal care/hygiene wipes continue to enjoy increased market penetration in the U.S., with the concept of ‘wet bathroom tissue’ gaining increasing acceptance as part of a regular bathroom routine.

The growth of the more established baby wipes segment will be driven principally by gains in the infant population in the U.S. The cost of raising a baby is high in the U.S. as baby diapers and wipes are used very frequently when taking care of a baby. Due to the scarcity of water in many places in the U.S., wipes are used quite often to clean in restaurants, hotels, and washrooms, thus making it the largest market.

Europe is projected to emerge as the fastest-growing regional market with a CAGR of 7.1% over the forecast period on account of increasing demand for more specialized types of wipes, such as herbal wipes, gentler cleaning additives, or more easily flushable substrates wipes. Growing concerns over beauty among men and women and the constant increase in air pollution are also driving the demand for these products in Europe as the skin needs to be cleaned up very often.

Germany emerged as the largest market for personal care wipes in Europe, in 2019, with a market share of 22.6%. It is expected to progress at a CAGR of 6.5% over the forecast period. The growth of the German personal care wipes market is expected to be driven by the presence of a largely affluent population and lifestyle trends focused on time-saving products.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Some of the key players in this market are Edana, Diamond Wipes, Medline Industries, Procter & Gamble Company, and Edgewell Personal Care Company. Other prominent players are Honest Company, Pluswipes, Rockline Industries, and Kimberly-Clark Corporation. High to moderate entry barriers due to the presence of various brands and rapid innovation in the product line are anticipated to assert high competition among major manufacturers.

Rising demand for organic-based products and chemical-free wipes with no side effects on the skin is providing tough competition to various players. The market is identified by several activities such as expansions, acquisitions and mergers, and product and technological innovation attempted by the key manufacturers in the industry. Meanwhile, Derma E, a natural, clean beauty skincare brand, recently launched vitamin C Brightening Micellar Wipes. The new 100% biodegradable wipes gently exfoliate the skin while lifting away makeup, oil, and impurities.

Big companies are expanding their geographical presence in order to obtain maximum market share. Consumers want the wipes to be cheaper so that they can be used for wider applications in bulk quantities. Cost-effectiveness and multiple uses of the wipes are likely to remain critical success factors over the next few years. Taking into account all of the above factors, manufacturers are likely to focus on price and product innovation, catering particularly to the Personal Care Wipes segment.

Personal Care Wipes Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2015 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global Personal Care Wipes market report on the basis of product type, distribution channel, and region:

• Product Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Baby

  • Facial & Cosmetic

  • Hand & Body

  • Flushable

  • Others

• Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Supermarket/Hypermarket

  • Convenience Stores

  • Pharmacy

  • E-commerce

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

  • Europe

    • Germany

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa