U.S. Oral Care Products Consumer Insights - Usage, Attitudes And Brand Performance Report

Introduction:

The oral care industry is growing significantly in the U.S. due to the awareness of consumers around dental health. We also see an increase in oral diseases like tooth decay and oral cancer due to lifestyle changes. The oral care industry has been leveraging the situation and developing products with the help of technology to tackle dental problems, presenting consumers with advanced products such as electric toothbrushes, water flossers for functional cleaning, and much more. Using natural ingredients has also been on the rise as consumers seek more organic and sustainable products. In addition, some brands are also offering personalized products to attract consumers by engraving the customer’s name, offering various color options, etc. Let us deep dive into some trends and shifts that have taken place so far:

• Clean & Sustainable Oral Care: The “clean beauty” movement has had a significant impact, encouraging consumers to seek oral care products with natural, chemical-free ingredients like eucalyptus and neem. On the other hand, sustainable products like eco-friendly toothbrushes, biodegradable floss, and recyclable tubes are also gaining traction as a part of the ‘save the environment’ pact. Also, tackling allergic reactions, if any, fluoride substitutes can be seen on the shelves.

• Personalized Tech-Infused Oral Care: To address the need for whitening, sensitivity, and/or gum problems, the demand for specific and targeted oral care has increased. Advancements in technology in oral care are encouraging companies to create personalized and tech-savvy products, such as toothbrush sanitizers, and use methods like digital diagnosis and laser dentistry.

• Whitening & Aesthetic Appeal: Due to the rising trend in selfie-culture and the impact of social media influencers, the demand for home-use teeth whitening products like LED whitening kits, whitening pastes, strips, and gels to achieve that flawless smile has increased. The demand for in-office and at-home natural whitening treatments has evolved and requires less alteration to the natural tooth structure, making it more convenient and pocket-friendly.

• Oral and Gum Health Supplements: With the increasing awareness about the importance of oral hygiene, the demand for dental health supplements, which include nutrients that provide tooth strength, herbal extracts that have anti-inflammatory properties, and probiotics that reduce the risk of gum disease, has been on the rise.

Methodology:

The insights covered in this report are drawn from GVR’s ‘Voice of Consumer Survey’ and its periodic updates. The latest survey represents 75,000+ consumer interviews conducted across 20 countries for 100+ product categories. These insights are specifically catered to the brands operating in the oral care industry in order to guide them in their strategic decision-making process. This report provides insights covering category usage & attitude, buying behavior, brand performance metrics, and brand health indicators of leading players in the U.S. oral care market.

Chapter 1: Usage and attitude

U.S. consumers display a growing awareness of the importance of oral health. Consumers are increasingly prioritizing these routines more often, as more than 5 out of 10 consumers say they use oral care products multiple times a day, indicating the improved awareness of the benefits of brushing twice a day.

Oral care products are mostly used as a part of morning routine, as mentioned by about 7 out of 10 consumers; although quite a few consumers do use oral care products before bedtime, it is an opportunity for brands to increase the awareness around a bedtime oral routine and its benefits and promote their products accordingly, as the current usage is about 36%.

When it comes to reasons for using oral care products, personal grooming and hygiene are the most important reasons for females as well as males. Enhancing physical appearance comes as the second most significant reason for males, whereas for females, maintaining overall health is another significant reason. The key associations that consumers form with using oral care products are feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, or an enhanced appearance due to a whiter and better smile. However, the affordability concerns around the advanced products, such as electric toothbrushes, LED teeth whitening devices, etc., create a gap among consumers, forming negative associations around the same. Thus, this poses an opportunity for brands to tap into the budget-savvy consumers’ market.

Buying Behavior

Consumers seek certain information points before making a purchase, which aids in their decision-making, especially given the pool of choices in the market, and some of these information points are pricing or affordability, considering increasing prices and a growing recession. Next is the quality and effectiveness of the product, followed by brand reputation and trustworthiness. Given that oral care product usage is lower in volume, regardless of being more frequent, they largely prefer to repurchase or stock up on the product once in 1-3 months.

Overall, drugstores or pharmacies are the preferred mode of purchasing oral care products. When we dive deep into slightly younger generations, Gen Z prefers e-commerce platforms, followed by drugstores and department stores. Whereas Millennials assign the highest preference to drugstores, followed by e-commerce marketplaces and specialty beauty stores, landing in the second position.

We can confidently state that oral care belongs to a more planned purchase category, as more than 5 out of 10 people say their purchase is always planned, whereas 32% of consumers quote it is mostly planned. Only about 11% of the population has displayed both planning and spontaneity in their purchase behavior.

The key influencing factors for any oral care purchase are price/discounts, as almost every 7 out of 10 consumers have selected this as their key trigger. Also, brand reputation plays a significant role in product purchase, given that a significant proportion of consumers are quite conscious of the brand they are using.

While pricing and a brand name influence a consumer, what makes them delighted with a purchase is the visible results and their longevity. A toothpaste claiming to whiten your teeth within two weeks of consistent usage or a toothpaste claiming to provide 12-hour freshness, when it succeeds in providing consumers with these results in the desired time, stands out. Having said that, since price is the key motivator, when consumers have to pay a higher price for a product with these added benefits, it creates immediate dissatisfaction among them.

Brand Power Play (Brand Health and Performance)

Some of the popular oral care brands in the U.S. include Colgate, Crest, Oral-B, Sensodyne, and Arm & Hammer. Although the oral care industry in the U.S. has many competitors, Colgate dominates the market with 80% awareness. Some of the other emerging brands, like Waterpik and Biotène, are slowly making their way into the industry.

Purchase Funnel

The oral care industry is highly competitive, especially with global brands competing for dominance through effective regional marketing strategies. Some of these brands with a long-standing presence are Colgate, Oral-B, and Sensodyne. While Crest also has a global presence, it is dominantly sold on the shelves of the U.S., followed by Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This makes Crest one of the toughest competitors for Colgate, as they compete throughout the funnel for the first position. While Colgate tops in awareness and consideration, Crest climbs the ladder in preference. However, what’s interesting is that both brands, when it comes to purchase intent and usage, display the same performance, making both of them market leaders. Further to this, Oral-B comes up as another competitor making its way through the industry. Although Sensodyne is another trustworthy brand, due to its specific targeting toward sensitive gums and teeth, it retains its 4^th position in the market. Lastly, Arm & Hammer, due to its unique take on product formulations, also maintains its position in the market, making it popular as a toothpaste with baking soda.

The overall NPS score of the leading brands varies from 20- 50. Colgate and Crest compete here as well, with NPS scores of 42 and 41, respectively. Although Arm & Hammer has lower awareness and consideration, it garners commendable brand loyalty, leading with an NPS score of 50 among users of the brand.