As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, it continues to impact global markets, including personal care. While many personal care products are essential, others are not, including products for which consumers will make alternate choices. Consequently, the pandemic is expected to adversely impact the demand for personal care ingredients. However, the impact is expected to vary from one product category to another.
For example, demand for personal care products such as soaps, hand and body lotions, and hand sanitizers, is expected to grow during COVID-19 as the importance of hygiene grows. Similarly, demand for oral care products is not expected to be impacted, as people will continue to use them on a regular basis with or without the pandemic. On the other hand, demand for personal care products such as hair coloring or hair styling products is expected to decline the most. Thus, the impact on personal care ingredients will vary depending upon the type of product.
Emollients are in the top-three most resilient ingredient groups. They are mainly used in rescue categories and should be the least affected. They may even grow faster (on a volume basis) when the pandemic is over, due to the expected changes in consumer habits. Emollients are mainly used in skin care products. As demand for skin care products such as soaps and hand and body lotions is expected to grow, emollients demand should rise. This category also includes large-volume humectants. Due to the significant presence of humectants in oral care, the impact of COVID-19 is expected to be more limited than in some other ingredient categories. Other emollients are used in a variety of products and are therefore expected to experience various levels of impact. As a result, demand for emollients is not expected to be as impacted as some other categories such as hair fixative polymers.
Further, COVID-19 may also speed up the shift toward healthier lifestyles, as this pandemic has affected people with chronic health conditions, such as heart conditions or diabetes, the most. This will also impact the personal care industry. For example, the shift toward natural ingredients may speed up further. This is beneficial for emollients, as emollients include humectants and natural oils, which are mostly natural. For more insights, subscribe to Kline’s already published report: Personal Care Ingredients: Emollients Market Analysis.
