Personal care - health 2024: lubes & gels ride the trend for wellness

If you blush easily, look away now. That’s because we’re going to talk about sex. Lubricants & gels have grown volumes faster than any of the other seven sectors in this report. They’re up 1.4%, or 77.1 thousand packs. That’s translated into a 6.4% value gain, or £2.3m.

Although sales are still relatively small, NIQ expects further growth. “Sexual wellness is becoming more important for consumers,” says senior analytics executive Kevin Chen. “They have a preference for natural ingredients and products focusing on sensitive skin. They’re also more experimental and attracted to more playful products.”

This hasn’t gone unnoticed by market-leader Durex. It’s been pushing playfulness in ads and in-store marketing. The brand has offered lube-and-device bundle deals in Boots and money off on its Naturals and Play lubes to loyalty cardholders in Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Value sales of Durex lubes are up 12.7% on units up 8.6% – but its condoms are flat in both value and volumes.

That latter performance is much like the wider condoms market, which has inched up just 0.7% in value on units that have slipped 0.1%. “The condoms category remains stagnant,” says Chen. “Trading down to own label or even resorting to free condoms is potentially affecting category performance.”

That being said, compared with the wider healthcare market, condoms are in pretty good shape. Five of the eight sectors in this report have lost units faster, and brands are bearing the brunt.

Take adult analgesics. Top 10 brands Nurofen, Solpadeine and Anadin have shed a combined 4.7 million packs, as overall branded volumes have fallen 13.4%.

At the same time, own label has risen 8.2%. The figure is illustrative of private label’s performance across the wider health category.

“Developments in own label are significantly impacting the category, particularly in adult and paediatric analgesics,” says NIQ senior analytics executive Chandi Singh. “This is driven by NPD, competitive pricing and expanded distribution.”

Prevention over cure

Another category where own label is faring well is vitamins & minerals. Here, private label is up 11.3% in value and 1.4% in volume, versus brands’ respective 5.8% and 0.2% gains. Own label now accounts for 24.8% of category value and 43.2% of units.

It forms part of a healthy category picture overall: units are up 0.7% and value has surged 7.1%. That is attributed to consumers taking a more proactive approach to wellness.

“Since Covid, many shoppers have become more proactive about their health, focussing on diet, lifestyle, and supplements to boost immunity and nutrient intake,” says Michael Durkin, sales director at Centrum owner Haleon.

“Many are seeking prevention over cure,” he adds. To reclaim their share of this growing market, brands are fighting back with products tailored for specific needs.

“We are seeing trends towards personalisation,” says Durkin. Centrum, for example, launched its ‘Tailored For You’ push earlier this year to highlight its ranges designed for a variety of life stages.

“One of these stages is conception and pregnancy,” he adds. “In August, Centrum entered the segment with the launch of Centrum Conception and Centrum Pregnancy + DHA, containing hero ingredients like chromium, folic acid and vitamins C, D, and E. The range supports women who are trying to conceive or during their pregnancy.”

Brands are also taking aim at later life stages – especially menopause. Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, for example, are among the retailers to have developed menopause-friendly bays in the past year, in response to such launches as Fabü Shrooms Meno & Peri and Health & Her Perimenopause Gummies (see below).

That latter product is bang on trend. “Gummies have taken the market by storm and are still gaining traction,” says Singh.

“We’re also seeing growing demand for ingredients like ashwagandha, ginseng and turmeric, as shoppers look for natural ways to support wellness.”

Ashwagandha is one of the many ingredients in Health & Her’s spin-off range for men. Launched in October, Health & Him is aimed at tackling andropause – sometimes known as the male menopause – caused by declining testosterone in older fellas.

The four products promise to support the likes of memory and concentration, energy levels, sleep – and even libido. Told you we were going to talk about sex.

Read more: Personal care 2023 - health: Sickly Brits drive huge value gains