A Brief Discussion on the Market Status and Development Trend of Detergent Products

Nice Zhejiang Technical Co.,Ltd.,China

Abstract The current state of the market scale of each subdivision category of detergents was briefly introduced,and the information of global detergent products in recent ten years was traced to analyze the changes in detergent categories,concentrated product form,new product claims and formula composition.The market development trend of detergent products was summarized as follows: from a consumer market of single cleaning products to the one which is prosperous for both cleaning and care products; laundry pods will become the main force to promote the process of detergent concentrating; environmental protection and sustainable development are the main themes of detergent products.

Key words detergent; laundry pods; claim; environmentally friendly product; sustainable development

According to the “Industrial classification for national economic activities GB/T4754-2017”published by Standardization Administration,the cleaning industry belongs to chemical industry,and its four-level statistical code is soap and synthetic detergent manufacturing industry (2681).[1]There are many types of cleaning products,such as soap,washing powder,liquid detergent,solid detergent and paste detergent etc,which can be widely used in household,personal hygiene,fabric cleaning and care,industrial cleaning and other fields.[2]Among them,fabric cleaning and care accounts for the largest proportion of cleaning products,accounting for 53% of the total detergent market,and the market maintained a steady growth.[3]According to the forecast of Mintel,the market of fabric cleaning and care products will grow at an annual growth rate of 4.2% from 2019 to 2024.The organic growth of detergent market is providing a strong driving force for the explosion and innovation of products.The following will focus on the analysis of detergent products at home and abroad in recent 10 years,and explore the development trend of products.

Market status of detergent products

In recent years,the global detergent market has been increasing year by year,and the total scale in 2017 has reached $175.6 billion.According to the classification of detergents,the global market scale of washing powder in 2017 reached $29.7 billion (of which the market scale of concentrated powder was$4.35 billion ),and under the influence of liquefaction trend,the growth rate of the market scale of washing powder gradually slowed down.It is expected that the global market of washing powder will increase to $34.3 billion in 2024; The global market scale of liquid detergent reached $23 billion in 2017,and it has been reached $25.1 billion by 2018 with rapid growth.Liquid detergent accounts for more than 80%of the detergent market in the United States,while the market share in other regions is less than 50%,there is still a broad space for development of liquid detergent in the future.

According to the statistical data of the National Bureau of statistics,the total output of synthetic detergents by enterprises above designated scale in 2019 was 10.01 million tons.Among them,the output of washing powder was 3.33 million tons,and the output of liquid detergent was 6.68 million tons (66.73 % of the output of synthetic detergent ).According to the China Cleaning Industry Association,the production of soap was 0.91 million tons in 2019.In conclusion,the output of cleaning products (washing powder,liquid detergent and soap) in China will be about 10.92 million tons in 2019.

Overview of global detergent products

The information of fabric care products from 2010 to 2019 in 86 markets of Asia Pacific,North America,Europe,Middle East and Africa,Latin America and other six markets in the world were searched by using Mintel GNPD.Focusing on the number and growth rate of major detergent products such as liquid detergent,washing powder,soap,laundry pods,conditioners and softeners.The results are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.Number and growth rate of different detergents from 2010 to 2019

According to 2010-2014 and 2015-2019 statistics to analyze the product growth trend of each category.The results showed that among the conventional detergent(liquid detergent,washing powder,soap),the number of liquid detergent products was the largest,In the past five years,more than 7,000 products were released,with a growth rate of 44.9%.The number of soap products was the least,only 640,but the growth rate was slightly higher than that of washing powder.Therefore,from the global release of detergent products,the trend of detergent “liquefaction” is gradually deepening and spreading.

Although the price of liquid detergent is high,compared with washing powder,its advantages such as easy to use,rapid dissolution,low alkalinity,more gentle and skin friendly have also won the favor of consumers.[4]According to the statistics of AISE(International Association for Soaps,Detergents and Maintenance Products),the amount of washing powder used by European families has decreased by 45% in the past 20 years; According to the statistical survey data of Frost ＆ Sullivan ,as of 2019,the market penetration rate of liquid detergent in the United States was 91.4%,that of Japan’s is 79.5%,and that of China’s liquid detergent market is about 40%; According to the target put forward in “13th five-year plan for China cleaning industry”,the proportion of a growth rate of in the total amount of detergent will reach 60% by 2020.[5]As a result,the advantages of liquid detergent will accelerate the process of liquefaction under the promotion of the whole industry.

In addition,laundry pods as a new form of detergent products in the past five years ushered in an explosive growth rate of 150.6%.Other sub categories such as conditioners and softeners,fabric fresheners/moth repellents and washing machine/iron care products have increased rapidly.Taking conditioners and softeners as an example,the number of its products has reached 5,589 in recent five years,with a growth rate of 33.3%,which was only second to the number of products released by liquid detergent.It can be seen that the trend of consumption upgrading has changed consumers’ demand for detergent products,and the detergent consumption market has gradually changed from a consumer market of single cleaning products to the one which is prosperous for both cleaning and care products.

Overview of global concentrated detergent products

The information of concentrated detergent products launched in 86 markets in six regions of the world from 2010 to 2019 was further analyzed ,including Asia-Pacific,North America,Europe,the Middle East and Africa,and Latin America.The number and growth rate of concentrated detergent products such as compact laundry liquid,concentrated laundry powder,laundry pods,and laundry tablets were focused on,results are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2.Number and growth rate of concentrated detergent products released from 2010 to 2019

According to the statistics of 2010-2014 and 2015-2019,the growth trend of products in each category was analyzed.The number of concentrated laundry powder and laundry tablets released in the past five years showed a negative growth,while the growth rate of compact laundry liquid was 16.4%,and the growth rate of laundry pods was as high as 150.6%.Among the global concentrated detergent products,57.1% of the products are released in the European region,and the number of all types of concentrated products in the European region ranked first in the world,among which compact laundry liquid and laundry pods accounted for the highest proportion and were equally distributed; Concentrated products in North America accounted for 8.0%,and the main concentrated products in recent five years were laundry pods; Concentrated products in Asia Pacific region accounted for 23.4%,the main concentrated products is still compact laundry liquid.According to the cleaning industry report released by Euromonitor International,the concentration rate of liquid detergent in the United States was 98.8%,that in Europe is nearly 80%,that in Japan is 98.9%,and that in China is only 4%.Concentrated detergent is still in its infancy in the Chinese market,but under the promotion of the whole industry and the cultivation and transformation of consumption habits,concentration is also an inevitable trend.

At present,the active substance content of most compact laundry liquid in China is about 30%～45%,[6]and even reaches 70%.[7]Consumers only need to add 1/3～1/2 of the amount of ordinary detergent,but some consumers still can’t get rid of the usual usage habits in the process of using,which leads to the waste of detergent and the increase of cleaning cost.Consumers’ cognitive level and cleaning habits have become the barriers to the promotion of compact laundry liquid.However,the laundry pods have completely changed the product form and usage habit of traditional liquid detergent,and the quantitative method of one at a time is easier to be mastered by consumers.[8,9]Moreover,the design of large and small pods also avoids unnecessary waste.As a new form of carrier for concentrated detergent,it is of great significance for sustainable development ,can effectively reduce environmental pollution,and is conducive to promote the product structure adjustment and industrial upgrading of the detergent industry.The outbreak of products in the past five years can be predicted that the laundry pods will become the new main force to promote the process of concentrated detergent.

The main claim of detergent

The main claims of detergent products in different regions were analyzed.The statistical results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1.Comparison of the major claims of detergent products in five regions of the world from 2015 to 2019

According to the claims of global products,detergent products in the past five years are mainly claim to be “environmentally friendly products(accounting for 63.5%),sustainable (habitat/resources) (accounting for 32.5%),toxins free(accounting for 27.3%),environmentally friendly package (accounting for 21.2%),recycling(accounting for 19.1%)”.The impact of detergents on the environment is mainly reflected in two aspects:biodegradability and aquatic toxicity.[10]Over the past few decades,the development of detergents from phosphorus to phosphorus free,from ordinary to concentrated/super concentrated,as well as low foam and easy bleaching,cold water enzyme technology,all benefit from the enhancement of people’s awareness of green environmental protection and ecological health.Environmental protection claims in new products have become the mainstream vane of the detergent market,reducing the environmental footprint and embracing the circular economy are the basic demands of the global detergent industry.

According to the comparative analysis of the product declarations in various regions of the world,it is found that Europe occupies a relatively high proportion in the declarations of “environmentally friendly,sustainable,environmentally friendly package and recycling”,and its attention and contribution to environmental protection is the world's leading level.In North America,in addition to “environmentally friendly products,recycling and biodegradable”,the proportion of “toxins free,no additives/preservatives”claims is also very high,which reflects the demand for safety of cleaning products; In addition to environmental protection claims,the proportion of “toxins free,botanical/herbal,no additives/preservatives and anti-bacterial”in the Asia Pacific region is relatively high,reflecting the high demand for safety and antibacterial efficacy of cleaning products.In addition,the claims of“ease of use,time/speed” account for the highest proportion in all regions of the world,which shows that consumers in the Asia Pacific region pay more attention to the convenience of detergents.

Composition analysis of detergent

The change and trend of formula components of detergent products from 2010 to 2019,as well as the composition characteristics of formula components in various regions of the world were analyzed.The statistical results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2.Changes of the composition for the global detergent products from 2010 to 2019

continued

The main components of detergents are usually composed of surfactants,builders and additives.Surfactants are usually anionic surfactants and nonionic surfactants.[11]In addition to surfactants,soaps,enzymes,builders and other components play a role in decontamination.

Enzymes preparation can produce obvious cleaning effect with a small amount,and it is also a raw material with good biodegradability.[12]Nearly five years,the use frequency of enzymes in detergent formulation increased significantly ,accounting for 49.1%.According to the category of detergent,the proportion of enzymes in washing powder,soap,liquid detergent,laundry pods and other cleaning products increased,among which the use of enzymes in liquid detergent increased the most.According to the regional statistical data,the frequency of enzymes application is the highest in European countries,followed by the Middle East and Africa,and the Asia-Pacific region has the lowest frequency of enzyme applications.

Soaps is often used as the main component of active substances in many detergents,and it is also an effective foam regulator,which can improve the cleaning and bleaching performance.[13]As a whole,the addition of soaps also increased greatly,accounting for 40.4%.According to the category of detergent,the frequency of soaps used in liquid detergent has increased significantly in the nearly five years,while the frequency of soaps used in washing powder and laundry pods is decreasing.According to the regional statistical data,soaps is used most frequently in European countries,followed by the Middle East and Africa,and the North American region has the lowest application frequency.

Optical brighteners is a functional additive of detergent,which can increase the whiteness and brightness of the fabric.[14]However,consumers’demands for non-toxic,safe and green cleaning products have gradually changed the application situation of whitening agents.In recent five years,the use frequency of optical brighteners has decreased slightly.According to the category of detergent,except for washing powder,the use frequency of optical brighteners in soap,liquid detergent and laundry pods is significantly reduced.The proportion of optical brighteners in washing powder increased from 53.4% to 57.9%,while the proportion in liquid detergent decreased from 31% to 29.3%,the proportion in soap decreased from 21.2% to 15.6%,and the proportion of optical brighteners in laundry pods decreased from 69.7% to 62.9%.According to the regional statistical data,the use frequency of optical brighteners in North America and Asia-Pacific region is the lowest in recent five years.

The antiseptic system of detergent is mainly composed of methylisothiazolinon and benzisothiazolinone,and it is mostly used in liquid products.The antiseptic system of soap products is mostly the application of triclocarban.Fragrance is an indispensable additive to improve the quality of products in detergent,[15]which can satisfy consumers' emotional appeals,its use frequency is relatively high,and it has still been improved in the past five years.The use frequency of aromatic materials such as butylphenylmethylpropional,hexyl cinnamal,linalool,l-limonene,citronellol,geraniol and so on are increasing.To sum up,from the changes of detergent formula components such as enzymes,soaps,optical brighteners and so on,it can be seen that the formulation design of detergent pays more attention to the impact on the environment in addition to the consideration of product safety,which is basically consistent with the declared direction.

Conclusion

Through the statistical analysis of the general situation of the subdivision category,the main claim direction and the change of formula components of the global detergent products in the recent 10 years,the development trend of detergent is still in line with the mainstream development direction of concentration,liquefaction,green environmental protection.The socalled liquefaction,that is,the cleaning advantage of liquid detergent will accelerate its liquefaction process under the promotion of the whole industry; while in the course of the development of concentrated detergent,super star laundry pods in the recent five years have made a detour and overtake,the laundry pods may become the main force to promote the condensation process of detergent in the future; In addition,from the perspective of category development data,it is gradually changing from a consumer market of single cleaning products to the one which is prosperous for both cleaning and care products; Finally,green environmental protection and sustainable development are the unchangeable demands of global detergent products,which will be the main driving force to promote the development of detergent market pattern.