There are shifts happening across the personal care market and the application of antiperspirants and deodorants especially is not immune to these shifts. From more inclusive positioning and safer ingredients lists to special purpose and novel formats, now is the time to get moving on innovating.

US Deodorants are dominated by sticks and sprays, although category growth is influenced by pumps

For full-body applications, wipes, pastes, and lotions have been rapidly adopted. Oils, sprays, and serums have the potential to capitalize on the niche areas and whole-body applications that are aligning with skincare benefits, providing more than just odor neutralizing benefits.

Think about:

Dry spray innovations

  • Address consumers’ pain point of underarm stains on clothing
  • This innovation resulted in higher unit prices for deodorants; a trend that will continue

Lighter scents and layering of Pumps & Sprays

  • Appeal to young, modern consumers to personalize a “fragrance wardrobe” by layering scents.
  • Pumps positioned as mass or masstige have the opportunity to become a product of choice as a deodorant & a body scent.

Shift in Market Claims Mean Change is Here

Top 15 Marketing Claims of US Deodorants (Jan 2019-Aug 2020)

Source: Mintel GNPD

Functional Claim

Environmental/Ethical Claims

Safety/Free-from Claims

Gender-Specific Claims – Unlike other regions, in the US, sales of gender-specific deodorants still outperform unisex and remain relevant.

Even though the deodorant market still remains highly segmented by gender, expect to see more scents, formats and packaging that are less gender stereotypical and focused more on the efficacious claims of the product. Antiperspirants are also moving this way, however, less rapidly. Antiperspirants are bringing in claims of detoxifying and pH balancing with simplistic designs when moving away from gendered packaging.

A Focus on Safety: For Both People and Environment.

Greatest Shift in claims in for AP/DEO launches from 2018-2020

Source: Mintel GNPD

Take a deeper look at incorporating ingredients to align with sustainable product concepts.

Companies are taking a stance to incorporate sustainable practices in deodorant launches through refillable packages, solid formats, and DIY kits.

Wellbeing, Safety and “For Everyone” Positioning Exemplify Body Positivity

Inclusivity, allowing for free expression, and ensuring safety all build the pillars of well-being. Ingredients such as bamboo powder or charcoal are included in recent launches to replace common natural ingredients like baking soda which can be drying and irritating. Botanical Extracts, and plant-based squalene along with Aloe help to balance the moisture and soothe the underarm area.

A health-focus coupled with transparency in messaging and ingredients has shown claims such as: low-tox, and free from aluminum, phthalates, parabens, allergens, and propylene glycol, to go beyond just what is considered bad consumers are applying Wellness logic by seeking ingredients that are beneficial to the skin such as Chamomile, Lavender, & Vitamins.

Lifestyle focused positioning has served well in this category, tailoring purpose-driven messaging and efficacious ingredient selection to groups such as pregnancy-friendly, clean beauty advocates, hypersensitive individuals, extreme athletes, yogis, and extreme element professionals.

A Balancing Act that Won’t Make You Sweat

As people are more accustomed to searching for causes and treatments for skin ailments and make it a point to research ingredients online, combating odor and perspiration are no different and have been painstakingly put under the microscope. Prebiotic and Probiotic ingredients that address the imbalance that happens in your skin’s natural microbiota are growing exponentially.

Balance Bacteria

Products to incorporate this trend:

Long-Lasting Still Highest Claim because Falling Short Stinks

Consumers are looking for products to protect them through all they do and AP/Deo products are no different. From crowded trains, working outdoors, heavy lifting in the gym, to running after little ones, and even those who sleep hot. No one wants to get a whiff of their deodorant falling short.

Check Out Concepts for Active Beauty

Explore More on Clean Beauty

Take Inspiration from these Innovative Formats that Blur Skin Care Claims with Traditional Deodorant

Deliver long-awaited benefits all over by taking inspiration from the skincare market, think of applications such as masks and serums, that treat discoloration, irritation, dry skin, flaking, sensitivity, ingrown hairs, and blemishes. Additionally, products that reduce shaving which can also help to reduce irritation caused by the friction of shaving. Products that address perspiration in areas other than the underarms such as the hands, face, back, feet, forehead, and intimate areas, are of high interest.

Add a Personal Touch to Armpits

Personalization has become a differentiator for all beauty and hygiene applications that consumers delight in. Add customization through scents, formats, ingredient selection such as extract combinations, and lifestyle or demographic alignment.

Formulating AP/DEO doesn’t have to Stink

Let’s work to transform the conversation about odor and sweat management with innovative and transformative formats that are silky and light-weight, allowing for long-term protection and comfort, like Gel-to-Powder or Cream-to-Powder Formulas that speak to mom’s, professionals, athletes, and fitness aficionados motivators alike.

No Sweat! We have you covered with Starting Point Formulas and Ingredients:

Ingredients to get the formulation benefits consumers want

Ingredients from BASF

Lanette 18 DEO – delivers consistency to stick preparations and is odorless

Cetiol C5 – naturally derived, fast-spreading and light emollient, excellent substitution for silicones, with a Cyclomethicone-like feel

Cetiol Ultimate – the ideal natural, fast drying, high spreading  emollient to deliver a smooth texture without oiliness

 

Ingredients from Hallstar

Sodium Stearate OP-100V – vegetable-derived gelling agent ideal for maximum stick clarity

Sodium Stearate OP-200V – vegetable-derived gelling agent to increase the melt point and decrease the payout of hydroglycolic sticks, ideal for nonalcoholic sticks

Eurol BT – olive leaf extract with many properties such as “antimicrobial properties”, soothing/anti-inflammatory

Sensolene Light ET – skin compatible emollient with soothing and anti-inflammatory properties

 

Ingredients from Beraca

Beramineral DEO – 100% mineral origin, and has properties of transpiration and bad odor reduction. Due to its natural origin, its does not cause irritations nor sensitization can be used to help reduce non-natural antiperspirant ingredients in formulations.