The proportion of Australians who buy soap in an average four week period has shrunk almost 10 per cent over the last five years, the latest data from Roy Morgan Research shows.
After four consecutive annual declines, 52.8 per cent of Australians said they purchased bath or toilet soap in an average four weeks in the year to June 2014, down from 58.6 per cent in 2010.
In the declining market, Dove has managed to maintain a purchase level of around one in eight Australians, holding steady enough to overtake Palmolive as the country’s most popular soap in the past year.
Palmolive has declined from 13.9 per cent in 2010 to 11.9 per cent, with only half a percentage point in it for the lead.
Of the top five brands, Country Life has suffered the biggest decline over the period, from 10.2 per cent in 2010 to 6.9 per cent now, however, it remains in third place, ahead of Imperial Leather, which sits at 5.1 per cent, down 1.5 percentage points; and Lux, 4.2 per cent, down one percentage point.
The combined penetration of supermarket brands, however, has grown every year since 2010. These are now purchased by 6.4 per cent of Australians in an average four week period, up one percentage point.
Angela Smith, group account director consumer products at Roy Morgan Research, says that although fewer Australians are regularly buying soap, there has been some growth in the proportion purchasing shower gel or body wash, while liquid hand wash has been fairly steady over the last few years.
“In the declining soap market, purchasing of nearly all brands, excluding supermarkets’ own, has fallen over the past five years,” said Smith. “Only a few of the smaller players are up or steady, including Neutrogena, Nivea, Priya, and Simple.
“Of the top five brands, only Dove has increased its penetration among soap buyers during the period. Supermarkets’ own brands are performing strongly – combined, they have increased their presence each year since 2010, now being the fourth most popular soap behind Country Life,” she said.
Among soap buyers, men are more likely than women to put a supermarket brand in the trolley, but there are clear differences in the brands men and women prefer.
“The greater difference is often about marital status. Single people of either sex are more likely to buy Lux, Dettol, Simple, Nivea or Neutrogena and less likely to buy Country Life, Cussons Pure, Pears, Natural Selections ,or Sunlight/Velvet Personal than people who are partnered.”
