Sales of bar soap slip as US consumers turn to liquids
WHEN it comes to soap, fewer Americans are hitting the bar.
The reason? They say they simply can’t be bothered.
More than half of consumers – 55 per cent – say bar soap is inconvenient when compared to liquid varieties, according to a new report by research firm Mintel. Among their chief complaints: Bar soaps leave residue in the shower, require a dish for storage, and aren’t as long-lasting as liquid options.
As a result, sales of what was once a shower mainstay have been slipping for years. Bar soap sales dipped 2.2 per cent between 2014 and 2015, while overall sales of bath and shower products grew 2.7 per cent during the same per iod, according to Mintel.
Today, roughly 64 per cent of US consumers use bar soap in some capacity, although men and older Americans are more likely to do so. The survey found 53 per cent of men said they were willing to wash their face with bar soap, while just 36 per cent of women agreed to the same.
Researchers also found a generational divide:
“Sometimes suffering from an old fashioned image, bar soap is more widely accepted among more mature Americans, with as many as 60 per cent of those aged 65+ happy to use bar soap on their face, a figure which declines to just one third (33 per cent) of those aged 25-34.”
An earlier study by Mindel found millennials are eschewing cereal for similar reasons. Roughly 40 per cent of those surveyed by Mindel said “cereal was an inconvenient breakfast choice because they had to clean up after eating it”, according to the New York Times. As a result, cereal sales have slipped by nearly 30 per cent since 2000.
“Conven ience i s t he one t hing t hat’s rea l ly cha nging t rends t hese days,” Howard Telford, an analyst at market resea rch compa ny Euromonitor, told t he Washington Post last year.
But when it comes to soap, t he perception of cleanliness may a lso be a factor. Nearly ha l f of t hose sur veyed sa id t hey bel ieve ba r soaps a re often covered in germs, a view t hat was more widely held a mong younger consumers t ha n older ones. (Si x t y per c ent of 18- to 24-yea r-old shoppers sa id t hey worr ied about ger ms on ba r soap, compared to 31 per cent of those 65 and older.)
However, it may not be all bad news for bar soap. More than 60 per cent of consumers said they might consider buying “premium” varieties of the item, which could help companies reclaim lost business, according to Margie Nanninga, a beauty analyst for Mintel.
“A broader variet y of scents can help bar soap brands tap into the success of aromather apy cla i ms, posit ion i ng lemon as an energizing scent or a mber as a rela x i ng f ragrance,” she said in an email, adding that brands may also begin offering bar soap in “a g reater va r iet y of shapes.”