In India, 90% of customers primarily use bar cleaning soap for his or her bathing routine, demonstrating their deep-rooted affinity for this format in keeping with Mintel analysis. Conversely, solely 9% of Indians report utilizing physique wash, bathe gel, or bathe cream as their fundamental bathing product.
Their hesitance to make use of the physique wash format is pushed by components corresponding to perceived excessive prices of physique wash, associations with dangerous chemical compounds and considerations about water wastage. On this article, we discover how manufacturers can overcome these boundaries and make physique wash extra interesting, notably to metro customers who are sometimes early adopters of magnificence tendencies.
Make physique wash extra economical
The numerous price ticket of physique washes, usually perceived as a luxurious product, deters many customers, with 63% contemplating it too costly. This sentiment rises to 69% amongst metro customers who often have bigger budgets for magnificence merchandise.
To beat this, manufacturers might deploy pricing methods that incentivize trial and repeat consumption. Providing worth packs, combo offers, and subscription providers are potential techniques. Transparency and communication about pricing methods can even improve the model’s picture of being economical.
For example, Cocokind emphasises its use of minimalistic packaging to scale back prices. In the meantime, Outlaw provides a Physique Wash Subscription Field, delivering a selected physique wash to the shopper each month.
Emphasise ‘cleaner’ formulations
The notion of physique washes being laden with dangerous chemical compounds is one other barrier to utilization. Indian customers desire pure magnificence merchandise, associating chemical compounds with being dangerous to the pores and skin. Mintel analysis on Clear Magnificence reveals that ‘free from dangerous chemical compounds’ is ranked as an important issue by 12% of Indian customers when selecting magnificence merchandise, carefully following ‘made with pure components’ (15%).
Manufacturers like Plum Goodness counter this concern by providing bathe gels with mild, non-drying cleaning formulation which might be stated to be cruelty-free and devoid of dangerous substances like sulphates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, and animal-derived components.
Tackle water consumption considerations
India, being one of the vital water-stressed nations, incessantly faces water shortages. Given the prevalent apply of bucket bathing, the perceived excessive water requirement of physique wash pushes customers in the direction of bar cleaning soap.
Though extra sustainable choices (eg biodegradable packaging or revolutionary formulations) could be dearer to provide notably for smaller magnificence manufacturers, positioning eco-friendly choices at inexpensive costs could be a game-changer. Manufacturers might discover revolutionary, waterless codecs like powders, sheets, and tablets to enhance the worth notion of physique wash.
Godrej, for example, launched India’s first ready-to-mix physique wash, affordably priced for the mass market. The product, out there in small sachets of concentrated components, could be combined with water and poured into reused containers, creating 200ml of physique wash. This strategy not solely addresses sustainability but in addition breaks down the value barrier, making it simpler for customers to modify from bar cleaning soap to physique wash.
What we expect
The upper value of physique wash in comparison with bar cleaning soap in India is a big barrier to adoption. Manufacturers could make physique wash extra economical by worth packs and smaller packaging, coupled with cleaner formulations that don’t considerably improve prices. Lastly, to reinforce the perceived worth of physique wash, manufacturers have the chance to delve into ingenious options corresponding to powder, sheet, and pill formulations that remove the necessity for water.
