Content area
Full text
Some bath products have standout sales in the health and beauty aids category. So, what's trending with Canadians in the moodfor a soak?
The health and beauty aids market in Canada may be lukewarm, but bath products are steaming hot.
Recent Nielsen figures show the bath additives category, which includes foams, bath salts and oil extracts, grew 10% in dollars for the 52 weeks ending March 7. Likewise, sales of bath accessories (think sponges, poufs, gloves and bristly brushes) rose 12% over the same period.
These double-digit hikes are all the more remarkable given that analysts say the bath-and-shower category in Canada is already highly saturated.
Still, as the Nielsen figures show, Canadians are spending more on their bath. That's largely because they are spoiling themselves more at home. "People are indulging more, but they're bringing the spa home rather than spending on spa services," says Gina Tonack, health and beauty buyer at Richmond, B.C.-based drugstore chain London Drugs.
The trend is similar on the other side of the country. "We've noticed people are looking for inexpensive ways to pamper themselves," says Carlo Scartozzi, vicepresident of sales at Alpen Secrets, a Montreal-based company that sells bath and body-care products to several drugstore and grocery chains across Canada, including Walmart Quebec, Jean Coutu, IGA, Rexall and Overwaitea. "In pharmacy, we have seen 1.5 linear feet, or 10%, more shelf space being devoted...