Despite repackaging and new varieties from Pantene, major shampoo brands have been suffering at the hands of smaller players. Herbal Essences and Neutrogena have both experienced more than 20% growth. Wella launched Vivality in June, the first new brand to be introduced into the shampoo and conditioner sector since Fructis, achieving combined sales of more than £6m already. An increase in designer brands such as Toni & Guy and John Frieda in the high street is likely to continue. Colourants, meanwhile, have moved from merely covering grey towards fashion. Manufacturers have aimed new products at younger generations, such as Garnier Lumia and L'Oréal Open. The Gillette success story continues with the launch of Venus razors and blades in April this year. Backed by a big media spend and instore activity, this is the first launch in the women's sector to feature triple-blade technology and razors in blister packs. Venus is now third in the razors and blades market after Mach3 and Sensor Excel for men. The razors and blades sector has been characterised by brand extensions, with Wilkinson Sword launching into disposable variants, and the Cool Blue version of Gillette's Mach3. Wilkinson Sword launched Xtreme III for men in March followed by a women's variant in August. While both Lynx and Sure bring out new scents each year, new convenient applicators in the form of wipes are driving growth in deodorants by providing a new usage occasion for consumers for cleaning, freshening and deodorising in one go. Dove, Sure and Impulse have all extended into this area. This is the first year Impulse has entered the deodorants market and this is driving the 20% growth in the Impulse brand. Wipes have also been introduced into the facial beauty skin care sector. Overall, male sectors and sports varieties in particular, such as Adidas, are driving growth in the toiletries market. Launched this year, Right Guard Xtreme Sport for men has pushed growth in male deodorants with sales of over £3m so far. Whitening variants continue to drive the toothpaste market, with the recent focus being on the launch of combined All-in-One and Whitening variants. GSK were first to market with Aquafresh Multi-Action whitening. {{P&P }}

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