dove range

Top launch: Dove Derma - Spa Unilever

Softer skin for the masses! Unilever has been one of the driving forces behind the development of more affordable facial skin treatments. The range (rsp: £4.99-£9.99) strikes the balance between value and indulgence, claiming to transform skincare routines into a “pleasurable ritual”. The products contain patented Cell-Moisturisers to strengthen the skin barrier while giving even-looking skin tone. The range, which replaced Dove’s core skincare range, was backed with a £5m push.

Sales of grooming products are looking less than spruce as the multiples lose ground to cheaper rivals such as the pound stores. 

“The market is becoming increasingly fragmented as shoppers search wider for the best prices on the products they buy most often,” says Tesco head of marketing & strategy for health, beauty & wellness Mark Baxter.

Modest growth in facial skincare and shower products, and a solid £4.7m spike in liquid soap sales, have been wiped out by the £21.1m loss of the deodorants market in the past year. Bar soaps have slid a further £2.4m.

Nielsen attributes deodorants’ decline to a lack of NPD since the 2013 launch of Unilever’s compressed cans, with hefty average price gains across the company’s brands contributed to double-digit volume drops.

Not until fifth-biggest deodorant brand Nivea do you see any growth, its 12.8% rise on volumes up 15.7% driven partly by its cheaper price. Beiersdorf puts the growth down to NPD and sponsorship of Liverpool FC.

Price is vital in skincare, as cheaper brands such as Simple and Nivea steal sales from pricier players. Olay’s biggest SKU, Anti-Wrinkle, is down 5.3% on volumes down 3.9%. In response, P&G says it is rationalising the range. “There’s utter confusion in the fixture,” says sales director Ian Morley.

TOP 3 Deodorants  SALES
        £m change (£m) change (%)
Total volume change: –6.6% Total Category 544.2 –21.1 –3.7
      Total Own Label 13.2 –2.1 –13.5
1 1 Lynx Unilever 94.5 –6.0 –6.0
2 2 Sure Women Unilever 64.7 –9.1 –12.3
3 3 Dove Unilever 53 –4.6 –8.0

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TOP 3 Facial skincare SALES
        £m change (£m) change (%)
Total volume change: 6.5% Total Category 452.80 3.2 0.7
      Total Own Label 59.20 0.3 0.6
1 1 Simple Kind To Skin Unilever 54.6 2 3.8
2 2 Nivea Daily Essentials Beiersdorf 33.7 1.9 5.9
3 3 Revitalift L’Oréal 25.5 1.1 4.5

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TOP 3 Shower products SALES
        £m change (£m) change (%)
Total volume change: 1.9% Total Category 300.5 2.3 0.8
      Total Own Label 16.8 –1.1 –6.1
1 1 Radox Unilever 36.6 –5.4 –12.8
2 2 Imperial Leather PZ Cussons 34.8 –1.7 –4.6
3 3 Lynx Unilever 27.3 –1.4 –4.9

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TOP 3 Liquid soap  SALES
        £m change (£m) change (%)
Total volume change: 1.9% Total Category 144.9 4.7 3.3
      Total Own Label 22.1 0.9 4.3
1 1 Carex PZ Cussons 47.5 3.6 8.2
2 3 Palmolive Colgate 13.1 1.7 14.7
3 4 Imperial Leather PZ Cussons 10.2 1 11.5

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TOP 3 Bar soap  SALES
        £m change (£m) change (%)
Total volume change: -8.3% Total Category 70 –2.4 –3.4
      Total Own Label 5.2 –0.4 –6.9
1 1 Dove Unilever 26.3 –0.4 –1.6
2 2 Imperial Leather PZ Cussons 10.5 –0.6 –5.8
3 3 Pears Cert Brands 4.1 0 –0.1

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