Consumer Health

Paediatric consumer health registered moderate current value growth in 2023, partly supported by continuing population growth. Essential consumer health products such as cough, cold and allergy remedies, as well as analgesics, were the most popular…

Herbal/traditional product registered a marginal fall in current value sales in 2023. While the older generation have always favoured herbal/traditional products, among the younger generation, there exists a level of scepticism regarding their…

Poor drinking water is leading to serious digestion problems, with consumers often for instance suffering from diarrhoea, due to the substandard water supply. This is being further exacerbated by climate change, which is leading to increased water…

The growth of dietary supplements decelerated due to a shift in consumer behaviour back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns, characterised by reduced emphasis on vitamins and dietary supplements. Additionally, the escalating cost of living is placed…

Skin diseases across all age groups continues to drive growth for dermatologicals. Skin diseases are common in rural areas due to poor hygiene and in urban areas due to overcrowded neighbourhoods, with many having no access to proper sanitary…

Locally preferred alternatives, like consuming honey, ginger, and lemon infusions, enjoy widespread popularity among the locals. In households with lower incomes, natural remedies often take precedence as the initial choice before resorting to…

Cameroon was not as affected by the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine as many other countries. Rising global energy prices gave a boost to government coffers and helped stabilise the economy. However, ongoing civil conflict, as well as…

The depreciation of the local currency made imports more expensive at the end of the review period. This had a significant impact on the supply of and demand for imported products, in a country where the majority of medication is imported.…

Consumers are increasingly embracing self-medication, especially for minor illnesses, and this contributed to modest growth in 2023, as well as continuing population growth. Analgesics have achieved a substantial penetration rate in Cameroon,…

In adhesive bandages, new technologies and delivery formats have been introduced. Waterproof adhesive bandages have gained popularity, offering protection in wet environments and during activities like swimming. Furthermore, there has been a rise in…

Wound care exhibited modest volume growth in 2023. In the inflationary climate, local brands have emerged as the preferred choice for consumers in lower income brackets, owing to their affordability and accessibility through traditional distribution…

Overweight and obesity have witnessed a surge in Nigeria, particularly in urban areas where the consumption of processed, unhealthy foods high in fats and calories is prevalent. Consequently, there has been an increased demand for OTC medications to…

Weight loss supplements accounted for the largest proportion of sales in 2023, partly due to the wider availability of brands and higher unit prices compared to slimming teas. With the rising cost of living, consumers are shifting their expenditure…

During the outbreak of COVID-19, consumers were buying vitamin products as a preventive measure. In addition, there was a widespread belief that Vitamin C could enhance the immune system and reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19. However, with the…

Vitamins is witnessing healthy volume growth in 2023 despite high inflation. Rising health consciousness in Kenya, which was bolstered by the pandemic, is leading to increased demand for vitamins. Multivitamins are one of the most popular products,…

In Kenya, sports nutrition is rapidly advancing and enjoyed robust current value growth in 2023. This momentum is driven by the rising health and wellness trend, with individuals increasingly acknowledging the importance of a healthy lifestyle and…

Sales of paediatric consumer health products are driven by parents being inclined to invest more to secure the best medication for their children, especially for infants. In this context, imported brands hold greater appeal as they are often…

When the health of their children is concerned, Kenyan parents are generally hesitant to take risks and experiment with new brands. They tend to adhere to established brands that have undergone thorough testing and come highly recommended by medical…

Herbal/traditional products remain a popular consumer health category amongst Nigerian consumers and continued to perform well in 2023. Traditional medicines hold a significant role in Nigeria, with many traditional remedies passed down through…

Despite the increased use of systemic medication, herbal/traditional products are popular among Kenyans and are available through both formal and informal channels. In some instances, herbal/traditional products are perceived as more effective than…

Overcrowding and poor hygiene standards in certain areas of the country have increased the prevalence of cataracts, glaucoma and trachoma, a potentially blinding eye disease caused by bacterial infection. This has led to an increase in demand for OTC…

Inadequate sanitation and hygiene significantly contribute to digestive problems among consumers. Rural areas face even greater challenges in accessing clean water, exacerbating the issue. While some urban regions also contend with these issues,…

Digestive remedies continues to witness value growth in 2023, aided by inflationary-led price increases. An ageing population is also supporting volume sales as older people are more likely to have digestive problems. However, unhealthy diets are…

Consumers are becoming more conscious of the significance of maintaining a balanced diet, recognising that modern lifestyles, characterised by long work hours and frequent dining out, often contribute to unhealthy eating habits. Consequently,…

There is a growing awareness of the significance of a balanced diet and the role that dietary supplements can play in addressing deficiencies. Lifestyle changes, longer work hours and a lack of time for nutritious meal preparation are prompting more…

Climatic and social conditions drive the sale of paediatric dermatologicals products in Nigeria. As well as being more sensitive to environmental factors than adults, children’s lifestyles expose them to conditions that lead to skin problems,…

While overall consumer awareness of skin diseases and infections is increasing in Kenya, there remain areas where stigma persists, creating a reluctance among consumers to seek help. For instance, vaginal antifungals are linked to the stigma of…

On a landscape featuring local and international brands, consumers can access a wide array of choices. Brands like Emzolyn and Exiplon are popular among individuals with lower disposable incomes, while international counterparts, including Benylin,…

A prevalent issue in cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies is the misuse of cough syrups, often through self-medication with OTC products. To address this concern, a regulatory framework has been implemented restricting the distribution of…

The harsh economic environment continued in 2023, challenging retail value sales in Nigeria and bolstering the use of counterfeit options in consumer health. However, barriers to healthcare increased the self-medication trend, driving the sale of OTC…

Consumer health is expected to register healthy current value growth in 2023, although constant value growth is expected to grow only marginally. Kenyans are moving away from seeking healthcare services at hospitals and are keen to self-medicate,…

Analgesics remains the largest category in consumer health in Nigeria. Sales continued to rise in 2023, supported by strong brand positioning and consumer awareness. Other factors driving growth included affordability, widespread availability and a…

Analgesics experienced a rise in unit prices due to inflationary pressure, which pushed up the price of imported medications and locally-produced options. Current value growth accelerated in 2023 as a result of this trend. Brand loyalty remains…

Wound care has been registering positive volume and current value growth rates in 2022 and 2023 as outdoor and physical activities increased again in the post-pandemic period. The relatively long summer season in 2023 also benefitted demand for wound…

As a year earlier, most areas of weight management and wellbeing were recording positive volume and value growth in 2023 as consumers looked to shed the weight gained during lockdown and home seclusion, but also due to increased health consciousness.…

Single vitamins continued to record positive volume and current value growth in 2023. Multivitamins, which offer convenience and economy benefits, also continued to grow in volume and current value terms in 2023. The demand for vitamins spiked during…

Sports nutrition – one of the most dynamic categories in the entire consumer health industry, continued to record strong growth in 2023. The category has been continuing to experience a positive performance, with double-digit current value growth…

As in 2022, sleep aids was registering a slight decline in current value terms as a result of falling in 2023. While prices were still rising during the pandemic (2020, 2021), which, paired with increased volume demand for sleep aids during the…

Having already recorded very dynamic growth in 2022, paediatric cold, cough and allergy remedies continued to register the strongest growth in paediatric consumer health in Germany in 2023, albeit at a much more modest pace. This strong performance…

The retail prices of all NRT smoking cessation aids were rising in 2022 and 2023, which helped to drive current value growth for these products in these years. However, volume sales of most NRT smoking cessation aids were flat or even declining in…

Herbal/traditional continued to grow at healthy pace in current value terms in 2023. Many of the leading players in consumer health were investing more in developing their herbal/traditional product ranges as well as their marketing activities in for…

Over the review period, eye care continued to benefit from the growing demand for products that can soothe eye fatigue, which is mainly resulting from extended exposure to digital devices, mainly computers, smartphones, TVs and tablets. Sales…

In 2023, the demand for digestive remedies across different categories was relatively stable. The increasing prevalence of symptoms of acid or gastroesophageal reflux have been supporting retail volume and current value sales of proton pump…

Most areas of dietary supplements continued to grow in volume and current value terms in 2023, albeit generally at quite modest rates, particularly in volume terms. Sales have been hit by the saturated nature of dietary supplements as well as the…

Dermatologicals again registered positive current value growth in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous years. The most dynamic category – hair loss treatments – continued to post strong growth. There are several reasons supporting the demand…

Cough and cold remedies were recording see high single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, with sales benefiting from the large number of cases of cold and flu in the 2023/2024 season. Furthermore, value sales were also being boosted by unit…

Consumer health in Germany was recording moderate current value growth in 2023. While OTC was performing better than vitamins and dietary supplements, it was being outperformed by categories such as sports nutrition and weight management and…

Consumption of analgesics continued to increase in Germany during 2023, after the demand spike in 2022, a year in which consumers were often experiencing flu and colds in the post-pandemic period and therefore OTC medicines, such as analgesics, were…

Wound care sales have gained momentum in 2023 amid a return to travel and tourism. People are more comfortable with travelling following the COVID-19 pandemic and have resumed taking vacations and excursions. Moreover, there has been a reduction in…

A growing proportion of the Swiss population is considered obese, while the percentage of overweight people has also been increasing for several years as the pandemic years resulted in weight gains. These trends have created a somewhat positive…