Consumer Health

With the removal of restrictions on dining-in at foodservice establishments, and more people returning to the office for work, consumers are experiencing more frequent incidences of gastrointestinal problems caused by eating out. While many people…

Aligned with increased health consciousness and the desire to ensure preventive health, dietary supplements is set to record significant growth in 2023. Combination dietary supplements is expected to continue to be the largest category within dietary…

The social restrictions in Singapore at the start of the pandemic led to less time spent outside the home, and therefore less concern about looks. This contributed to volume and current value declines for hair loss treatments and medicated shampoos…

The pandemic brought about a huge increase in sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies, especially from the end of 2021, with later COVID-19 variants being revealed to have unique symptoms resembling those of the common cold. In February…

With the threat of the pandemic leaving people’s minds in 2023, growth in consumer health in Singapore is set to stabilise, due to the gradual normalisation of consumers’ lives. With the majority of the population vaccinated, and COVID-19 likened to…

Due to the high rates of vaccination amongst Singaporeans, systemic analgesics were purchased in high quantities in 2022 to fulfil the demand to self-medicate amidst post-vaccination symptoms and common cold symptoms from later variants of the…

Older adults are a key consumer group, as companies explore opportunities in the context of an ageing population across Asia Pacific markets. This report investigates the evolving consumption habits not only of senior consumers, but also of those…

Wound care posted another moderate positive sales performance in the Philippines in 2023 as the category continued to benefit from the increasing numbers of consumers keeping a first aid kit in their home. In the past, wound care was rarely regarded…

For many consumers wound care items are considered non-essential and appear rarely in monthly grocery shopping baskets. Wound care products are rarely bought in high volumes or even on a regular basis. Consumers who purchase wound care products only…

Wound care tends to show high demand during the summer when more skin is exposed and opportunities for outdoor leisure and sports activities increase, with this increasing the risk of picking up injuries. Sales of wound care therefore benefited in…

OTC obesity continued to gain ground in 2023 as increasing numbers of consumers turn to these products as a way of losing weight rapidly. In the Philippines, OTC obesity is a highly mature category and this marks the country out from neighbours in…

Despite the tough economic conditions in South Africa in 2023, consumers remain dedicated to their health and wellbeing. As such, they are still prioritising activities such as going to the gym, outdoor sports and taking a walk after work, with even…

Demand for weight management and wellbeing products has continued to grow in the wake of the pandemic as consumers have looked to shed the weight gained during lockdown and home seclusion, but also due increased health consciousness. Although having…

Demand for vitamins continued to increase in the Philippines during 2023 as the use of these products to supplement the diets of local consumers became increasingly commonplace. While malnutrition is uncommon in the Philippines, many local people are…

During the review period, more consumers have prioritised their skin care. Despite the economic difficulties, consumers are still purchasing skin care products as there are various skin care ranges both locally and internationally that have a wide…

Sales of multivitamins and single vitamins in Japan have continued to grow in current value terms in 2023, reflecting the ongoing consumer interest in healthy living. Multivitamins are seen as an easy and convenient way for consumers to address their…

Recent years have seen the population of the Philippines become more interested in sports and fitness and this can be seen in part as a response to the harsh realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is well-known that people who are physically fit and…

For many sports enthusiasts, sports nutrition is a vital part of their daily nutritional routine. Many consumers who use sports nutrition are generally active gym users or even play a sport. Sports nutrition products provide those who are exercising…

Sports nutrition was one of the most dynamic areas of consumer health in Japan over the review period, including during and after the pandemic. The category has been rapidly expanding thanks to an increasingly health conscious population, but also…

One of the more interesting aspects of the Philippine consumer health market is that the country is often the first territory that multinational companies launch new products in, especially those that represent a significant departure from the…

In South Africa, many consumers take their mental health very seriously. Mental awareness and assistance for those experiencing mental health problems is easily available in South Africa through various channels. For example, people have access to…

The potential market for sleep aids is expanding in Japan off the back of an increasing number of consumers facing poor sleep quality and fewer hours of sleep. This drop in quality sleep is due in part to a rise in telecommuting and prolonged use of…

The high sales growth being seen in paediatric consumer health in the Philippines is largely due to the country’s relatively high birth rate and the culture of not skimping when it comes to spending money on children. However, it should be noted that…

Despite the tough economic landscape in South Africa and the cost of living crisis in the country consumers continue to purchase paediatric consumer health products. During the review period, consumers cut down on discretionary spending and were even…

Overall, sales of paediatric consumer health are in decline in current value terms in Japan in 2023. Nonetheless, the performances vary by product category with some benefiting from a post-pandemic recovery while others are facing headwinds. For…

2023 saw further positive growth in retail volume sales of NRT smoking cessation aids in the Philippines, although growth rates were considerably lower than the phenomenal performances recorded in the category earlier in the review period. The main…

NRT smoking cessation aids is a small category in South Africa and only relevant to a small consumer group. Since, 2022 NRT gum has been the only product type that has been available locally over the counter. Other products such as NRT patches are…

Regulations against smoking are becoming stricter worldwide, and the situation is no different in Japan. These stricter rules have encouraged large numbers of smokers to quit, especially since the law banning smoking indoors in principle (Health…

Alternative medicine is increasingly commonplace in the Philippines and this continues to support rising demand for herbal/traditional products. Local people are increasingly favouring consumer products based natural ingredients such as camphor,…

Since the pandemic, consumers have slowly begun to prioritise their health and wellness. This in turn has led to growing sales of herbal/traditional products. For example, Clicks stocks a brand called Sela. Sela is a tea bag brand that is available…

In 2023, with COVID-19 moving to a class 5 disease and restrictions on social behaviour being lifted, consumers started to go out without wearing masks, leading to an increase in influenza, infectious diseases with cough symptoms, and heat stroke. In…

The key trend behind rising demand for standard eye care in the Philippines is the increased amount of screen time in the daily lives of many local people. Indeed, dramatic increases have been seen in the amount of time that Philippine consumers…

During 2023, more consumers suffered from eye health issues due to much more time spent using technology, such as computers and laptops. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, children were unable to go to school or workers to their workplace and…

With the pandemic declared to be over in 2023, sales of both standard eye care and allergy eye care have benefited from increased opportunities to get out and about, a recovery in the number of inbound travellers, but also high pollen counts.…

One factor that spurred growth in sales of OTC digestive remedies during 2023 was the return to pre-pandemic lifestyles, with the accelerating pace of life in Philippine cities encouraging consumers to eat fast food and convenience food more often,…

Since 2022, South Africa has been suffering from rolling electricity blackouts. The scheduled blackouts can often occur in some areas around two to three times a day. Moreover, these blackouts often occur during mealtimes. This has created a strong…

Sales of digestive remedies continue to see a strong recovery in 2023 in current value terms. Sales are rebounding from the negative impact of the pandemic with the lifting of restrictions increasing the opportunities for consumers to go out to eat…

Probiotic supplements generated further positive sales growth in 2023 as the category continued to recover from the significant sales declines registered in 2021. Many consumers began taking probiotic products as a way of strengthening their immune…

During the review period, South Africa experienced high levels of inflation that impacted essential categories such as food, fuel and even mortgage payments. Consumers were cutting down on discretionary spending as they had less disposable income.…

Similar to the pattern seen in vitamins, sales of dietary supplements continue to see steady growth in current value terms in 2023 due to increasing health consciousness. The market has been hit by the rising cost of raw materials and production…

2023 saw rising demand for dermatologicals supported by the return to pre-pandemic daily routines and lifestyles as greater exposure to the causes of various mild skin conditions resulted in a higher incidence of skin infections and parasite-related…

Many consumers in South Africa rely on pharmacist recommendations when it comes to dermatological products. Most consumers within South Africa are highly unlikely to visit a doctor or even a dermatologist to treat some dermatological issues. As a…

Dermatologicals has seen a return to growth in current value terms in 2023, which is mainly due to the waning impact of COVID-19 on consumer lifestyles and behaviours. Antipruritics is one of the largest categories within dermatologicals and has also…

In the Philippines, one interesting aspect of OTC products in general and cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies in particular is that consumers are generally very aware of the active ingredients that are contained within these products and the…

During the review period, the flu and allergy season in South Africa was rife specifically during the winter periods. Given the presence of several flu strains and allergies, consumers reached out to cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) products to…

Sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies in Japan have continued to recover in 2023. This is largely due to increased opportunities for consumers to go out and a shift away from the practice of wearing face masks on a daily basis. With…

Positive sales growth was registered across most categories of consumer health in the Philippines in 2023 as the strong focus on health and wellbeing that has spread among the population since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spur…

During the review period, many consumers have been facing financial difficulties as the cost of living in South Africa has been increasing on a monthly basis. For many consumers, their health is an afterthought with most instead prioritising…

Sales of OTC products in Japan continue on the path to recovery in 2023 as the country sees an end to the pandemic. With the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the pandemic to be over in early 2023 there have been increased opportunities to go…

Towards the end of the review period, demand for analgesics was supported by the widening of the consumer base for these products as the advantages of using analgesics to manage headaches and other moderate types of pain became better known among the…