Baby and child-specific products: Euromonitor market update for Western Europe

By Lucy Whitehouse

- Last updated on GMT

Baby and child-specific products: Euromonitor market update for Western Europe

Related tags Europe

With population growth flat for the under 12 age group in the region, Western Europe offers a challenging market for baby and child-specific products players.

This is the latest from market research provider Euromonitor International​, which released a market report on the segment’s recent performance in the region towards the end of last year.

“Baby and child-specific products in Western Europe stagnated over the 2011-2016 period, which mirrors the flat population growth of the under 12 years old age group in the region,​” the firm’s report explains.

Although baby wipes generated the majority of regional growth in the category, value-added categories such as medicated products and nappy rash treatments posted the most dynamic growth​.”

Retails channels: premium offerings required to stand out

While  supermarkets/hypermarkets or chemists are picked out by Euromonitor as the most common retail channel for baby and child-specific products in most Western European markets, the industry faces a “highly diverse distribution landscape​”.

As a result, the report suggests that premiumisation and launching added-value innovations are “a necessary strategy in any category where achieving volume growth is difficult, given the consistently low birth rates​”.

Brands leading the way

Unilever’s Dove is one brand determined to crack the baby and child-specific products segment.

Last year it moved decisively into baby-specific skin care, launching its Baby Dove range in the US and the UK, and with a presence in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and India too.

In launching the range, the brand says it is looking to tap into an opportunity to meet the needs of ‘modern’, product-savvy parents.

"Baby Dove is building on the 60-year heritage of cleansing and care and moisturization of the Dove brand​," said Nick Soukas, VP of Dove. "When you look at how brands are talking about parenting, there's a real opportunity to bring a modern, updated view of parenthood​​.”

Weleda is another brand confident in the category’s potential: last summer, the company launched three new ‘kids shampoo & body washes’.

In an interview with CosmeticsDesign​, the brand’s managing director in the UK, Jayn Sterland, explained that the category is enjoying a boost from the naturals and organics trend.

A child’s skin is not fully developed for some years, and gentle natural ingredients are not only more eco-friendly but also more skin-friendly​,” she claims.

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