India's domestic players shake up deodrant segment

India occupies around 60% of deodorant market share with HUL hailed as the market leader with 31.5% of the total market share.

The segment comprises of several product categories like deodorant wipes, roll-ons, creams, sprays, sticks and pumps and the industry as a whole, is predicted to grow by a CAGR of about 25% in the next 5 years.

The market is being driven by increased disposable incomes among the lower and the middle class segments, which is also prompting lower middle class consumers to purchase various deodorant sprays.

Women's category has pushed for change in strategy​

Marketers say it is the booming category of women's deodorants that has forced changes in advertising strategies.

However; there is still a wide range of products that cater to men, but very few variations for women.

Established brands like Old Spice are revealed to no longer be dominating the segment despite lower end brands lacking the marketing sophistication of their counterparts.

According to regional publication, The Times of India, major brand Axe was beaten by Fogg last October with ITC's Engage claiming second place.

Asia leads the way as it drives demand for cosmetic solvents​

According to analysts Research and Markets, global demand for N-butanol, a solvent used in cosmetics, has grown significantly over the past few years and is expected to grow at a more rapid pace by 2018, mainly driven by growing demand in the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2012, China was flagged up as consuming around 34.8% of the global demand of the solvent that the cosmetics industry relies considerably on for the likes of hairspray and hairstyling products, as well as in deodrants, colour cosmetics and nail varnish formulations due to its ability to dissolve other substances, and help with an overall smooth application.

While this comes as good news for the ever emerging region, the market researcher also finds that production facilities of n-butanol are majorly concentrated in Europe and North America, making them key exporting regions in regards to the near future.