SECONDARY RESEARCH

Industry Brief:

Indian deodorant market is growing at a CAGR of 41% over the last five years. This growth

in rising deodorant consumption is being attributed to the rapid urbanisation which is causing

people to become more self-conscious as they participate in social gatherings such as parties,

functions, etc. Low prices and availability of a sea of choices are also important factors that

are causing this massive growth. More than 950 varieties of deodorants from 500 brands are

available across markets in India, among them 103 recent launches [1]. The months of March-

September are the prime months for deodorants sales as consumers are on the run for

countering the sweat and odor caused by the hot and humid weather. Leading brands like

HULs Axe, ITCs Engage, Fogg, Park Avenue, Nivea, Old Spice, Adidas and Nike are the

major competitors in this market. Axe was the undisputed leader in 2012 but since then, it has

had a tumbling fall to see its market share shrink by almost 3 times by 2015. Fogg has taken

the mantle of the leader with its clever product innovation and a value-for-product appeal to

go with. Other players like Wild stone, Engage have also leapfrogged Axe with a similar

positioning as Axe. A peek into the following figure gives us a brief idea about how the

various players have fared in this industry in the recent years.

Figure: Deodorants market share (%) in India [2]

Major Players in the market and their Pricing:

As seen from the table below, all these brands have priced their products neck-to-neck as the

deodorants field is being tightly contested. Fogg can get away with a slightly higher price due

to its more number of sprays claim.

BRAND PRICE (INR) QUANTITY

In grams In millilitres
Park Avenue 199 105 135
Engage 199 100 150
Wildstone 195 100 150
Axe 199 96 150
Fogg 225 100 150

Packaging:

There is usually less innovation with respect to this. Most of them use distinct black cans that

have good typography. The pictures below gives an indication of the packaging.
Advertising:

Most of the ads have an attractive young male or a sensual couple as their central character(s)

which cater to almost all of the deodorant using population. The inferred customer segment

age ranges from 18-35 years. Fogg has been a gamechanger in this respect as it focussed on

value-for-money theme in this market laden with players using the sensual appeal themes.

References:

[1] Indian Fragrance Market Outlook 2021 - Bonafide Research

[2] Deodorants in India 2015 Euromonitor report