Technavio market research analysts forecast the global baby hygiene products market to grow at a CAGR of close to 6% during the forecast period, according to their latest report. The market study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global baby hygiene products market for 2017-2021. The report also lists baby diapers and diaper creams, baby wipes, baby powders, baby soaps, baby shampoos and conditioners, baby lotions, and baby fragrances and perfumes as the seven major product segments. The baby diapers and diaper creams accounted for the largest share of around 74% in 2016.

Technavio analysts highlight the following three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global baby hygiene products market: Competitive pricing of diapers; innovations and product line extension; and increase in awareness of baby hygiene.

The awareness of baby hygiene is increasing through advertising and promotions from manufacturers of baby hygiene products. In addition, the rise in disposable income and spread of online shopping is promoting the growth of the market. Parents purchase diapers in bulk because of services like free delivery, competitive shopping prices, and convenience provided through online shopping.

Manufacturers are focusing on the thinness of diapers that give more comfort to the baby. As it is easy to manufacture thin diapers, many manufacturers are entering the market with low prices. The thinness of the diapers also helps lower the merchandise cost, which enables vendors to compete globally with other players in the market. For instance, Wipro Baby Soft has launched a new variant of soft diapers where the cost of each diaper is less than that of other manufacturers such as Kimberly-Clark and Unicharm.

Parents look for products that are environment-friendly and easy to use. Hence, manufacturers are focusing on new baby products that are user-friendly, safe, and durable in nature. They are introducing different categories of baby hygiene products by extending their baby care product lines. For instance, Unicharm has captured the market in Japan with only two brands of diapers: Moony and Mamy Poko. Unicharm serves babies of different sizes with a wide variety of products.

“Stores that earlier carried only limited baby products now have baby care centers and various product lines. For instance, Pigeon, which is a baby care company, offers breastfeeding bottles, accessories related to baby, and other healthcare products for babies. The innovation in products helps in introducing premium products in the market, which are in high demand due to the rise in disposable income of people,” says Tamal Saha, a lead analyst at Technavio for toys and baby products research.

The awareness of baby hygiene is increasing with social media and other promotional activities. Manufacturers such as P&G, Johnson & Johnson Services, Unicharm, Domtar, and Kimberly-Clark are spending more on advertising their baby hygiene products to increase the awareness of baby hygiene. Due to the rapid urbanization, parents are more concerned than ever before about baby hygiene and are ready to pay premium prices for these products if they are of good quality.

“With the rise in dual-income households, the number of working mothers, who are well educated and highly aware of baby hygiene, is increasing. This has increased the spending on such products. Working mothers are ready to pay high prices for organic and environment-friendly products offered by vendors such as Seventh Generation, which makes its products from plant-based materials,” says Saha.