According to a new report from Bonafide Research “India Diaper Market Outlook, 2022,” the diaper market in India is growing with more than 20% CAGR from the last seven years. The healthy growth rate is driven by factors such as millions of babies born per year, higher disposable incomes and the increased hygiene awareness of Indian mothers.

While India has a vast population of around 1.2 billion, uptake of disposable diapers is still low compared with other developed markets. However, manufacturers believe that India could grow to become an even larger market than China in coming years. This potential growth has led major players to invest heavily on product innovation and development to get an upper hand over their competitors. The major brands have been using television based advertising to their full advantage and have raised the awareness of diapers in the country.

The Indian diaper market has long been characterized by large fluctuations in the market share within short periods. Previously, the main players in the industry were Proctor & Gamble’s Pampers brand and Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies brand. However, Unicharm’s Mamy Poko Pants, one of the latest entrants into the market, has gradually developed into a major player now, according to the report. The company has already overtaken Kimberly-Clark.

Unicharm India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unicharm Corporation, has two diaper brands in its Indian portfolio, MamyPoko for baby diapers and Lifree for adult diapers. Unicharm has seen strong growth in India since 2009, when it entered the disposable baby diaper market on a full-scale basis. In fiscal 2013 and 2014, the company’s sales growth accelerated to almost 100% and 80% respectively year on year, supported by efforts to promote economy pants-type disposable diapers. Unicharm India is further targeting growth in India by extending their sales areas to secure new users and by promoting their pant type disposable baby diapers, a category where the brand already has a strong position. The company’s second factory located in Southern India started operations in 2016. The new factory is a part of wider efforts to strengthen their local manufacturing framework and give them the capability to serve all areas of India.