What deodorant brands need to know to smell consumer success
Streetbees heard from 3,000 people worldwide on what deodorant they use, and how they use it…
It’s a part of everyone’s regular morning routine, right? Wash, dress, deodorant.
Well, not for everyone, according to our new research. Although 4 out of 5 overall do consider applying deodorant to be an integral part of our daily routine, others are less convinced that wearing it is a recipe for smelling like success.
While 85% of over-25s say they use deodorant every day — and 86% say that it is a core part of their daily routine — that figure drops down to 7 out of 10 (69%) among under-25s.
“Anytime I don’t use deodorant, I get the feeling that I’m not smelling good at all,” writes one of our bees, female 30. “I end up keeping my distance from people.”
Smells like teen spirit
A key difference between the age demographics? Priorities.
People over-25 qualified that they use deodorant regularly both for hygiene purposes (34%) — controlling how much they sweat, for example — and controlling their body odour (34%).
In contrast, our younger bees are much more preoccupied with smelling nice rather than actual hygiene. For under-25s, over one-third (34%) say they think controlling body odour is the most important, with only 25% thinking about the hygienic aspects of managing sweat.
Those differences in approach have knock-on effects when it comes to deodorant priorities; in general, older bees are far more concerned with making sure their deodorant of choice met their needs, regardless of price.
For over-25s, being an effective antiperspirant is key (50%), with long-lasting effects (45%) and general effectiveness (45%) being a bigger worry than price (37%) or scent (36%).
Conversely, under-25s think about price (36%) more than they think about effectiveness (35%) or making sure their choice is an antiperspirant (33%), perhaps reflecting their demographic’s generally smaller spending power.
When it comes to going without, the top reason for older bees to not wear deodorant is simple — they simply forget (36%). For under-25s? They say they just don’t need to (54%).
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Among both age groups, spray-on is king — with roll-on not far behind.
As you can see, while over-25s are more likely to use different styles of deodorant than their younger peers, across age groups the aerosol can remains the most popular overall (52%). Among under-25s, the number of people using spray/aerosol for their deodorant rockets to a clear majority, rising to 60%.
Both groups are also mostly aligned on another aspect, too — whether they’d pay more for a better products than the one they use now.
Having said that, under-25s are a little more willing to jump in with both feet, with over half (53%) saying they’d definitely give better products a go. On the other hand, over-25s seem to need a bit more convincing, with a larger proportion (38%) than young people (35%) saying they’d be willing to try… but only if the benefits were big enough.
“Proven effectiveness is worth the price,” says one of our female bees, 18. “I’d choose it over a cheap product that didn’t work as well.”
“If I find a better deodorant which is more efficient and effective than my current one, I’ll switch to it without thinking twice,” writes another.
Boys to men?
Age groups aren’t the only significant divide between our bees; gender also plays a large role in deodorant use. While almost 9 in 10 of our female bees (88%) say that deodorant is an important part of their daily routine, for males that drops all the way down to 68%.
The culprits? Young men. When splitting the boys by age group, its clear who’s dragging down the averages — under the age of 25, just 59% of men say they use deodorant as a part of their everyday rituals, though 41% do say they use it on special occasions like job interviews, social events and dates. By age 35 and onwards, that number climbs back up to 86%.
When asked them why they don’t use deodorant, over half (58%) say they don’t have need to, while 32% say that they don’t have time for it.
The divide continues to loom across what our bees look for when choosing a deodorant, with some stark differences surfacing between the genders.
For female bees, antiperspirant and long-lasting products are the top concerns, with 44% also desiring invisible (stainless) products. Price (40%) and scent (39%) are almost equal in priority — and just 1 in 5 (21%) of women thought that the specific brand mattered.
In contrast, our male bees place a far higher importance on brand — brand reputation is actually the second-most important factor they look for, at 36% — higher, in fact, than both effectiveness (33%) and price (31%)!
What this means for brands
For brands looking to focus in on the under-25 demographic, the focus is clear: a good scent and a low price tag are king.
In general, younger consumers are more monolithic in their habits than their older peers when it comes to their choices. They’re more focused on just two products — aerosols and roll-ons — than anything else, and cost plays a bigger part in how they decide on their deodorant.
A key growth area in this demographic are young male consumers, who are likely to start picking up products as they progress in age — and are attracted to brands with a strong reputation.
While many do not yet put a heavy significance on using deodorant as part of their daily routine, there is still opportunity there — find a way to put low-cost, effective cans in their hands, with a strong, identifiable brand, and reap the rewards — just look at the success of brands like Lynx (Axe, if you’re in the US).
Dealing with older consumers is perhaps a little murkier — their tastes are considerably more varied — but one thing stands out clearly: effectiveness is key. On the other hand, though they have a bit more spending power than their younger peers, over-25s are still conscious of how far their money is going. For them, focusing even more on the aspects of effectiveness and long-lasting products — while not pushing that price-tag up too high — will be the key to success.
The opportunity is certainly there — almost half (46%) of our bees said that despite primarily using one type of deodorant, they still do try others on occasion, and 1 in 5 said they try new products all the time. That means the majority of consumers aren’t necessarily hard-locked into any particular brands — they’re just waiting for the right product with the right benefits to roll-on by.
Fun fact:
- Most (77%) people are pretty sure they use deodorant the right amount — but 11% think they don’t use it often enough, and 12% worry they use too much!
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A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from global Streetbees community members, carried out in June and July 2018. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 5 percentage points 9 times out of 10.
