Market Research on Italian Household Paper and Hygiene Products
During participation in the Tissue Planet—Future Insights technology conference organized by Italy’s Toscotec, the Household Paper Center/Secretariat of the Household Paper Committee of the China National Pulp and Paper Research Institute conducted market research in Italy. This included visits to COOP supermarket in Lucca, Tiger supermarket in Rome, and other convenience stores.
Italy, as a high-income country in Southern Europe, is renowned for its industries such as mechanical equipment, automobile manufacturing, biomedicine, and aerospace. With its advanced industrial base and cutting-edge industrial technology, Italy holds a significant position in the global economy, being the fourth largest economy in Europe and the eighth largest in the world.
Through this market research, we aim to understand local consumer habits and overall trends in the European market, providing insights for product innovation and market strategies in the Chinese household paper and hygiene products industry.
Household Paper Market
According to the research, the categories of household paper products in the Italian market include toilet paper, napkins, facial tissues, handkerchiefs, and wiping paper (kitchen towels and hand towels), with toilet paper and wiping paper being the dominant categories. In the COOP supermarket in Lucca, household paper products are mainly dominated by COOP’s own retail brand, with well-known brands such as Regina from Italy’s Sofidel, Grazie from Lucart, and Tempo from Sweden’s Essity also on display. In contrast, Rome’s Tiger supermarket and convenience stores predominantly feature national brands, including Regina and Nicky from Sofidel, Maxi from CRCTissue, Sensitive from ROTO-CART, and Foxy from Industrie Cartarie Tronchetti (ICT), meeting the diverse needs of consumers.
High-end products like Regina and Tempo are priced significantly higher than COOP products. For example, Regina kitchen towels (6 rolls/pack) are priced at €6.18 (approximately 49 RMB), while COOP products are priced at €4.45 (approximately 35 RMB). Tempo handkerchiefs (10 packs/pack) are priced at €2.94 (approximately 23 RMB), while COOP products are priced at €1.09 (approximately 9 RMB).
Large Capacity and High Bulk Products Preferred by Consumers
Due to market demand and living habits, Italian household paper manufacturers have introduced large capacity roll products, offering higher cost-efficiency and reducing the frequency of replacement, which is convenient for both household and commercial use. Currently, large capacity household paper products are not commonly seen in the Chinese market.
With the growing demand for high-quality household paper products, Italian consumers tend to choose higher bulk embossed products, which offer greater softness and better absorbency, requiring less paper for use.
Folded and Coreless Products Becoming a New Trend
It is noteworthy that folded household paper products and coreless products are gradually gaining popularity in the Italian market. These products are typically more compact, reducing storage and transportation space, effectively lowering logistics costs. They are also more convenient for consumers to use and store in limited spaces such as bathrooms or kitchens.
More Green and Environmentally Friendly Materials in Products and Packaging
To reduce environmental impact, household paper manufacturers are gradually introducing paper packaging. For example, Tempo has adopted environmentally friendly paper packaging, reducing plastic usage and enhancing product sustainability, demonstrating the industry’s commitment to environmental protection.
For traditional plastic packaging, companies are striving to increase the proportion of recyclable materials in soft plastic packaging to reduce environmental impact, clearly marking this information on product packaging for consumer awareness. The use of recycled fibers as raw materials for household paper production is quite common, promoting the recycling of raw materials.
Hygiene Products Market
In the surveyed supermarkets, hygiene product brands are relatively concentrated. Major brands for baby diapers include Procter & Gamble’s Pampers and Kimberly-Clark’s HUGGIES. For adult diapers, Essity’s TENA brand is predominant. Female hygiene products include sanitary napkins and liners from Italy’s Fater (LINES) and S.I.L.C. (Laurella), as well as Procter & Gamble’s Tampax brand of tampons.
Some hygiene product manufacturers have started to introduce paper packaging products, reducing plastic usage, lowering environmental impact, meeting the market’s preference for green packaging, and greatly enhancing their brand’s environmental image.
The supermarkets surveyed offer a complete range of wet wipes, covering various needs from baby care to adult care. These include Pampers baby wipes, CERAdiCUPRA makeup remover wipes for women, Clendy general-purpose wipes, and dealo baby wipes, catering to the specific needs of different consumer groups.
In COOP supermarkets, retail brands are prevalent across various hygiene product categories, including COOP-branded baby diapers, adult diapers, sanitary napkins, and liners.
From this research, we observe significant differences in market trends and consumer habits between China and Italy. The development trends in the European market cannot be fully replicated in China, but the widespread use of recycled fibers in Europe is worth learning. Currently, in Europe, the proportion of wiping paper is still very high.
In China, due to cooking methods and frugal consumption concepts, the market penetration rate of wiping paper needs further improvement. With the rise of a new generation of consumers in China, this market phenomenon may change, driving a new wave of consumption upgrades in household paper products.
