World Wipes

World Wipes

The world wipes market will rise 5.2 percent annually through 2019 to $13.5 billion. Growth will be driven by the increasing number of end users who utilize wipes over alternative products, especially in developing countries where use has historically been comparatively limited. Consumer wipes will particularly benefit from this trend, propelled by rising disposable incomes and a greater number of women entering the workforce.

This report segments the wipes industry by market (consumer and industrial) for six regions and 14 individual countries. In addition, demand for wet and dry wipes is presented at the global level. Data is provided in US dollars.

Consumer wipes are broken out into two categories:
Personal Care
Household and Other

Personal care wipes will continue to account for the majority of consumer wipes sales in 2019, representing 86 percent of consumer wipes demand in that year. Nonetheless, sales of household and other consumer wipes will see faster gains, supported by continued interest in a variety of application-specific products, promoting the use of both more and higher value wipes. Furthermore, sales of these products will continue to expand in developing areas as increasing distribution and retail channels offer a wider array of products.

Industrial wipes segments include:
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Commercial and Other

Healthcare wipes account for the largest share of global industrial wipes demand and will also see the fastest gains, reaching $3.4 billion in 2019. Concerns regarding cross contamination and healthcare acquired infections (HAIs) will promote growing use of wipes over alternative products, providing a boost to sales.

World regions covered in the study include:
North America
Western Europe
Asia/Pacific
Central & South America
Eastern Europe
Africa/Mideast

The Asia/Pacific region will remain the largest market for wipes, accounting for 31 percent of global demand in 2019. Although the smallest region, the Africa/Mideast market will post the fastest advances, growing rapidly from a small base as access to both consumer and industrial wipes expands significantly.

Companies involved in the global wipes industry include paper companies, nonwovens producers, converters that process nonwoven roll goods into packaged wipes, and consumer goods companies. To a lesser extent, companies dedicated strictly to the production of wipes participate in the industry. Key suppliers include Albaad Massuot Yitzhak, Johnson & Johnson, SC Johnson & Son, Kimberly-Clark, Georgia-Pacific, Nice-Pak Products, Polymer Group, Procter & Gamble, Rockline Industries, and Svenska Cellulosa.