Market study • Edition 2026

The personal hygiene products market in France

Shower gels, soaps, deodorants and toothpastes: in 2025, France exports €1.26bn of them, far more than it imports (€797m).

Exclusive sources: 35 years of IndexPresse trade press, not available in open access. Every cited article can be read as a PDF.

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The personal hygiene products market in France

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Key figures of the personal hygiene products market in France

A personal hygiene product is a cosmetic product intended to wash, protect or deodorise the body: soaps, shower gels, deodorants, toothpastes and mouthwashes, intimate hygiene products. The market excludes make-up, perfumes and facial beauty care, to focus on everyday purchases that almost every household renews. It is sold mainly in supermarkets, but also in pharmacies and online, and France exports more of these products than it imports.

Imports of soaps, shower gels, deodorants and toothpastes, up 3.7% year on year: €797m; 2025 • Source: Calculation based on Eurostat, Comext
French exports of the same products, a €464m surplus: €1.26bn; 2025 • Source: Calculation based on Eurostat, Comext
Imports of liquid skin-washing products (shower gels, liquid soaps): €346m; 2025 • Source: Eurostat, Comext
Share of toothpastes in unit sales of personal hygiene products: 19.5%; 2024 • Source: LSA, September 2024
Share of French people aged 15 and over who buy personal hygiene products: 95.0%; 2022 • Source: Kantar, Cosmétique magazine, January 2023
Hygiene and beauty units bought per buyer, versus 24.8 a year earlier: 24.3; H1 2025 • Source: Kantar, Cosmétique magazine, October 2025

The personal hygiene products market in France in 6 questions

Our analysts’ answers, taken from the study. The full analysis, the charts and the detailed sources are in the report.

How big is the personal hygiene products market in France?

According to Eurostat, France imported €797 million of soaps, shower gels, deodorants and toothpastes in 2025, against €769 million in 2024 (calculation based on Comext), and exported €1.26 billion of them. The personal hygiene products market in France therefore rests on a solid domestic production base. In supermarkets, hygiene and beauty as a whole was worth €6.44 billion in 2022 according to IRI, quoted by Cosmétique magazine, a wider scope than personal hygiene alone.

What are the main segments of the personal hygiene market in France?

Liquid skin-washing products, shower gels and liquid soaps, dominate foreign trade in personal hygiene in France: €346 million imported and €742 million exported in 2025, according to Eurostat. Deodorants follow (€196 million imported, €310 million exported), ahead of toothpastes (€150 million imported) and bar soaps (€105 million). According to LSA, toothpastes accounted for 19.5% of unit sales of personal hygiene products in 2024, with a slight 0.6% fall in volume.

Are French consumers buying fewer personal hygiene products?

Yes, in volume. According to Kantar, quoted by Cosmétique magazine in October 2025, each buyer of hygiene and beauty products in France bought an average of 24.3 units in the first half of 2025, against 24.8 a year earlier, and the decline now affects all channels. The share of buyers remains very high: 95.0% of French people aged 15 and over bought personal hygiene products in 2022. According to LSA, two-year inflation in the hygiene and beauty aisle reached 8.6% in August 2023.

Where do the personal hygiene products imported into France come from?

French imports of personal hygiene products come mainly from Europe. For shower gels and liquid soaps, Italy is France’s leading supplier in 2025, with €96.9 million, or 28% of the €346 million imported (calculation based on Eurostat). Poland follows (€58.6 million), then Germany (€36.3 million), Spain (€22.7 million) and Belgium (€19.6 million). China remains marginal in this segment, at €4.1 million, which reflects largely regional manufacturing.

What trends are reshaping the personal hygiene market in France?

Solid formats and refills are growing in the personal hygiene market in France. French exports of bar soaps rose from €74 million to €87 million between 2024 and 2025, according to Eurostat, and imports from €95 million to €105 million. Young brands are betting on compressed powder: according to Emballages magazine (January 2024), 900.care claims 75,000 customers and has its shower gel and shampoo refills made by La Fabrique à Poudre, near Saint-Étienne.

Who are the players in the personal hygiene products market in France?

The personal hygiene products market in France brings together large consumer goods and dental care groups, pharmacy brands and young digital brands. According to LSA (September 2024), Haleon, Colgate, Email Diamant and L’Arbre vert are innovating in toothpaste, with technical formulas, chewable tablets and family formats. LSA also notes that subcontractors require a minimum of around 5,000 units for a solid shampoo, a moderate barrier for new entrants.

Sources: Eurostat, Comext (HS 3306, 3307, 3401), 2025 • LSA, October 2023, September 2024 and February 2025 • Cosmétique magazine, 2023 and October 2025 (Kantar and IRI panels) • Emballages magazine, January 2024 • Trade press (IndexPresse database)

Contents • The personal hygiene products market in France

Key figures • The personal hygiene products market in France

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1. Definition and scope of personal hygiene
1. 1.1 Soaps, shower gels, deodorants and toothpastes
2. 1.2 Personal hygiene, care and beauty: the boundaries
3. 1.3 Liquid and solid formats, and refills
4. 1.4 Value chain: formulation, subcontracting, brands
2. Market size and dynamics
1. 2.1 Estimate of the French market
2. 2.2 Falling volumes, value supported by prices
3. 2.3 A foreign trade surplus
4. 2.4 European suppliers: Italy, Poland, Germany
3. Household demand
1. 3.1 A near-universal purchase
2. 3.2 Reduced consumption and budget trade-offs
3. 3.3 Naturalness, sensitive skin and men’s hygiene
4. 3.4 The rise of solid and refillable formats
4. Supply, channels and players
1. 4.1 The major hygiene and dental care groups
2. 4.2 Private labels and entry-level prices
3. 4.3 Pharmacy, supermarkets and online sales
4. 4.4 Young brands and their subcontractors
5. 4.5 Innovation in toothpaste and deodorant
5. Regulation and constraints
1. 5.1 The European cosmetics regulation
2. 5.2 Sensitive ingredients and claims
3. 5.3 Packaging, plastic and recycling
4. 5.4 Cost of raw materials and packaging
6. Market outlook
1. 6.1 Value versus volumes
2. 6.2 Formats that save water and plastic
3. 6.3 Competition from private labels
4. 6.4 Opportunities for new entrants

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Marie-Annick Cournède

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Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about the market, the study and your order.

How big is the personal hygiene products market in France?

Foreign trade gives a first order of magnitude: €797 million of imports and €1.26 billion of exports of soaps, shower gels, deodorants and toothpastes in 2025, according to Eurostat. The study draws a documented estimate of the French market from it.

What does the study contain and in what format?

A PDF report in French, 2026 edition, organised into six chapters: definition and scope, market size and dynamics, demand, supply and players, regulation, outlook.

What sources does the study rely on?

Eurostat statistics, consumer and retailer panels relayed by the specialist press, European cosmetics regulation and trade press articles from the IndexPresse database. Every figure comes with its source and period.

Is the data up to date?

Yes. The study is updated before it is sent, within 48 hours at most: it includes the latest published data, and every figure comes with its source and period.

Who is this study for?

Cosmetics manufacturers and subcontractors, brand creators, retailers and pharmacists, as well as consultants, bankers and investors who need to understand the personal hygiene products market in France.

When and how will I receive the study?

By email, as a PDF, within 48 hours of payment. Our analysts use that time to add the latest available data before sending. You then find it in your My studies area.

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A Google search or a general-purpose AI returns isolated figures, often with no date or precise scope, and cannot reach the professional press, largely behind paywalls. The study starts from a defined market, crosses public statistics with more than 500 trade journals from the IndexPresse database and links every figure to its original source. You get an up-to-date file you can cite and present as it is, without spending time cross-checking.

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The personal hygiene products market in France

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The personal hygiene products market in France

Shower gels, soaps, deodorants and toothpastes: in 2025, France exports €1.26bn of them, far more than it imports (€797m).

Exclusive sources: 35 years of IndexPresse trade press, not available in open access. Every cited article can be read as a PDF.

4.5/5 from 476 reviews • More than 43,000 studies sold since 2009

Key figures of the personal hygiene products market in France

The personal hygiene products market in France

Key figures of the personal hygiene products market in France

The personal hygiene products market in France in 6 questions

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