Competitor Strategies in Tissue and Hygiene

August 2025

Tissue and hygiene players face a challenging environment of tighter consumer spending and fierce competition. Volume recovery and margin protection are forcing market players to reassess their priorities. They are banking on value creation through stronger value proposition, usage expansion, e-commerce penetration and better-for-you sustainability branding to strike the right chord in such a fragile environment.

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Key findings

Tissue and hygiene remains top heavy, though share gain is challenging

Global tissue and hygiene leader board rankings remained largely consistent over the review period. Market momentum supported absolute growth but rising competition from regional players and private label impacted market share. Portfolios spread across price segments, categories and/or regions allowed players to retain competitiveness.

Developing markets continue to be key focus for leading tissue and hygiene companies

Leading tissue and hygiene companies, traditionally strong in developed countries, are facing market saturation due to mature consumption levels. Consequently, they are strategically targeting developing markets with lower per capita consumption, large populations and growing spending appetite. They are appealing to young women and mothers with a wide variety of retail adult incontinence and menstrual care goods, building on destigmatisation and educational efforts.

Uncertainty looms large amid trade disputes

Global players will be affected by unpredictable trade policies in the near to mid term. This likely means delay of projects, more expensive raw materials and equipment and the reorganisation of supply chain networks and internal structure. Disruption to supply chains echoing that during the COVID era will be likely, necessitating the need for companies to stay agile.

Leaders refocus on core strengths and value optimization

Industry leaders are prioritising their core brands and divesting long-tail products that fail to deliver sales targets or do not match the leaner, more focused, vision of the companies. For their core portfolios, they actively reposition existing and launch new products across price tiers to improve value perception. This is in the form of more explicit core benefit call-outs, targeting need gaps and sharper product tailoring for local preferences.

Digital transformation aids local penetration and insurgents’ expansion

Digitisation has helped democratise distribution with control no longer limited to traditional grocery retailers, with online sales outpacing overall category growth and fast-tracking new entrants’ visibility, demanding change and diversification of business model.

 

Key findings
Companies at a glance: Tissue and hygiene remains a top-heavy industry
Most top players remain sector focused, but adjacency becomes increasingly relevant
Market momentum continues to drive growth, while competition challenges share gain
Emerging countries offer stronger growth prospect…
…yet escalating market fragmentation requires business prioritisation
Softys and Hengan lead market share increase in active categories
Top players remain focused on a narrow portfolio of strength
Product mix further defines top players’ strengths and weaknesses
Tariffs loom large and pile uncertainty onto company strategies
Tariffs accelerate supply chain shifts and vertical integration
Industry continues to prioritise portfolio sharpening, new segment discovery
Improved value positioning, portfolio tailoring and digital engagement drive growth
Consumer-centric efficacy and user experience trump innovation strategy
Reinforced benefit call-outs and clear user targeting build value perception
Biome-forward positioning merges gut, mental, skin and intimate health
Develop products for a wider user base and occasions to deepen demand penetration
Under-addressed demographics, occasion need gaps bring innovation opportunities
Vietnam: Unicharm drives adoption by incorporating local immunity health risks
Retail is evolving, demanding a balance between long-term vision and real-time agility
Strong local players are reshaping e-commerce while Amazon maintains its lead
Social platforms fast-track growth for new entrants in emerging categories
Babycare’s winning formula in China: A multilayered, parents-centric approach
Key findings

Tissue and Hygiene

This is the aggregation of retail and away-from home tissue and disposable hygiene products as well as Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence.

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