Improving standard of living, rising awareness towards health and hygiene, growing young population having busy schedule and increasing exposure of western culture are the primary growth driving factors for wipes market in India. India wipes market is mainly segmented into two categories namely, wet wipes and dry wipes. All types of wipes fall under these two categories as baby wipes, facial wipes, medical wipes, etc can be available in both wet and dry forms of wipes. However, wet wipes are extremely popular rather than dry wipes among wipes users. Again the wipes have two segments according to its usage like personal care wipes and home care wipes. Baby wipes, facial wipes, feminine wipes, hand sanitisation wipes, intimate wipes, cosmetic wipes, etc belong to personal care wipes category, whereas kitchen wipes, glass surface cleaning wipes, automotive wipes, bathroom wipes, etc are considered as home care wipes. Within the personal care wipes market, baby wipes generates the highest revenue, while facial wipes, cosmetic wipes, feminine wipes, etc are comparatively new categories in India. There is negligible penetration for the home care wipes products as Indian consumers still rely on traditional cloth based mops and also the category has few players. The wipes products market is primarily driven by the urban consumers as they are shifting towards hygiene by employing modern hygiene practices. Increasing modernisation and rising income levels of consumers in India, along with the growing influence of Western culture and etiquette, have had significant impact on consumer behavior in the country. Moreover, growing young population who need to travel for their work and have busy schedules are the key purchaser of wipes products due to the ease of use and convenience functionalities of wipes. Especially, working women with their hectic schedule have gradually started using facial wipes, cosmetic wipes and feminine wipes in urban India. However, the wipes market is still at its infancy level. The consumption and penetration levels for the wipes products are low in India. The availability of substitute products such as cloth napkins and pocket handkerchief which is rationally used among Indian consumers hinders the demand for wipes products in the country. Furthermore, when water and soap are available there consumers avoid using products like wipes. Price sensitive consumers go with private label brands or unorganised wipes which restricts the growth of branded wipes market. According to recently published report of Actual Market Research "
India Tissues & Wipes Market Outlook, 2021", India has witnessed incremental adoption of various types of wipes products in recent years. The wipes market is predicted to represent the CAGR of more than 18% during forecast period. The market has huge potential to grow in upcoming years as manufacturers are making efforts to fulfill the demand of consumers by introducing new variants along with innovative functionalities. Additionally, amplifying manufacturing activity and revolution in healthcare practices in India will drive gains as wipes offer better protection from cross contamination than do more traditional cloth or paper products. Developing modern retail chains and e-commerce portals are expected to enlarge the sales of wipes products as consumers have started shopping these products from these channels owing to time effective and availability of all brands and products at one place. According to Zalak Bhavsar, Research Analyst with Actual Market Research, "Though having low consumption and penetration levels in the current scenario, wipes products are expected to have huge demand from consumers which is positively correlated with the growing beauty, cosmetic and health care segment, as a result of consumer's turn towards lavish lifestyle". Major companies operating in the wipes market of India are Ginni Filaments Limited, Future Consumer Enterprises Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pvt. Ltd., Pigeon India Pvt. Ltd., The Himalaya Drug Company and Unicharm India Private Limited.
