Tara Olivo, Associate Editor06.05.25
In the five years since the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the household wipes market in unprecedented ways, wipes manufacturers are now reporting steady growth following years of fluctuation. The pandemic-induced spike in demand—followed by a period of overcapacity and stockpiling—left both consumers and retailers with excess inventory.
“The category has been on a roller coaster ride since Covid and has certainly moderated from the panic buying at the peak of the pandemic to a steady 3% growth,” says Mark Tumelty, Nice-Pak’s senior vice president and general manager, Marketing. “Consumers continue to understand the importance of wipes as a convenient assurance of surface hygiene, but they are more measured in their purchasing habits. Most market research predicts the category will grow about 6% in the coming year.”
Echoing that view, Ann Halstead, director of Marketing and Retail Sales for wipes manufacturer Kleen Test Products (KTP), also describes consumer demand for household wipes as being a bit of a roller coaster since the onset of the pandemic. “During the initial stages of the pandemic, consumers could not buy household cleaning wipes fast enough, and the industry experienced a shortage,” she explains. “That shortage resulted in new manufacturers jumping into the wipes business and existing manufacturers expanding capacity. Once wipes were available again, both retailers and consumers over-purchased, resulting in full home pantries and retailer shelves full of discounted cleaning wipes.”
In 2024, KTP started to see the demand for wipes return to pre-pandemic levels. “Today, there is solid growth in the category as traditional wipes users resume their normal purchase behavior and consumers who first experienced the category during the pandemic return due to the ease of use and effectiveness of the product,” Halstead adds.
According to market researcher Euromonitor International, since Covid, the home care wipes category has gone through demand normalization, with 2024 being the first year the category globally saw growth in volume. Moving forward, the category is expected to slightly accelerate in growth, both volume and value, to slightly under pre-Covid level. “This reflects recovering household cleaning routines,” says Liyang Qian, global insights manager for Tissue and Hygiene at Euromonitor International.
According to Qian, sustainability and wellness are key trends driving innovations. “A rise in chemophobia amongst consumers is driving ingredient exclusions and the active avoidance of certain chemicals associated with adverse health effects,” she explains.
As a result, more consumers are demanding better-for-you and better-for-the-planet ingredients in household wipes. “To earn the right to play in wellness, the base requirement for home care brands is to use plant-based formulas in place of harsh chemicals, which in its messaging, often gets linked to sustainability claims around biodegradability and sustainable packaging,” Qian notes. “‘Natural’ remains one of the most powerful claims associated with health, often resonating as an ‘anti-artificial’ label in the minds of shoppers.”
While consumers want to have products that are better for the environment, Halstead, of wipes manufacturer KTP, says most are unwilling to compromise on efficacy, forcing manufacturers to continually innovate and improve their products. As an example, nonwovens suppliers continue to develop substrates using more natural ingredients, including pulp and other plant-based fibers, to meet sustainability standards. “These natural wipe substrates are getting stronger and more cloth-like, driving more consumer acceptance,” she adds.
Cleaning solutions are also changing to address sustainability concerns. “More and more solutions are using citric acid, hydrogen peroxide and other alternatives to deliver germ-killing cleaning with less or no chemical residue and no harsh fumes,” says Halstead.
John Iarocci, vice president of R&D for wipes manufacturer Nice-Pak, says that sustainability considerations continue to drive innovation. “Fewer and natural ingredients are a big industry focus, as well as packaging that’s better for our planet,” he explains.
Nice-Pak considers itself a pioneer in the shift from canisters to flat packs, which use significantly less plastic than canisters. In 2010, the company introduced the Eco Pak for surface disinfecting wipes, which received INDA’s World of Wipes Innovation Award that year, and the company continues to advocate for flat packs as a better alternative to canisters.
Meanwhile, wipes manufacturer Rockline Industries is launching product packaging across multiple categories containing post-consumer recycled content as high as 30%, says Christopher Dresselhuys, business director North American Retail Products, Rockline Industries.
As sustainability continues to reshape product development, brands are also finding new ways to elevate the user experience. Lysol, for example, is pairing its disinfecting power with fragrances that bring a sense of freshness into the home.
Qian says fragrance is a further part of the wellness narrative and is creating new value in the experience zone. “Consumers are associating fragrances more and more with coping mechanisms and routines,” she says. “Brands should understand how to build emotional engagement with consumers in especially stress-inducing activities beyond functionality and leveraging scents.”
Lysol’s Brand New Day Collection of scented cleaning supplies recently expanded with its Lysol Lavender & Cotton Blossom scent. Lysol’s Lavender & Cotton Blossom fragrance is available in a range of Lysol products to disinfect or clean every room in the home, killing 99.9% of germs while leaving behind a refreshing scent.
The line, which includes Disinfecting Wipes, captures the scents of a lavender field, blending notes of lavender, jasmine and violet with subtle hints of apple and green pear. Sandalwood and white musk are reminiscent of cozy cotton blossoms, rounding out the scent for a refreshing yet soothing finish.
Procter & Gamble is also enhancing the user experience with its biggest innovation to the original Swiffer Sweeper in 25+ years with the Swiffer Sweep + Mop Deluxe. The new mop offers users a sturdier stick that collapses in half to store almost anywhere, as well as 2-in-1 dry and wet cleaning capabilities, eliminating the need for multiple cleaning products.
Swiffer’s Sweep + Mop Deluxe is the first-ever floor cleaning product to feature a collapsible stick with improved durability to tackle tough messes. Its 360-degree swivel head locks in place to help users clean areas where dirt has been seamlessly hidden. It also gets into small spaces such as baseboards, behind toilets and under furniture.
As part of the launch, Swiffer also introduced newly designed Heavy Duty Wet Cloths that include an upgraded scrubbing strip, offering users 75% more scrubbing power compared to the Swiffer Wet Mopping cloths. Meanwhile, the Heavy Duty Dry Cloths trap and lock twice the amount of dust and hair compared to a broom.
“We hear the challenges from our consumers when it comes to floor cleaning – keeping up with everyday dirt and grime is a chore, and we want to help change that,” says KaNeeTa Kimble, Swiffer senior brand director, Procter & Gamble. “Since its introduction in 1999, Swiffer has paved the way in floor cleaning innovation, and it’s important to us that we keep raising the bar for what it means to get a Swiffer clean. The Sweep + Mop Deluxe continues the Swiffer legacy, providing a big clean in small spaces with a more durable, collapsible stick for easy storage.”
According to Qian, demand has been quite resilient in household wipes. “However, given broad economic uncertainty, many households are limiting their spending, favoring private label products, bulk purchases and economy brands which offer competitive prices without compromising on desired features such as germ-removing efficacy, disposable convenience and skin health,” she explains.
Driven by portfolio diversification from several brands, as well as an overarching consumer trend towards the simplification of products and all-in-one solutions, the growth of multi-purpose cleaners has not abated, she adds. “Through wipes that balance efficacy with eco-conscious, skin-friendly materials, the next wave of innovation will be shaped by products that offer convenience, versatility and sustainability in one.”
While the sector remains consolidated, with Clorox and Reckitt Benckiser Group owning 46% of the global market share, both are slowly losing share, according to Euromonitor. Private label, in contrast, has seen the fastest share gain from 26% in 2019 to 32% in 2024. “This certainly reflects the downtrading trend in the sector, where retailers’ brands are increasingly considered as equal/similar-quality yet cheaper alternatives,” she says.
Tumelty of Nice-Pak notes that consumers have become more value-conscious with the rise of inflation. “We are seeing more and more retailers investing in their own brands,” he says. “As a result, consumer perception has shifted to seeing private label offerings as a premium or even better alternative than a legacy brand, and that’s reflected in the growth of private label in the surface market.”
Citing data from Circana, Tumelty says that in 2024, the private label surface wipes market grew 9.4% while branded surface wipes grew only 0.8%.
Dresselhuys of Rockline adds that the demand spike created by the Covid-19 pandemic has largely subsided, with volumes leveling off a few basis points above pre-Covid levels. However, in recent years, consumers have shifted a considerable portion of their purchases toward private brands. “Consumers appear to remain more conscious of the importance of sanitizing and disinfecting their living spaces to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria, but they now appear to understand that they can find equal efficacy and superior value in private brands,” he says.
Acknowledging that many consumers believed that branded products were far superior to private label / store brand products in the past, and in many cases this used to be true, Halstead of KTP says that today many consumers recognize that private label products offer a real value by providing brand equivalent performance at a more reasonable price point. “Retailers have worked hard to develop private label products that meet consumer expectations of performance,” she says. “And as consumers face economic challenges, they have started to purchase more private label products and have discovered the value of private label products. This is driving growth in the private label sector as consumers are staying with the private label products even after their economic situation has improved.”
Looking ahead, the home care wipes category is expected to maintain low- to mid-single-digit-percent retail volume and current value growth globally in the 2024-2029 forecast period due to the simplification of cleaning routines and the “back to basics” movement, according to Euromonitor. Qian says that more brands are likely to innovate in terms of ingredients focused on efficacy, efficiency and wellness, as well as how and where to sell to consumers.
As the category continues to evolve, Rockline sees both opportunities and challenges on the horizon for household wipes in the short and long term. Some of the opportunities include the continued growth in demand for household cleaning products overall and the potential for expanding the levels of segmentation within product ranges to meet diverse consumer needs. “Tariff costs will certainly be the most pressing immediate challenge, along with any supply chain disruptions they may create,” says Dresselhuys. “Another challenge will be the need to expand the domestic supply chain for substrates used in household cleaning products and the investments needed to do so.”
“The category has been on a roller coaster ride since Covid and has certainly moderated from the panic buying at the peak of the pandemic to a steady 3% growth,” says Mark Tumelty, Nice-Pak’s senior vice president and general manager, Marketing. “Consumers continue to understand the importance of wipes as a convenient assurance of surface hygiene, but they are more measured in their purchasing habits. Most market research predicts the category will grow about 6% in the coming year.”
Echoing that view, Ann Halstead, director of Marketing and Retail Sales for wipes manufacturer Kleen Test Products (KTP), also describes consumer demand for household wipes as being a bit of a roller coaster since the onset of the pandemic. “During the initial stages of the pandemic, consumers could not buy household cleaning wipes fast enough, and the industry experienced a shortage,” she explains. “That shortage resulted in new manufacturers jumping into the wipes business and existing manufacturers expanding capacity. Once wipes were available again, both retailers and consumers over-purchased, resulting in full home pantries and retailer shelves full of discounted cleaning wipes.”
In 2024, KTP started to see the demand for wipes return to pre-pandemic levels. “Today, there is solid growth in the category as traditional wipes users resume their normal purchase behavior and consumers who first experienced the category during the pandemic return due to the ease of use and effectiveness of the product,” Halstead adds.
According to market researcher Euromonitor International, since Covid, the home care wipes category has gone through demand normalization, with 2024 being the first year the category globally saw growth in volume. Moving forward, the category is expected to slightly accelerate in growth, both volume and value, to slightly under pre-Covid level. “This reflects recovering household cleaning routines,” says Liyang Qian, global insights manager for Tissue and Hygiene at Euromonitor International.
Wipes Trends
Like other nonwoven product categories, there is a growing demand for cleaner ingredients and a reduction in plastic in household wipes. In response, nonwoven suppliers have invested in new production lines and upgrades to existing lines, enabling them to create wipe substrates using natural fibers such as cotton and cellulose. At the same time, wipes manufacturers are responding by reducing plastic in packaging, incorporating post-consumer recycled materials and reformulating products with safer cleaning agents.According to Qian, sustainability and wellness are key trends driving innovations. “A rise in chemophobia amongst consumers is driving ingredient exclusions and the active avoidance of certain chemicals associated with adverse health effects,” she explains.
As a result, more consumers are demanding better-for-you and better-for-the-planet ingredients in household wipes. “To earn the right to play in wellness, the base requirement for home care brands is to use plant-based formulas in place of harsh chemicals, which in its messaging, often gets linked to sustainability claims around biodegradability and sustainable packaging,” Qian notes. “‘Natural’ remains one of the most powerful claims associated with health, often resonating as an ‘anti-artificial’ label in the minds of shoppers.”
While consumers want to have products that are better for the environment, Halstead, of wipes manufacturer KTP, says most are unwilling to compromise on efficacy, forcing manufacturers to continually innovate and improve their products. As an example, nonwovens suppliers continue to develop substrates using more natural ingredients, including pulp and other plant-based fibers, to meet sustainability standards. “These natural wipe substrates are getting stronger and more cloth-like, driving more consumer acceptance,” she adds.
Cleaning solutions are also changing to address sustainability concerns. “More and more solutions are using citric acid, hydrogen peroxide and other alternatives to deliver germ-killing cleaning with less or no chemical residue and no harsh fumes,” says Halstead.
John Iarocci, vice president of R&D for wipes manufacturer Nice-Pak, says that sustainability considerations continue to drive innovation. “Fewer and natural ingredients are a big industry focus, as well as packaging that’s better for our planet,” he explains.
Nice-Pak considers itself a pioneer in the shift from canisters to flat packs, which use significantly less plastic than canisters. In 2010, the company introduced the Eco Pak for surface disinfecting wipes, which received INDA’s World of Wipes Innovation Award that year, and the company continues to advocate for flat packs as a better alternative to canisters.
Meanwhile, wipes manufacturer Rockline Industries is launching product packaging across multiple categories containing post-consumer recycled content as high as 30%, says Christopher Dresselhuys, business director North American Retail Products, Rockline Industries.
As sustainability continues to reshape product development, brands are also finding new ways to elevate the user experience. Lysol, for example, is pairing its disinfecting power with fragrances that bring a sense of freshness into the home.
Qian says fragrance is a further part of the wellness narrative and is creating new value in the experience zone. “Consumers are associating fragrances more and more with coping mechanisms and routines,” she says. “Brands should understand how to build emotional engagement with consumers in especially stress-inducing activities beyond functionality and leveraging scents.”
Lysol’s Brand New Day Collection of scented cleaning supplies recently expanded with its Lysol Lavender & Cotton Blossom scent. Lysol’s Lavender & Cotton Blossom fragrance is available in a range of Lysol products to disinfect or clean every room in the home, killing 99.9% of germs while leaving behind a refreshing scent.
Lysol disinfecting wipes are now available in a Lavender & Cotton Blossom fragrance.
The line, which includes Disinfecting Wipes, captures the scents of a lavender field, blending notes of lavender, jasmine and violet with subtle hints of apple and green pear. Sandalwood and white musk are reminiscent of cozy cotton blossoms, rounding out the scent for a refreshing yet soothing finish.
Procter & Gamble is also enhancing the user experience with its biggest innovation to the original Swiffer Sweeper in 25+ years with the Swiffer Sweep + Mop Deluxe. The new mop offers users a sturdier stick that collapses in half to store almost anywhere, as well as 2-in-1 dry and wet cleaning capabilities, eliminating the need for multiple cleaning products.
Swiffer’s Sweep + Mop Deluxe is the first-ever floor cleaning product to feature a collapsible stick with improved durability to tackle tough messes. Its 360-degree swivel head locks in place to help users clean areas where dirt has been seamlessly hidden. It also gets into small spaces such as baseboards, behind toilets and under furniture.
As part of the launch, Swiffer also introduced newly designed Heavy Duty Wet Cloths that include an upgraded scrubbing strip, offering users 75% more scrubbing power compared to the Swiffer Wet Mopping cloths. Meanwhile, the Heavy Duty Dry Cloths trap and lock twice the amount of dust and hair compared to a broom.
“We hear the challenges from our consumers when it comes to floor cleaning – keeping up with everyday dirt and grime is a chore, and we want to help change that,” says KaNeeTa Kimble, Swiffer senior brand director, Procter & Gamble. “Since its introduction in 1999, Swiffer has paved the way in floor cleaning innovation, and it’s important to us that we keep raising the bar for what it means to get a Swiffer clean. The Sweep + Mop Deluxe continues the Swiffer legacy, providing a big clean in small spaces with a more durable, collapsible stick for easy storage.”
The new Swiffer Sweep + Mop Deluxe offers users a sturdier stick that collapses in half.
Value-Driven Choices
While wipes offer a convenient way to clean, they are typically more expensive than traditional methods like a spray bottle and cloth. Despite their higher price point, the outlook for the wipes market remains positive, particularly as private label products continue to gain ground by offering value without sacrificing performance.According to Qian, demand has been quite resilient in household wipes. “However, given broad economic uncertainty, many households are limiting their spending, favoring private label products, bulk purchases and economy brands which offer competitive prices without compromising on desired features such as germ-removing efficacy, disposable convenience and skin health,” she explains.
Driven by portfolio diversification from several brands, as well as an overarching consumer trend towards the simplification of products and all-in-one solutions, the growth of multi-purpose cleaners has not abated, she adds. “Through wipes that balance efficacy with eco-conscious, skin-friendly materials, the next wave of innovation will be shaped by products that offer convenience, versatility and sustainability in one.”
While the sector remains consolidated, with Clorox and Reckitt Benckiser Group owning 46% of the global market share, both are slowly losing share, according to Euromonitor. Private label, in contrast, has seen the fastest share gain from 26% in 2019 to 32% in 2024. “This certainly reflects the downtrading trend in the sector, where retailers’ brands are increasingly considered as equal/similar-quality yet cheaper alternatives,” she says.
Tumelty of Nice-Pak notes that consumers have become more value-conscious with the rise of inflation. “We are seeing more and more retailers investing in their own brands,” he says. “As a result, consumer perception has shifted to seeing private label offerings as a premium or even better alternative than a legacy brand, and that’s reflected in the growth of private label in the surface market.”
Citing data from Circana, Tumelty says that in 2024, the private label surface wipes market grew 9.4% while branded surface wipes grew only 0.8%.
Dresselhuys of Rockline adds that the demand spike created by the Covid-19 pandemic has largely subsided, with volumes leveling off a few basis points above pre-Covid levels. However, in recent years, consumers have shifted a considerable portion of their purchases toward private brands. “Consumers appear to remain more conscious of the importance of sanitizing and disinfecting their living spaces to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria, but they now appear to understand that they can find equal efficacy and superior value in private brands,” he says.
Acknowledging that many consumers believed that branded products were far superior to private label / store brand products in the past, and in many cases this used to be true, Halstead of KTP says that today many consumers recognize that private label products offer a real value by providing brand equivalent performance at a more reasonable price point. “Retailers have worked hard to develop private label products that meet consumer expectations of performance,” she says. “And as consumers face economic challenges, they have started to purchase more private label products and have discovered the value of private label products. This is driving growth in the private label sector as consumers are staying with the private label products even after their economic situation has improved.”
Looking ahead, the home care wipes category is expected to maintain low- to mid-single-digit-percent retail volume and current value growth globally in the 2024-2029 forecast period due to the simplification of cleaning routines and the “back to basics” movement, according to Euromonitor. Qian says that more brands are likely to innovate in terms of ingredients focused on efficacy, efficiency and wellness, as well as how and where to sell to consumers.
Maridav/stock.adobe.com
As the category continues to evolve, Rockline sees both opportunities and challenges on the horizon for household wipes in the short and long term. Some of the opportunities include the continued growth in demand for household cleaning products overall and the potential for expanding the levels of segmentation within product ranges to meet diverse consumer needs. “Tariff costs will certainly be the most pressing immediate challenge, along with any supply chain disruptions they may create,” says Dresselhuys. “Another challenge will be the need to expand the domestic supply chain for substrates used in household cleaning products and the investments needed to do so.”
