Jennifer Liang, Greater China commercial manager for home and personal care said: “We see big areas of growth which will take shape in the next several years.”
The big five
The first mega-trend the company has observed is the rise of the middle-class.
“The growing middle class globally translates into more disposable income creating more market potential and this will create a new need for products that offer new benefits at more affordable costs,” explained Liang.
This would then lead to the second trend, which is increasing urbanisation. This will contribute to urban pollution and drive consumers to seek products with anti-pollution properties.
“With 68% of the world’s population predicted to live in urban areas by 2050, consumers will seek more products that protect them from external aggressors.”
She elaborated: “The flood of people moving into urban areas will create a growing demand for products that protect and revive our skin from the urban environment, leading companies to invest in efficient skin health and skin protection technology.
This will also affect consumer demand for more eco-friendly practices in the industry, the third trend, she added.
“Environmental stress on clean air and water is changing consumer behaviour and increasing demand for green. With a heightened emphasis on product safety and environment concerns, we will see a new demand for products that are natural and address safety concerns.”
The next trend Liang touched on was connectivity and she explained that it would continue to change how consumers ‘discover, select and acquire products’.
She explained: “The role of connectivity will lead to new entrants and delivery of cosmetics benefits.”
Lastly, Liang said the rising ageing population would bring about new opportunities.
“By 2030, the population will double to one billion, causing an increase in demand for ageing solutions. The predicted population increase will cause a growing interest for products that promote healthy aging that address skin and hair and scalp youth and health,” she concluded.
Keeping up with the trends
Liang highlighted that it was imperative for the company to keep up with the rapidly changing trends and demands of China to create trend-driven products.
“Recognising consumer demands can change on a daily basis, our market-leading intelligence equips us with the tools to stay ahead of consumer trends and invent solutions to meet consumer demands,” she said.
“Our solutions are designed to provide value and make an impact on the marketplace by capitalising on up-and-coming trends…Our trend-driven products are backed by testing, analytics and formulation expertise to help customers create the best product.”
For instance, she highlighted products that were developed to provide instant beauty solutions to the selfie-generation.
“Now is a digital world. People in the globe all enjoy the fast pace of digital life. Dow’s strong technology and products enable us to provide highly instant effects to consumers.”
She added that it was important for Dow to have a local team to help develop products that answer regional needs.
“Our business includes both global and regional teams, which enables us to innovate not only at a global scale but also regionally based on local needs. This also allows us to offer personalised solutions to our customers to ensure they have the best ingredients to optimize their formulations.”
These will enable the company to maintain the momentum for continuous growth, said Liang.
“With R&D and application testing facilities strategically placed across the globe, Dow is positioned to target specific needs in China while leveraging global research and innovation capabilities.”
