By Christine Esposito
Consulting Editor

Question: How can a European personal care company gain an impressive position in the $1.7 billion U.S. deodorant marketplace?

a) Sweat equity
b) Spend cold hard cash
c) A little bit of both.

For Henkel and Unilever, the answer is C.

Henkel’s $420 million purchase of three antiperspirant and deodorants brands from Procter & Gamble has given it a stable of products with sales of $275 million and moved the company into what it contends is the number three position in the U.S. deodorant market. Meanwhile, Unilever has built its Axe brand into a category favorite in less than four years via a smart marketing campaign focused on younger male consumers and a costly brand launch.

According to company officials, Henkel’s purchase of Right Guard, Soft & Dri and Dry Idea will help it expand the German company’s presence in the body care sector.

"This acquisition will enable us to significantly expand our body care business in North America and will further strengthen our participation in the growth of this segment. The strong brands involved provide a perfect fit with our existing personal cleansing business in the U.S.," explained Hans Van Bylen, executive vice president cosmetics/toiletries of Henkel KGaA in a press statement when the deal closed in May. "The deodorant and antiperspirant market is highly attractive and we are delighted to be able to substantially strengthen our Dial platform with these acquisitions. This transaction will take us to number three in the attractive U.S. deodorant market,” he added.

For Henkel, the most prominent brand in the deal, Right Guard, brings a viable contender in the male side category, which is new territory for the company. 

“Dial and a lot of our current brands—Tone and Pure & Natural—are either female-skewing or are all-family brands. So now we have a strong male entry; the male personal-grooming segment is really growing. There's a growing trend where personal care brands are skewing either male or female, and with this stratification, we want brands that can play in either segment,” Scott Moffitt, Dial Corp.'s senior vice president for personal care and grooming told Adweek.com in early June.

Although a strong brand with a solid history, Right Guard’s sales have been sluggish at best in recent years. According to IRI, Right Guard’s sales have slipped 1.9% in the 52 weeks ended April 16, following a sales decline of 0.8% in 2005 and 7.1% in 2004.

The question is, can Dial can revive Right Guard and make it a formable candidate to P&G’s Old Spice and Unilever’s hot Axe brand?

“Right Guard has a strong brand equity. Henkel could grow that brand,” said Jason M. Gere, associate vice president, securities research-household products for A.G. Edwards & Son in New York City.

Unilever’s Axe has been one of the fastest growing brands in the ap/deo market, posting tremendous sales growth since it made its debut in the U.S. market in 2002. According to IRI, its sales in supermarkets, drugstores and mass outlets excluding Wal-Mart have risen from just under $27 million in 2004 to nearly $60 million in the 52 weeks ending this April 16.    

What has fueled the Axe brand’s swift rise in the marketplace? An expensive launch and savvy integrated deodorant marketing focused on male-female relationships rather than traditional sports marketing. Among Unilever’s recent endeavors was work with MTV’s The Gamekillers, a reality-based television special during which characters from the show helped launch Axe Dry antiperspirant stick’s new advertising campaign. Now Axe has a tie in with myspace.com and Christine Dolce. Known as Forbidden, Dolce—who reportedly claims 850,000 “friends” and 30 million page views, not to mention photos scheduled for a future issue of Playboy—is listed as the official myspace group moderator and spokesmodel for Axe Dry Gamekillers.

Unilever spent considerable cash—approximately $100 million—to bring the Axe brand to the U.S. market, which has added new dollars to the company’s coffers.

“They aren’t making a lot of money on it, but it’s growing well. They are building good brand equity,” said Mr. Gere, who contends that despite Axe’s success, efforts to revive Old Spice may have been a better deal for P&G’s bottom line.

“P&G took an old dead brand and they reinvented it. The margins are likely better for Old Spice,” he said.    

Still, Axe’s position in the marketplace is enviable.

“Everyone is trying to get a piece of the pie,” noted Mr. Gere, who said that companies are riding on Unilever’s coattails, especially in the body spray area.

But not every company is focused on body sprays for growth in the deodorant market. Colgate’s recent purchase of Tom’s of Maine’s provides it with an important brand in the ever-important natural personal care category, as well as increased presence in the deodorant sector, where it already competes with Speed Stick and Lady Speed Stick.

According to Susan Dewhirst, media and public relations leader for Tom’s of Maine, the brand’s newest entry in the category, a new long-lasting deodorant, is right on target for a demanding marketplace.

“Retailers are now more focused than ever on serving consumers needs and matching their lifestyle preferences. Consumers expect efficacy and the largest unmet need has been long-lasting performance. These products combine efficacy and natural ingredients, which is a winning combination,” she said.

Efficacy remains the key element with consumers, with recent launches in the women’s sector touting longer-lasting performance and invisible protection.

This spring, P&G restaged the Secret Platinum antiperspirant and deodorant line, which posted a 12.1% sales gain for the 52 weeks ended April 16.  The line includes Secret Platinum Invisible Solid, which boasts an improved formula that glides on clear for maximum protection—specifically “24-hour protection or your money back,” according to the company.

“The Secret Platinum line is the strongest, longest lasting protection you can get from Secret, offering stay strong odor and wetness protection with a brand new elegant look,” said Michelle Vaeth, communications director for Secret. The revamped line, which features sleek new platinum blue packaging, debuted on retail shelves March.

Also in March, Unilever launched Dove Ultimate Clear antiperspirant/deodorant, which it contends is a step above the so-called invisible products on the market. According to Unilever, 51% of women use invisible solids, but do not believe they are completely invisible. Once Dove Ultimate Clear is applied, translucent moisturizers form a barrier between skin and clothes, creating a layer that cares of skin and alleviates concerns about white marks on clothes.

Smaller Brands at Risk?

But as companies continue to roll out new products in this already-crowded marketplace, something has to give. And that could be shelf space.

According to industry experts, Walmart’s Remix program and other inventory efficiency initiatives could impact smaller brands in the marketplace. While these products are not in the top three in their respective categories, they still provide welcome cash flow to their owners.

“When you go down the aisle, it’s too crowded. “[Walmart] wants to free up shelf space and generate better cash flow. They want brands that turn over fast; ones that don’t collect dust,” said Mr. Gere, who added that brands such as Mitchum (Revlon) Ban (Kao), and Arm and Hammer (Church and Dwight) “could be at risk” if WalMart opts to cut back on SKUs.

Tags: Anitperspirant Information, Deodorant Information, Deodorant Men, Deodorant Women

Woman fired for too much perfume
Earthtimes - Questions arose over her choice of soap, shampoo and deodorant as well, The New York Post said. She lost her job in February after she received three complaints against her in one week, her boss said. The CEO of Mindpearl, Vincent Gaines, denied

Unilever hopes to clean up, with dirty films
International Herald Tribune - After success selling Axe as a body spray and deodorant, Unilever is trying to persuade more young men to use Axe in the shower. In June, the company redesigned the gel's packaging to look like a video game joystick, and now it is creating what the

When Ignorance Kills
Egypt Today - My gynecologist told me it was because of my deodorant. But it throbbed so bad, and I went to my surgeon, Dr. Ahmed El-Saeed, and he told me just by examining with his hand that there is a 90 percent chance that it is cancer,” she says. Safina

Nanotechnology Surges Into Health And Fitness Products
Science Daily - An updated inventory includes Head® NanoTitanium Tennis Racquets, Eddie Bauer® Water Shorts with Nano-Dry® technology, Nano-In Foot Deodorant Powder/Spray, and Burt's Bees® sunscreen with "natural Titanium Dioxide mineral micronized into a nano

Tags: Anitperspirant Information, Anitperspirant Women, Deodorant Information

Fresh Scents

Antiperspirant, deodorant marketers are catering more to consumers.

Melissa Meisel Associate Editor

Never let them see you sweat. The advertising slogan coined by Donna Karan in a mid-1980s Dry Idea commercial encapsulates the antiperspirant, deodorant (AP/Deo) market in a nutshell — however, today’s AP/Deos call for a lot more than just wetness protection. According to Certain Dri’s Perspiration Poll, 45% of American adults report perspiration is either “sometimes” or “often” a problem for them, and 42% of this group said they worry about having body odor. In addition, 18% (nearly 18 million) also indicated that excessive perspiration has ruined some of their wares. “For the millions of people with this condition, or, those who feel their perspiration is a problem, the summer months and the skin-bearing wardrobes that come along with the season are a dreaded time,” said David Bank, M.D., dermatologist and director of The Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, NY. Our bodies—particularly in hot weather—can lose up to a quart of fluid per day, but this is just the average for those who have “normal” perspiration, said Dr. Bank. Someone with excessive underarm perspiration, or axillary hyperhidrosis, as it’s called medically, will perspire even more. While there are several options to treat hyperhidrosis, including surgery or Botox injections to the underarm area, Dr. Bank recommends that most people start with the least invasive and least expensive options first. Enter the vast assortment of 2007’s AP/Deo products. Must-Have Attributes

The retail market sales of antiperspirants and deodorants through all U.S. retail channels reached $1.9 billion in 2005, according to a five-year study conducted by MarketResearch.com. Furthermore, Euromonitor International reported that 2007 is expected to account for 39% of the total incremental growth between 2006-11, with stick and spray deodorants leading the subsector. “Consumers want choice in their antiperspirant/deodorants,” said Sam Chadha, director of marketing at Unilever. “Some consumers find fragrance to be the most important aspect they’re looking for, while others find odor and wetness protection to be the most vital. Bjoern Leyser, brand manager for Right Guard, agreed. “It’s a bit of ‘avoiding the negative’ while adding just the right amount of ‘positive,’” said Mr. Leyser. “‘Negative’ for men means odor and wetness; the primary concern is definitely odor…the ‘positive’ (meaning fragrance) has two meanings: first, it works as reassurance that one’s AP/Deo is still working and second, it is seen as a ‘tool’ to enhance one’s appeal to others (women).” Billy Hulkower, a Mintel research group analyst based in Los Angeles, points to fragrance as a major proponent of AP/Deo marketability: “Scent is a key differentiator for gender-specific products and for brands themselves. The most common reason consumers switch brands is to try a new scent, with more than half of men and women who have switched brands doing so for this reason.”

Crossover and Portability There’s also a lot of potential for more crossover fragrance/deodorant products for women, noted Mr. Hulkower. Look out for kits in 2007 with multiple deodorant scents for women and men. Another potential arena for growth is in a product set for women that would align scents across shampoo, conditioner, oral care and deodorant. “We’ve [Mintel] polled consumers and they like the idea of buying a complete personal care kits from a brand they trust,” said Mr. Hulkower. As for travel, with today’s strict airline regulations that limit carry-on liquids to 3 oz. or less, what is a deodorant-needy traveler to do? Southern California-based La Fresh Group recently released a line of 3” X 3” individually wrapped hygiene products that include a Deodorant for Men Towelette and Deodorant for Women Towelette. “Especially in today’s fast-paced, multi-tasking world, small hygiene problems can easily become magnified,” said Eve Yen, president, Diamond Wipes and La Fresh Group, who added that her company launched the product so consumers could have more access to these “easy and fresh solutions designed to improve their day-to-day lives.”

On the home front, shelf space will become more of a challenge for antiperspirant and deodorant manufacturers if a new, larger, array of scents expands a product line, said Mr. Hulkower of Mintel. “A single brand can offer many different scents, but they aren’t going to necessarily make it onto shelves. Seasonal scents, limited-release scents and direct-to-consumer sales online can offer some relief from the fight for shelf space. But it will still be a challenge to get products on the shelves, and it’s also going to take more effort (and larger budgets) to market scent-driven products,” he said. Selling a Lifestyle As with most retail products, cutting-edge AP/Deo companions are aiming to represent a lifestyle or make a fashion statement. According to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and Forrester Research, 78% of advertisers said that traditional television advertising has become less effective in the past few years, and therefore, marketers are exploring alternative and emerging opportunities. Along with endorsements, in recent years, celebrity branding has also become very popular in promoting AP/Deos. For example, Old Spice has signed on as the presenting sponsor of this year’s AND 1 Mix Tape Tour, a street basketball entertainment production embarking on a nationwide 10-city tour that runs through August 25. As presenting sponsor, Old Spice will have a prominent presence in the AND 1 Mix Tape Tour's marketing including national print ads, the ESPN show “Streetball: The AND 1 Mix Tape Tour Presented by Old Spice” and online. The Dial Corporation also recently announced that Right Guard has renewed its event title sponsorship of the AST Dew Tour for 2007.

The sponsorship supports the Right Guard Xtreme line of antiperspirants and deodorants, helping Right Guard Xtreme to reach its target consumer of young men. It is also the third consecutive year Right Guard has held event title sponsorship of the Right Guard Open, one of five tour stops on the action sports AST Dew Tour. This year’s Right Guard Open will take place July 19 – 22 in Cleveland, OH, at the city’s North Coast Harbor. Unilever, the manufacturer of Dove deodorants, also showcased a “360 marketing program” this past spring to launch the women’s Dove Deodorant Sleeveless Ready campaign and new Dove Ultimate Clear Smooth Cashmere product. The initiative included an “unconventional” mix of television, including teaming up with “The Tyra Banks Show,” online and in-store retail components. This integration emphasized product innovations that aim to give women softer, smoother, sleeveless ready underarms in just five days. Other marketing efforts included teaming up with “Project Runway” winner, Chloe Dao, and launching the Dove Deodorant Sleeveless Ready Celebrity Auction this past May on Dove.com. Unilever extended the partnership to include an in-store experience; Dove Deodorant and “The Tyra Banks Show” executed co-branded in-store “retailtainment” events in more than 1,000 U.S. Wal-Mart stores. Eighty stores displayed site-specific tune-in messages to drive consumers to watch “Tyra.” Additional initiatives include point-of-purchase displays and in-store brand ambassadors.

“It seems only natural for Dove to team up with “The Tyra Banks Show,” which encourages real beauty and raises women’s self-esteem,” said Chadha of Unilever. “Our co-branded initiative at Wal-Mart enables us to give more women the confidence to feel good, look good and get more out of life.”

Source: http://www.happi.com/articles/2007/07/fresh-scents.php

Tags: Anitperspirant Information, Anitperspirant Women, Deodorant Information, Deodorant Women, Sweating

Tip #1: The *Brazilian move*.

The good thing about this move is that you don't need to go a gym to do it, you don't even need to find time in your day.
Why?
Because you will do this move while you brush your teeth!
How does it work:
Standing straight in your bathroom, bend your knees slightly.
Tilt your hips forward while contracting them, then pull them back.
Remember to make a very strong squeeze when you finish the forward move.
As you brush your teeth a minimum of twice a day, that's 6 minutes a day of Brazilian move.
Along with a healthy eating, this will guarantee you will get a nice rear for this summer, yeah!

Tip #2: Use your Hands!

There are some chores you would be better off doing by hand!
For instance, washing dishes by hand will burn 78 calories per half hour…..
Knowing that a pound is about 3,500 calories, and assuming you will wash dishes half an hour over 45 days, you will have lost 1 pound without knowing it….(translated on a year, this amounts to about 8 pounds!)

Tip #3: How to get your 60 minutes of accumulated exercise a day.

The General Surgeon's orders are to get 60 minutes of accumulated exercise per day (this can be sliced up into 6 small walks without any problem).
Beside burning calories, when you walk you will build the big muscles of your lower body.
Muscle tissue uses up more calories to maintain than fat, even at rest.
Again, you don't have to go for a 60 minute walk if you don't fee like it.
You can slice it up into 4×15 minute walk:
-1- one at home when you wake up (will also help wake up even more :o)
-2- two at lunch time to go to your lunch place and to come back (just select a place that's 15 minutes away from your office)
-3- one in the middle of the afternoon to help you remain focus until the end of the day.

Tip #4: Manage your food cravings by being proactive!!!

Your body produces endorphins when you do aerobic exercise — which means getting your heart rate up for at least 20 mn.
Aerobic exercise produces endorphins, body chemicals that induce euphoric and pleasurable feelings. These are the same chemicals produced in response to eating fat/sweet foods.

Tip #5: Improve your posture
This is a great exercise to improve your posture hereby making you look great when you walk, when you are on the beach, when you enter a business meeting room.
On a yoga mat, stand straight.
Breath a few times: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale slowly.
Tuck your toes under and push back into a low squat, with fingertips lightly touching the floor.
Drop your chin so it's relaxed toward the chest.
Slowly rise from the squat position by pushing your heels toward the floor until your torso hangs froward and down.
Keep the knees slightly bent and aligned over the center of each foot.
Breathe, relax the upper body, and hang like a rag dool.
Inhale in that position.
Exhale as you engage your powerhouse and slowly roll up to a standing position.
When you are standing, straighten your knees with your arms relaxed at your sides.
Inhale once again, and as you exhale, rise slowly to balance on the balls of your feet.
Breathe, relax the shoulders, and maintain this balance for several seconds.
You can do this exercise 3 times each time you finish a work out.
It may sound complicated by reading this text; I suggest you print this tip, take it with you wherever you do your workouts, do it once with the paper and once you have understood the move, re-do it without reading.

Tip #6: Easy 6-pack abs

I have been doing 100 abs a day since I was a teenager. As a result I have a 6-pack without having to sweat over abs sessions at the gym.
Those who know my approach to body strengthening know I am a *lazy* person when it comes to getting in shape.
How long do 100 abs take to perform? Depending on the move and the speed with which you do them, it will take you anywhere between 90 seconds to 3 mn.
Hardly un-squeezable!
You don't really need to warm up before such a short session therefore you can decide when to do them without having to re-arrange your day around this very very short session.
Suggestions per day:
20 straight crunches (your hand supporting your head, not lifting it).
20 straight crunches with a stop of one second at mid- raise.
40 bicycle moves alternating right elbow/left knee and left elbow/right knee.
20 seconds in the V-Pilates position: you rest on your bottom in a balanced position with your legs straightened out and your arms reaching out straight and parallel to your legs.
This sequence allows for deep abs (V-Pilates), superficial abs (crunches) and obliques (bicycle) to be worked on every single day.

Tip #7: Short is good!

As part of My Private Coach weight loss approach, mini- workouts (or MetaBoost as I call them) can do wonders for those who don't feel like sweating for hours in a gym.
"Something is really better than nothing. If I come in and I can work out vigorously for 30 minutes, I would consider giving it a try," said Dr. William L. Haskell, an exercise researcher and professor of medicine at Stanford University. The express workouts typically require only one set of 8 to 12 repetitions instead of the 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 16 repetitions that physiologists recommend for an optimum workout. " Copyright the Associate Press - 12/15/2003
Still, these MetaBoost workouts should come in addition to the daily 60 recommended minutes of accumulated exercise.
Write to info@myprivatecoach.com if you wish to receive FREE MetaBoost cards.

Tip #8 : 10,000 steps a day keep the doctor away!

Invest in a pedometer and make sure you are getting these famous 10,000 steps I have been brainwashing you for the past weeks!
10,000 steps start when you wake up. Wear your pedometer on your waist a all times.
10,000 = 3 miles = 300 calories approx (a little bit less than a bagel).
Take advantage of all opportunities to walk: choose your lunch place 10 mn further, get off the bus 1 stop before, take a 5 mn break every hour or so and go a *around the block walk*. Everything counts towards this daily goal.
You will not lose weight (this is not enough really) but you will prevent new pounds from accumulating and you will improve your general health.
No sweating required!

Tip #9: Invisible chair day

Each time you get to be by yourself, sit against a wall without a chair and hold the position for 1 minute.
Try to do this 3 times a day.
This count as a strength exercise and will help shape nice thighs.
Feel free to apply this tip on other days as well!

Tip #10: How to get a really flat stomach with no abs work

Each time you walk, think about sucking in your stomack (lower and upper part).
This will work deep abominal muscles that NO crunch work can reach.
This will help you get a REALLY flat stomach.
No sweating required!

The good thing about this move is that you don't need to go a gym to do it, you don't even need to find time in your day.
Why?
Because you will do this move while you brush your teeth!
How does it work:
Standing straight in your bathroom, bend your knees slightly.
Tilt your hips forward while contracting them, then pull them back.
Remember to make a very strong squeeze when you finish the forward move.
As you brush your teeth a minimum of twice a day, that's 6 minutes a day of Brazilian move.
Along with a healthy eating, this will guarantee you will get a nice rear for this summer, yeah!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Tags: Armpit Sweat, Face Sweat, Sweating, Sweating Information