Research study on:

Deodorant use and preference amongst Youth

Location:

Colleges across Mumbai

 Objectives

 To find out the usage pattern amongst youth

 To find out their perception about a deodorant brand in terms of its look, design,
appeal and communication

 To find out importance of a deodorant in their daily life & reason of switching
brands

 To find what factor affects the buying decision

Sample Size
The sample taken was a mixed bag of students and young professionals across
Mumbai ageing from 16 to 28.

The sample size was approximately 50.

 Core Questions

Q.1 What Deodorant brands are you aware of?

Sales
25%

20%

15%
Sales

10%

5%

0%
Axe Fa Rexona Adidas Reebok Nike SpinzWildstone Sure Zatak Others

Finding:

The most known brand among the category was Axe by Unilever which accounted to
19% followed by Reebok 15% and Adidas 14%.

While Zatak accounted 10%, Rexona & Wildstone 8%, Spinz at 9%, Fa came close by
7%.

Other brands together comprised of 22% which included Brut, Ponds, Denver, Tommy
Hilfiger, Garnier, Playboy, Secret Temptation, Dove and others.
Q.2 What is the role of Deodorants in maintaining personal care?

Role of Deodorant
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40%
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20%
15%
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Finding:

40% of respondents said that their use of deodorant is basically to prevent bad body
odor.

Only 4% accounted that they use deodorants to attract people around them while 5%
gave reasons like they feel fresh after the use of deodorant.
Q.3 Which deodorant brand you normally use?

Brands used
12%

10%

8%
Brands used
6%

4%

2%

0%
Axe Dove Spinz Zatak Adidas Nike Others

Findings:

From the survey we found that Axe was the most used brand amongst the category.
Majority boys / men preferred to use Axe in comparison to other brands available for
them.

Also Adidas, Nike & Reebok deodorants were also favorites of youngsters and used
more than any other brands.

Amongst girls we found that Spinz scored a high followed by Dove and Fa.

The others included Fa, Ponds, Wildstone, Denver, and Brut & Rexona.
Q.4 How long have you been using it?

Duration of use
14%

12%

10%

8% Duration of use

6%

4%

2%

0%
More than 2 yrs 1 yr 6 months

Findings:

Maximum respondents said that they were using the same deodorant brand for more
than 2 years as they felt comfortable with the fragrance and had no skin problems.

A lot of them also said that they changed their deodorant brand in a year’s time
depending on factors like skin irritation, price, fragrance etc.

Also some people said they liked trying out new brands and fragrances that kept coming
to the market which changed their deodorant brands every 6 months.
Q.5 Do you use a deodorant on special occasions or regularly? If
regularly then please notify how many times a day.

Use / day
12%

10%

8%
Use / day
6%

4%

2%

0%
6-7 times 4-5 times 3-4 times 2-3 times Occasionally

Findings:

10% of respondents use a deodorant spray 2-3 times a day. Whenever they sweat they
tend to pull out their Deo bottle from their bag and spray it. It has now become a
common practice to carry a deodorant in the bag every day.

Almost half the number of respondents said that depending on the weather, it being
humid in Mumbai, they use a Deo about 3-4 times a day. This is kind of mental set up to
use the Deo every 2-3 hours thinking they smell odd of sweat.

A very less number of people said they use a Deo occasionally, at parties or meetings,
as they have skin irritation problems and others.
Q.6 How did you get to know about this brand?

Awareness about the brand

18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
Awareness about the brand
6%
4%
2%
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Findings:

Majority of respondents using Axe deodorant knew about the brand through television
advertisements. This shows that Axe TVC campaigns have strong recall and impact on
buyers purchase decision.

Many came to know about their brands from retail branding. Of the shelf display of
various brands their brands caught their attention. Retail branding caused conditional,
instant decision of purchase on buyers mind.

Sales promotions like discounts, free samples, and buy one get one, and print media
followed the above in creating awareness about the brand amongst the respondents.

Others include the Internet medium, gift coupons received & word of mouth.
Q.7 What do you like and dislike about your brand?

Findings:

Most male respondents said they like the strong fragrance of their deodorant that lasts
long and gives them a fresh feel, while female respondents said that they like their
brands for the sweet fragrance and the sporty brands as they give them sense of fun
and freshness.

Price seemed to be the most dislike factor about deodorants. Respondents felt that the
sleek bottles have less quantity compared to their price tags. Another factor that
seemed to be disliked was that the fragrance though is strong but does not last long.

Q.8 What other deodorant brands have you switched to before

using the current one? Please specify a reason for switching.

Findings:

A majority of respondents said they have been dedicated to their brands for more than 2
years and have not switched frequently to other brands. This is because the brands
they have been using suits their skin as well as they like the fragrance and now have an
identity because of a particular scent.

While a lot of them said that they switched brands often, one of the key reasons being
not liking the fragrance. The other reason they put across was that they faced some
skin problems, the aroma did not last long and others.
Q.9 What should be the acceptable price of a new entrant in
deodorant category?

Price bracket
16%

14%

12%

10%
Price bracket
8%

6%

4%

2%

0%
Rs. 90-100 Rs. 100-120 Rs. 120-150 Above Rs. 150

Findings:

Maximum respondents thought the price of a regular deodorant should be between

Rs.120-150. This was because these set of people used international brands like
Adidas, Axe, Reebok, Nike, Fa etc.

The other price bracket supported was Rs. 100-120, which sounded reasonable to
students to spend on Deo bottle every month.

There were hardly any who would pay above Rs. 150 for a Deo bottle unless they really
want to use a particular brand and fragrance.
Q.10 If you were to make any improvisations to your current
deodorant brand, what would they be?

A number of respondents replied that the only change they would want to make to their
current Deo brands would be the fragrance to last long.

A very few said that they would want to make the bottles look more unisexual, trendy,
colorful and attractive so that when they carry them it looks better.

Also there was an observation that girls wanted to change the bottle shapes and make
them sleek so that it becomes easy to carry in their hand bags.
Q.11 What are the parameters that affect the purchase decision
of a buyer in deodorant category?

Parameters
12%

10%

8%

6%

4% Parameters

2%

0%
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Findings:
Deodorant is used by both Men and Women these days. It is no more a trend where
deodorants are meant for men and perfumes for women. On basis of this it was found
that a lot of respondents agree to have a Deo bottle with a unisex appeal so that the
boys don’t feel shy of using brands like Fa, Dove, Cinthol, Rexona, Sports Deo brands
and others. While girls too prefer a unisex appeal which makes it easy for them to carry
a deo bottle and not get tagged ‘girly’ or ‘feminine’.

To a number of them the design and size of the bottle also matter as public use of a
Deo catches attention of people around and attracts attention. The youngsters do not
want to feel embarrassed when they pull out a plain looking fat bottle from their bags.
Other Key findings:

 It was found that kids up to the age of 14-15 use deodorants or perfumes bought
by their parents. They have their independent buying decision after the age of 15,
which is when they enter their college and come in contact with other teenagers
from various backgrounds (peer pressure develops).
 Another observation made during the survey was that many young kids buy a
particular brand like Reebok, Nike, Adidas or Axe out of fashion and because it is
there with their friends.
 Many respondents were found to be religiously sensitive in using certain products
like a deodorant should be alcohol free. E.g. Muslim students prefer to use
alcohol free deodorant brands.
 A number of girls asked for a deodorant that is not chemical based or contains
fewer amounts as to avoid skin infections.
 Despite the fact that claims are least believed, we came across some people
who buy a deodorant because of the advertisements claiming certain points.
 Also the trust factor on international brands was seen on high scale compared to
Indian brands.
 Teenagers were found to have started buying deodorants in order to get gifts,
discounts, coupons or some incentives.
 Existing users of a particular brand tend to use deodorant of the same mother
brand, as they trust the brand on whole.
E.g. A regular buyer of Reebok or Nike merchandise would tend to use a
deodorant from the same mother brand respectively.