Britons have turned to a surprising money-squeezing measure during the cost-of-living crisis – skipping the soap in the shower.
“We are seeing a significant decline in sales in the personal healthcare category, suggesting that consumers are cutting back on products deemed non-essential as the cost-of-life crisis continues,” ReApp commercial director James Lamplog told The Times UK.
“However, we’ve seen that as the impact of the pandemic continues, hand sanitizer sales are the only product type to buck the trend.”
Rep, a data analyst that looks at supermarket sales trends, predicted demand for soap during the first six months of 2023 fell 48 percent from the same time last year, with sales of hand wash down 23 percent.
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Bottles of Do Body Wash manufactured by Unilever plc at an Iceland Foods Ltd supermarket in Christchurch, UK on Wednesday June 15, 2022. “Britain’s cost-of-living crisis — on track for the biggest squeeze since the mid-70s — will get worse before the start of next year,” Leckon said. Lesion Foundation, an anti-poverty research group. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Times reported that the data came from three leading UK supermarket chains. Rapp noted that the average one-time cost of soap has increased by 50 percent, making it difficult for families to continue purchasing at the same level as in previous years.
This trend is another aspect of what some call hygiene poverty, which occurs when consumers cannot afford many everyday hygiene and personal care products.”
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A general view of Boots department store on June 28, 2023 in Walsall, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images, File)
Prices have risen across the board, according to The Guardian, which also cited price hikes in toothpaste and shampoo, each higher than soap.
Health Bank chief executive Ruth Brooke said hygiene poverty was a “hidden crisis” that was “wider than we feared” and was “disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable.”
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Anthony Gordon of Everton donates and buys food and hygiene products to the Blue Pantry on December 15, 2022 in Liverpool, England. (Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images, File)
The hygiene bank works with suppliers and volunteers to donate products to people who cannot afford them. The group claims that 6% of adults are affected by the crisis, rising to 13% in low-income households.
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Yahoo Finance Australia reported in late May that the country is seeing a similar problem: Aussies have reduced their overall spending on clothing, beauty treatments and home improvement, with a 26% reduction in hair and washing products.
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