Shampoo sachets of different brands are up for sale at a roadside small retail shop in Mongla in Bagerhat district. Photo: Sohel Parvez

Global brands are gaining foothold on local shampoo market, driven by faster growth in demand because of the low-priced sachets that are popular among low-income groups, students and travellers.
Rural and semi-urban consumers, many of whom are new and irregular users, are the main contributor to the rise in sales of the item.
However, demand for bottled shampoo has slowed, as customers for such brands are limited in urban areas, insiders say.
The high demand for mini packs, mostly sell between Tk 1 and Tk 3, depending on the volume and category, has encouraged marketers for strengthening distribution at retail level in urban and rural areas.
“I sell a bottle or two of shampoo a month. But the demand for mini packs is very high. I sell nearly 6-dozen mini packs a week,” said Mohammad Suman, who runs Shariatpur Store, a small grocery in Old Dhaka.
“I sold 4 dozen mini packs a week a couple of years ago,” he said. "It's the Tk 1 pack that sells fast. However, the Tk 2 sachets also recorded good sales performance."
Ruled by global brands like Sunslik, Clear by Unilever, Pantene and Head & Shoulder by Procter & Gamble (P&G), the shampoo market is registering a steady growth every year, amid massive marketing campaigns on hair care.
Other brands include Chik, Vatika, Garnier, Jui Sense of Balance.
Expanded distribution by the companies from groceries to general stores also hiked demand for shampoo.
“People now aspire for better lifestyles and they have become more aware of hair care," said Ahmed Abu Insaf, executive director of International Brands Ltd, country distributor for P&G in Bangladesh.
International Brands is a concern of MGH Group.
Insiders said at present about 10 manufacturers, including two local ones, are catering to the shampoo market, which was estimated at about Tk 300 crore last year. Unilever enjoys the highest market share.
Operators said companies market two categories of shampoo -- beauty and anti-dandruff -- with beauty shampoos leading the way.
But because of increased penetration, mini packs are recording higher growth.
“It is interesting that the market for mini packs is growing faster than that of bottled shampoo," said Insaf, adding that distributors upped sachet imports to cope with the increasing demand.
Malik Mohammed Sayeed, head of marketing of Square Toiletries Ltd, the introducer of Jui Sense of Balance, said the company launched mini packs to lure irregular shampoo users.
sohel@thedailystar.net