Everybody uses fabric care products to some degree in their home. Whether your brand makes laundry pods, traditional detergent, dryer sheets, scent beads, or other popular fabric care forms, people care about what their products look, feel, and smell like. Your brand must stay on top of what consumers will be looking for when taking care of their clothing and various household fabrics.
Our team was curious to learn more about which sensory attributes are expected to perform best over the next 11 months. So, we leveraged our White Space AI tool to analyze 71 sensory attributes to forecast 2023’s hottest Fabric Care trends.
What did we find?
The graphic below breaks down ten fabric care ingredients we believe possess the highest potential for growth in 2023. Fabric Care sensory attribute opportunity scores are determined by looking at both share of voice (a leading indicator of market share) and year-over-year growth rate.
Soft
Our list’s first predicted winning sensory attribute is for fabric care products branded to consumers as “Soft,” which holds a 0.07 percent share of voice in the fabric care market. Soft products like this baby laundry detergent will see a massive uptick in growth this year, with an expected 98.42 percent growth rate throughout the remainder of 2023. People love their fabrics to look and feel incredibly soft, so anything branded as such will automatically gain favor with consumers because it tells them what type of sensation they’ll experience upon using the product.
Fluffy
Fluffy (0.11 percent share of voice) is second on our list, with an anticipated 88.42 percent growth rate for 2023. Similar to Soft, Fluffy is another sensory attribute that sounds incredibly appealing to most consumers when it comes to their sheets, clothing, blankets, or any other fabric meant to be highly comfortable.
Aromatic
Third on the predicted winners list will be Aromatic products that feature noticeable and pleasant scents and smells. Aromatic, which holds a 0.30 percent share of voice, will see a respectable 63.57 percent growth rate in 2023, with products like these laundry balls leading the charge.
Fresh
It’s no surprise that Fresh made it onto our list of winners, as this is the number one thing we think of when it comes to any sort of fabric care. The goal is to freshen up your fabrics, so Fresh — a 0.41 percent share of voice — should see a noticeable increase in popularity in 2023 among consumers.
Our AI predicts a 36.59 percent growth rate this year for products that fall into the Fresh category, like this Simply Clean and Fresh Liquid Laundry Detergent from Tide. Customers want to feel like their clothes are rejuvenated and enhanced using fabric care products, with value-for-dollar being incredibly important here. Nobody wants to overpay for laundry detergents to then have clothes that don’t feel Fresh, so position your product offerings accordingly, and you’ll see a nice jump in sales this year.
Oily
This one is a bit of a head-scratcher, as you don’t necessarily think consumers would want fabric care products that give off an Oily (0.10 percent share of voice) or unclean feel. However, products that get branded as helping with Oily stains or otherwise may find a way to capitalize on our expected 34.36 percent growth rate this year.
Refreshing
Now we’re back on track. Refreshing fabric care products, like this bundle from Branch Basics, hold a 0.24 percent share of voice and should see plenty of success in 2023.
With a predicted growth rate of 28.92 percent, Refreshing is here to stay and will continue to add to its already decent market share. Consumers crave products that refresh and improve their fabrics, so it makes sense to our team why this is a sensory attribute that’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Bright
Bright (0.48 percent share of voice) is 7th on our list, with an anticipated growth rate of 16.23 percent this year. Companies like OUT have been offering products marketed as Bright for quite some time, usually in reference to options like this White Brite Laundry Detergent that help keep fabrics incredibly white and new looking. Consumers looking to maintain their materials over a long period will want to use Bright detergents or fabric enhancers to keep everything feeling like brand new.
Calming
Some fragrances can be Calming (0.03 percent share of voice), but others can have the opposite effect and be quite off-putting to consumers. Calming fabric care products don’t have much of a foothold in this market quite yet, but with a 15.08 percent expected 2023 growth rate, we think that you’ll start to see more options pop up on shelves.
Smooth
Second-to-last is Smooth, which is not too different from Soft at the top of our list. Smooth holds a 0.05 percent share of voice, and a solid 15.08 percent growth rate is expected for this year. Keeping fabrics Smooth, Soft, and enjoyable to touch is every consumer’s wish, so keep your product lineups focused on these types of sensory attributes, and you’ll make your customers very happy and want to come back for repeat purchases.
Mild
We’re glad that Mild made it onto the list. Many fabric care products are extremely harsh and can use nasty chemicals to give off a certain aroma or deliver a particular result.
With Mild (0.46 percent share of voice) products, consumers can rest easy that they may not need to worry about interacting with such chemicals. It feels safer and more approachable when products like this one from Seventh Generation are marketed as Mild.
Sense the Market Changes
The fabric care market is ever-changing, and 2023 is no different. It’s time to pay attention (if you haven’t been already) to what your customers want their fabrics to feel like when they use your products. Sense the shift in consumer preferences, get out ahead of the competition, and stay in front of the pack by leaning on data and predictive analytics — they won’t lead you astray.
For more insights on luxury cosmetics trends, check out our recent webinar here. If you’re ready to see Simporter AI in action and learn what it can do for you, request a demo on our website.
