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Procter & Gamble Dominates NPD During Pandemic

Downy Infusions Scents, Gain Blissful Breeze and Tide Heavy Duty 10X are among IRI 2020 Pacesetters.

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By: TOM BRANNA

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For more than a year, during the pandemic, consumers were forced to stay home. No surprise, then, that the most successful new product introductions focused on self-care and comfort, according to IRI. The best-selling new products of 2020 were honored with IRI's Pacesetter Awards. Procter & Gamble was well-represented with three new products among the top 10 in the non-food category. For more than 20 years, IRI has provided Happi with valuable on diverse topic including laundry detergent, household cleaners, hair care, color cosmetics and skin care

“Understanding consumer demographics and why certain products succeed is imperative for brands, both big and small, as innovation strategists work to respond to the continuously shifting marketplace,” said Larry Levin, EVP-market and shopper intelligence and thought leadership, IRI. “IRI's 2020 New Product Pacesetters and its consumer attitudes survey about new products tell a story of people staying at home, but still seeking out products and brands that offered indulgence and comfort amid the chaos of COVID-19.”

For nonfood Pacesetters, products that offer added value to consumers won big. With an increased demand for detergent due to shoppers spending more time at home, laundry had a big showing on the top 20 list, with four laundry products making the cut. Leader Downy Infusions Scents generated more than $120 million in sales. It captured the interest of consumers who wanted to create a premium, luxurious experience at home, with long-lasting scents and added fabric protection. Other top brands were Gain Blissful Breeze coming in at No. 16, Gain Scent Blast at No. 19 and Tide Heavy Duty 10X taking the No. 22 spot.

While overall sales were down in the beauty department, there was an emergence of new self-care and beauty products sought by consumers who wanted to stay camera-ready for Zoom and FaceTime calls. While there were a similar number of face and skin care launches in 2020 and 2019, Pacesetter sales of these products were stronger in 2020 with 29 beauty Pacesetters representing $378 million and 17% of total nonfood Pacesetters, nearly double the share earned by the group in the previous year. The average launch increased to $13.1 million in 2020 from $10.6 million in 2019. Of course, in a mask-based society, eyecolor cosmetics dominated the beauty segment.

Household cleaning products also had a strong year throughout the pandemic, with two paper towel products landing a spot in the top 10 nonfood Pacesetters. Brawny Tear-A-Square came in at No. 2, while Viva Multi-Surface Cloth took the No. 7 spot.

According to IRI's consumer survey data, pet adoption was up significantly during 2020. Among the top 20 nonfood Pacesetters, three pet products earned a spot, including Greenies at No. 3, Swiffer Pet at No. 12 and Tidy Cats Free & Clean at No. 14.

Here are IRI's Pacesetters in the Non-Food Category

1. Downy Infusion Scents, Procter & Gamble

2. Brawny Tear-A-Square, Koch Industries

3. Greenies, Mars

4. Juul, Juul Labs

5. Native, Procter & Gamble

6. Duracell Optimum, Berkshire Hathaway

7. Viva Mult-Surface Cloth, Kimberly-Clark

8. Olay Retinol24, Procter & Gamble

9. Mucinex Nightshift, Reckitt

10. Primatene Mist, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

11. Pampers Cruisers 360° Fit, Procter & Gamble

12. Swiffer Pet, Procter & Gamble

13. Sensodyne Pronamel Intensive Enamel Repair, GlaxoSmithKline

14. Tidy Cats Free & Clean, Nestlé

15. Gain Blissful Breeze, Procter & Gamble

16. Neuriva, Reckitt

17. Hempvana, Bulbhead

18. Mr. Clean Clean Freak, Procter & Gamble

19. Gain Scent Blast, Procter & Gamble

20. Persil ProClean Discs, Henkel

21. Bounce WrinkleGuard, Procter & Gamble

22. Tide Heavy Duty 10X, Procter & Gamble

23. Maybelline The Falsies Lash Lift, L'Oréal

24. L'Oréal Infallible Fresh Wear, L'Oréal

25. Nature's Way Sambucus, Schwabe North America

26. Kibbles 'n Bits Meaty Middles, The JM Smucker Company

27. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, Glanbia

28. L'Oréal Elvive Dream Lengths, L'Oréal

29. Pantene Pro-V Nutrient Blends, Procter & Gamble

30. Tide Simply Odor Rescue, Procter & Gamble

31. Purex 4-in-1 Pacs, Henkel

32. Burt's Bees Oral Care, Clorox

33. Downy WrinkleGuard, Procter & Gamble

34. Revlon PhotoReady Candid, Revlon

35. The Pioneer Woman Dog Treats, Nestlé

36. Blue Diamond, The Cookware Company

37. Dove 0% Aluminum, Unilever

38. Friskies Lil Soups, Nestlé

39. Clorox Scentiva Mopping Cloths, Clorox

40. Zyn, Swedish Match

41. Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayon, L'Oréal

42. Contigo Couture, Newell Brands

43. Conair Double Ceramic, Conair

44. Dixie Ultra Deep Dish, Koch Industries

45. Sally Hansen Mega Strength, JAB Holdings

46. Seventh Generation Feminine Care, Unilever

47. LA Colors Color Craze Gel, Beauty 21 Cosmetics

48. Milk-Bone GnawBones, JM Smucker

49. Genteal Tears, Alcon Labs

50. Snuggle Scent Shakes, Henkel

51. Skintimate Disposable Razors, Edgewell

52. Purina Dentalife ActivFresh, Nestlé

53. Lifeaid, Lifeaid

54. L'Oréal Bambi Eye, L'Oréal

55. Schwarzkopf got2b Metallics, Henkel

56. Elf Camo, Elf Cosmetics

57. Milk-Bone Wonder Bones, JM Smuckers

58. Huggies Nourish & Care, Kimberly-Clark

59. Maybelline Brow Ultra Slim, L'Oréal

60. Hartz Delectables Squeeze Up, Hartz

61. Body Fortress Super Advanced Isolate Protein, KKR

62. Nature's Recipe Prime Blends, JM Smuckers

63. Swiffer WetJet with Mr. Clean, Procter & Gamble

64. Parodontax Complete Protection, GlaxoSmithKline

65. Kiss Glam Fantasy, Kiss Products

66. Hair Food, Procter & Gamble

67. Arm & Hammer for Pets, Church & Dwight

68. L'Oréal Infallible Full Wear, L'Oréal

69. CoverGirl TruBlend Undercover, JAB Holding

70. Bare Republic, SC Johnson

71. Tampax/Always Pure Collection, Procter & Gamble

72. Axe Excite, Unilever

73. Not Your Mother's Curl Talk, DeMert & Dougherty

74. Refresh Relieva, AbbVie

75. Vicks Vapopatch, Procter & Gamble

76. Poise Active Collection, Kimberly-Clark

77. Vicks VapoShower, Procter & Gamble

78. Axe Ice Chill, Unilever

79. Kiss Salon Dip, Kiss Products

80. Irish Spring 5-in-1, Colgate Palmolive

81. Revlon ColorStay Brow Creator, Revlon

82. Band-Aid Water Block Tough Strips, Johnson & Johnson

83. Boost Women, Nestlé

84. Soylent, Rosa Foods

85. Revlon Root Erase, Revlon

86. Vicks VapoCool Sore Throat, Procter & Gamble

87. Neutrogena Bright Boost, Johnson & Johnson

88. Dulcolax Liquid, Sanofi

89. Clairol Root Touch-up Color Blending Gel, KKR

90. KISS Salon Acrylic Natural, Kiss Products

91. Maybelline Dream Urban Cover, L'Oréal USA

92. Revlon Super Lustrous The Gloss, Revlon

93. Bic Soleil Click 5, Bic

94. Uno Flip, Mattel

95. Cascade Pure Essentials, Procter & Gamble

96. Acuvue RevitaLens, Johnson & Johnson

97. Revlon So Fierce!, Revlon

98. Studio by Tide, Procter & Gamble

99. Milani Keep It Full, Gryphon Investors

100. Purina Beneful Superfood Blend, Nestlé



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