Malaysia

In 2023, cigarettes faced intense competition from e-vapour products as younger adults of legal smoking age switched to the latter, which they perceived as more affordable, with lower nicotine levels and a variety of flavour options available across…

Heated tobacco products saw solid current value growth and moderate retail volume growth in 2023. Compared with cigarettes, the competitive price of heated tobacco benefits the category. In addition, wider availability in convenience stores,…

The continuous pressure of inflation and a weakening of the local currency against the US dollar has increased prices across the category, slowing the post-pandemic retail volume recovery of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco. Local consumers…

Overall, economy and premium cigarettes gained retail volume share at the expense of mid-priced brands in 2023. The main reason for this trend was high inflation, which drove up living costs and increased cigarette prices. British American Tobacco…

In 2023, glass jars remained the dominant packaging type for sweet spreads. Jams and preserves dominate sweet spreads packaging in Malaysia, with glass jars the dominant pack type in this category. Glass is an inert material, meaning it does not…

In Malaysia, glass bottles are the dominant pack type used in ketchup packaging. These bottles, whether cylindrical or sporting unique shapes, offer a distinct advantage – transparency. Consumers can easily see the rich colour and consistency of the…

Chilled processed meat is only packaged in flexible plastic in Malaysia. This encompasses a variety of formats, including hermetically sealed packs, flow wraps, overwraps and other non-stand-up pouch materials. Flexible plastic offers a significant…

Metal food cans remain the dominant pack type for shelf stable fruit and vegetables in Malaysia. This dominance, extending to products like beans, fruits and tomatoes, has persisted for years, with no changes seen in 2023. The primary reason behind…

Brick liquid cartons’ dominance can be attributed to both product functionality and consumer preferences. They offer excellent protection for plant-based milk. The multi-layered structure provides a barrier against light and air exposure, both of…

While metal food cans remained the most significant pack type in unit volume terms in 2023, folding cartons, the second most widely used packaging format, continued to gain share in overall meals and soups in this year. Folding cartons are used for a…

Homewares in Malaysia saw steady growth in current value terms in 2023. Sales were boosted by the increasing emphasis on aesthetic appeal as consumers looked for stylish and modern cookware, ovenware, and other homewares to enhance the visual appeal…

Home improvement was the most dynamic category in home and garden in current value terms in 2023. This was owing to the growth and development of the country’s DIY culture, spurred on by an abundance of online tutorials across platforms such as…

Home furnishings registered steady growth in current value terms in 2023, with barbeques, home office furniture, and light-emitting diode lamps (LED) being among the most dynamic categories. Building on the work-from-home trend that developed during…

Sales of home and garden products remained strong in Malaysia in current value terms in 2023. However, this was primarily due to inflation, which led to higher prices, boosting overall value sales. A surge in home renovation projects, fuelled by…

Gardening in Malaysia saw steady growth in current value terms in 2023, primarily driven by urbanisation, the developing DIY culture, and evolving consumer preferences. For instance, rapid urbanisation led to a rise in apartment living with limited…

The Malaysian dairy industry is seeing a significant shift towards HDPE bottles for the packaging of fresh milk and flavoured milk drinks. While HDPE offers less transparency than PET, its superior tactile properties, particularly its…

Flexible plastic is a dominant pack type in confectionery due to cost-effectiveness, product protection and consumer convenience. Flexible plastic offers a significant cost advantage for producers compared to alternative packaging materials. This…

In 2023, total packaging unit volumes for baby food recorded solid growth. Folding cartons and flexible plastic, the leading pack types for baby food, both registered rising packaging unit volumes in this year, with folding cartons outperforming…

Demand for sunglasses in Malaysian remains strong in 2024, with more consumers willing to invest in purchasing new products. This is partly thanks to the resurgence of international travel and increasingly active lifestyles. The revival of…

Current value growth in spectacles in Malaysia is being driven by premiumisation trends in 2024. Malaysians are typically brand conscious and show a strong appetite for luxury and premium spectacle frames. The trend is supported by the growing number…

Eyewear in Malaysia in 2024 is seeing continued growth overall in both volume and current value terms. Sales are supported by the fuller resurgence of international travel and return to active outdoor lifestyles. Retailers are leveraging this trend…

Contact lenses in Malaysia is seeing a continued consumer shift from frequent replacement lenses to daily disposable lenses in 2024. This is being driven by changing lifestyles and evolving demand. In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, local…

Overall, video games saw current value growth in Malaysia in 2023. Sony’s PS4 and PS5 contributed to significant volume sales in static consoles in 2023, with sales supported by PS5 stock availability and also the availability of the newer version,…

Overall, traditional toys and games saw current value growth in Malaysia in 2023. IP was a key driver of demand in action figures, dolls and accessories, and construction in 2023, with several movies, including The Super Mario Bros Movie, Guardian of…

The toys and games market witnessed current value growth in Malaysia in 2023. Construction and action figures were the two largest categories in traditional toys and games, with action figures proving to be a key growth driver during the year. IP…

Sun care turned in a positive performance in Malaysia in 2023, with strong sales seen in volume and current value terms, driving mainly by growth in sun protection which was boosted by the boom in inbound tourism. Mass sun protection products from…

Anti-agers continued to thrive in Malaysia in 2023, driving overall growth and development for skin care and leading growth within the category in both volume and current value terms. Anti-agers benefits from regular and frequent new and innovative…

Premium beauty and personal care continued to flourish in Malaysia in 2023, with the fuller return to in-person and the increase in inbound tourism helping to fuel growth. Premium skin care was one of the top performers as sales rose rapidly, thanks…

Oral care in Malaysia continued to see growth and development in 2023. Value growth was in part driven by the preventive health trend and in part by premiumisation. Malaysians continued to maintain basic personal hygiene routines, supporting further…

Men’s grooming in Malaysia registered strong growth in current value terms in 2023, with volume sales also on the up. This was driven in large part the greater attention men are paying to their appearance and overall wellbeing, particularly in the…

Mass skin care in Malaysia posted strong growth in 2023, with current value sales rising at a robust rate. Development and innovation were often centred around breakthrough ingredients claimed to provide superior efficacy, such as glutathione,…

The Malaysian hair care market continued to benefit from the post-pandemic return to previous patterns and habits in 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and home seclusion promoted a change in the hair care routines of many…

Fragrances in Malaysia saw rapid and robust volume and current value growth in 2023. During the pandemic years many players within premium fragrances focused on their existing product lines, with the lack of demand discouraging investment in new…

Depilatories remained a highly consolidated category in Malaysia in 2023. Reckitt Benckiser continued to dominate hair removers/bleaches with its brand Veet, with the brand still gaining value share, while Procter & Gamble maintained its dominant…

Deodorant sprays posted the most dynamic growth within deodorants in Malaysia in 2023, rising fastest in both volume and current value terms as the format gained greater appeal among local consumers. Many brands of deodorant sprays have been…

Colour cosmetics turned in a positive performance in Malaysia in 2023, with volume and current value sales rising robustly. Premium colour cosmetics enjoyed strong growth thanks to the fuller return of shoppers to store-based outlets, which has…

Beauty and personal care in Malaysia continued to rise in 2023, still benefiting from 2022’s lifted restrictions reopened borders. The continued return of tourism and resumption of in-person work and study, as well as increased socialising, had a…

Post-pandemic, hand sanitisers continued to see slowed growth within bath and shower in Malaysia in 2023, with a particularly sharp drop in demand from commercial players. Many consumers have turned to liquid soap as its products are generally more…

Baby and child-specific products in Malaysia saw growth in 2023 propelled by the accelerating trend towards natural and clean products, as parents sought to avoid ingredients perceived to be potentially harmful to children’s health. Examples of…

Pet products is set to maintain solid current value growth in Malaysia in 2024, with growth across all categories. However, cat litter is expected to see by far the strongest increase. The cat population continued to rise in 2023, and this trend is…

Pet care saw solid retail current value growth in Malaysia in 2023, with this trend set to continue in 2024. Improved GDP growth, a subsiding inflation rate, and stable disposable incomes have helped to sustain growth for pet food and pet products in…

After several years of minor growth, overall other pet food is set to see static retail volume sales in Malaysia in 2024, along with insignificant current value growth. The category dragging down overall sales growth has been (and is expected to…

In 2024, dog food in Malaysia is set to maintain the same trend seen in 2022 and 2023, with slow retail volume growth, and stronger current value growth. One of the factors driving growth in the last few years has been consistent low growth in the…

Cat food is set to see solid retail volume and current value growth in Malaysia in 2024, with higher growth rates than those seen in 2023, but not as high as in the years prior. The rising cat population is one major factor in the continued strong…

The trend of label-free packaging in PET bottles is gaining momentum, particularly supported by top brands like Spritzer in bottled water. Spritzer launched label-free, 100% recyclable bottles for its silica-rich Natural Mineral Water, marking a…

In 2023, Starbucks launched its instant coffee mixes, such as the Starbucks VIA Spring Blend, featuring small portions packaged in flexible paper pouches and flexible paper sachets of 12 sticks in a multipack. This move towards smaller portions and…

Hygiene awareness was supporting sales in wipes in Malaysia in 2023. Notably, we see a healthy performance in personal wipes and intimate wipes, with the latter being attributed to greater numbers of women in the workforce (including in senior…

Tissue and hygiene in Malaysia was being affected by inflationary pressures in 2023, notably so with regards to food inflation impacting consumers’ spending power. This is even noted in staples such as rice, placing extra pressure on consumers’…

We note a trend towards premiumisation in retail tissue in 2023 in Malaysia. This is evidenced by Vinda Deluxe (Vinda Malaysia Sdn Bhd) continuing to grow its share. This player uses strong marketing and promotional campaigns across online platforms,…

The ageing population in Malaysia acted as a key driver of growth in retail adult incontinence in 2023. We also note that Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence is not relevant in the country, which further supports growth in a retail sense.