Procter & Gamble (P&G) and the maker of Lysol reported strong gains in sales in the third quarter.
P&G, which makes Mr. Clean and Safeguard anti-bacterial soap, saw its biggest quarterly global sales increase in 15 years. Sales in its home care division, the home of Swiffer and other cleaning products, rose 30 percent.
Microban 24, an anti-bacterial surface cleaner launched in February as a niche product, is expected to book $200 million in sales this year.
Reckitt Benckiser Group, which makes Lysol, said in a statement it recorded its best quarterly sales gain ever, led by its hygiene division, and has doubled its capacity to produce disinfectants.
Officials at both companies attributed the gains to people’s concerns for keeping their homes clean during the COVID pandemic.
The concern may be permanent.
“Consumers are adopting better hygiene practices” that will outlast the pandemic, predicted Reckitt CEO Laxman Narasimhan in a phone conversation with journalists.
TREND TRACKING LESSON: To gauge the fear level of the general public and to estimate when they will feel COVID safe, monitor sales of brands and products such as these. The more sanitizing products they buy, the more afraid they are of catching the virus, the less they buy, the freer they will feel returning to pre-COVID lifestyles.
