The $2.3 billon air freshener market, including aerosols, plug-ins, slow-release, scented burners, potpourri, and automobile air fresheners, has been in decline since 2008 as economizing consumers have traded down or traded out. This report analyzes these and other trends over the past five years and examines how competing products (candles, cleaners), demographic shifts, and innovations within segments have been affecting the market. It explores sales and trends within the major segments and brands. It examines the performance of major suppliers and analyzes their branding and marketing strategies. It also offers insight into the retail landscape.

Consumer data are analyzed by key demographic factors including age, household income, gender, and race/ethnicity to examine questions such as:

• Which groups show the highest usage of different types of air freshener? What is the average yearly usage of air freshener? Where are fresheners used in the home?

• What factors shape product selection? To what extent are considerations such as scent, allergies, appearance, odor detection, and intensity control taken into account?

• Which groups are most concerned with chemicals, artificial smells, or allergic reactions?

• Which scents are most widely used? Which scents generate the greatest interest?

• Which consumer groups show greater concern with price, branding, or “green” concerns? Which are most eager to try out new scents?

• Which demographic groups purchase air freshener products online or look at websites to learn more?

This report builds on the analysis presented in Mintel’s Air Fresheners—U.S., November 2010, as well as the December 2009, December 2008, December 2007, December 2006, and September 2003 reports of the same title.

This market covers aerosol, slow-release, plug-in, scented burner, and potpourri household air fresheners, as well as automobile air fresheners. It excludes scented candles and standard oils for other uses and which are not part of an air freshener product. Market size comprises sales through all retail channels including direct to consumer.

This definition differs slightly from the market size presented in Mintel’s Global Market Navigator, which includes scented candles and excludes potpourri.

Value figures throughout this report are at retail selling prices (rsp) excluding sales tax unless otherwise stated.

Market Size and Forecast, Segment Performance, and Retail Channels: based on SymphonyIRI Group InfoScan® Reviews; U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Census

In this report Mintel has provided a market size for total U.S. retail sales of air fresheners, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s Economic Census. Specifically, Mintel has based the total estimate on channel distribution of sales of a broad category that Mintel believes mirrors the retail channel sales of air fresheners.

In addition, this report includes a more detailed segmentation than was provided in Mintel’s previous reports on the market. The more detailed segments were created based on brand-by-brand analysis of the FDMx data, assigning each brand to a specific segment. These segments were then grossed up to the total market with the assumption that the distribution of segments is the same for the total market as it is for FDMx.

Companies and Brands: based on SymphonyIRI Group InfoScan® Reviews

For the purposes of this report, Mintel commissioned exclusive consumer research through Toluna USA to explore consumer use of and attitudes toward air fresheners. Mintel was responsible for the survey design, data analysis, and reporting. Fieldwork was conducted in August 2011 among a sample of 2,140 adults aged 18+ with access to the internet.

Mintel selects survey respondents so that they are proportionally balanced to the entire U.S. adult population based on the key demographics of gender, age, household income, and region. In this study, 18-24 year olds are over represented within the sample. Weights have been applied to ensure that this age group is representative of the U.S. population numbers for 18-24 year olds. Mintel also slightly oversamples, relative to the population, respondents that are Hispanic or black to ensure an adequate representation of these groups in our survey results. Please note that our surveys are conducted online and in English only. Hispanics who are not online and/or do not speak English are not included in our survey results.

Mintel has also analyzed data from Experian Simmons Consumer Research, using the Simmons National Consumer Study (NCS) and the Simmons National Hispanic Consumer Study (NHCS). The NCS/NHCS was carried out during February 2010-March 2011 and the results are based on the sample of 24,722 adults aged 18+, with results weighted to represent the U.S. adult population.

While race and Hispanic origin are separate demographic characteristics, Mintel often compares them to each other. Please note that the responses for race (white, black, Asian, Native American, or other race) will overlap those that also are Hispanic, because Hispanics can be of any race.

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The following abbreviations are used in this report.

Generations are discussed within this report, and they are defined as:

* also known as Generation Y or Echo Boomers

** previously known as Post-Millennials

In order to provide an inflation-adjusted price value for markets, Mintel uses the CPI to deflate current prices. The CPI is defined as follows: