The global oral care market represented 15 percent of the personal care market in 2014, and is expected to account for almost 20% of the overall market by 2020, according to a new report.

‘BRICS Oral Care – Market Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2014–2020’ compiled by Indian firm Future Market Insights, found that a large proportion of the oral care market’s growth will be fuelled by consumer demand in BRIC nations.

Organised retailing, rising per capita income, increasing consumer spending on personal care products and consumer preferences for value-added products were identified as key factors contributing to growth of the BRICS personal care market.

Vipassa Kakroo, Lead Analyst at Future Market Insights, commented, “Increasing consumer awareness with regard to better oral hygiene is the primary driver of the overall BRICS oral care market. Furthermore, dentist recommendations for adoption of various-related products is projected to lead to a shift in consumer preference from basic oral care products to secondary oral care products in the coming years.”

Product-wise, toothpaste, in the primary oral care product segment currently dominates the BRICS oral care market and is expected to grow substantially between 2014 and 2020.

This growth can be attributed to the fact that the BRICS region consists of emerging nations and awareness of basic oral hygiene is currently growing rapidly, supported by product launches in the region.

The report predicts that dentist recommendations will add to the rising consumer awareness about secondary oral hygiene products such as mouthwash and dental floss. This will result in growing preference for mouthwash, thereby driving the demand for this product category among the expanding middle-class population in the BRICS.