This article was originally published in the Body care Trend Report. Receive your copy here
Minis may still be a fan-favourite beauty format, but maxi-sized toiletries are the countertrend that has gained momentum in 2025.
When US brand Harry’s revamped its body wash line-up this summer, the shaving player made its four wash fragrances, Fig (cedar and orange), Wildlands (sandalwood and cypress), Stone (charcoal and lime) and Spring (lemon and basil), available in a larger 532ml size, up from 473ml, with no change to the £5.50 price tag.
Speaking to Cosmetics Business, Olly Walker, Brand Manager at Harry’s explains: “We see this as a simple yet impactful way to show appreciation to our customers, both new and loyal. Offering jumbo sizes helps us strengthen customer loyalty by aligning with what people are looking for: quality, value and utility.”
“We’ve seen so much ‘shrinkification’ across categories, with pack sizes quietly reduced while prices remain the same,” observes Nick Vaus, co-founder and Managing Partner at Free the Birds. “This, by contrast, feels like the opposite – a gesture of generosity at a time when shoppers are acutely aware of being short-changed.”
For Dan Coppins, Packaging Technologist and Sustainability Consultant at Pack-Man Consulting, such decisions are typically supply chain, rather than consumer focused. “When you increase the volume of product – assuming that the pack remains the same in its design and shape – what you’re actually doing is you are reducing the amount of packaging per millilitre of product,” he explains. “In turn, this reduces the carbon footprint of the packaging… and you end up with a more efficient pack.”
That said, Coppins notes that “98.9% of companies that do this will also increase their price as a reflection.” Kantar’s Health and Beauty Business Unit Director Matt Maxwell adds: “Prices have risen by 5% in the bath, shower and body care category over the past year in the UK, so brands are looking for new ways to justify putting up their prices. One of the ways they can do that is by launching bigger pack sizes, and we are now seeing a movement towards this in the category.”
Offering jumbo sizes helps us strengthen customer loyalty by aligning with what people are looking for: quality, value and utility - Olly Walker, Brand Manager, Harry’s
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