With sales dropping 2.7% in the US, bar soap is an under performer in the soap, bath and shower product market. According to Mintel, 84% of US households use bar soaps, down from 89% in 2010.
Millennials are said to be the drivers of this decline, with just 33% of US consumers aged 18-24 willing to use a bar soap to clean their face, compared to 60% of those aged 65 or older.
The format has developed an image problem, with 48% of consumers believing that bars of soap are covered in germs. This rises to 60% for millennial consumers.