Facial Tissues Global Market Report 2020-30: COVID-19 Implications and Growth

Major players in the facial tissue market are Kimberly-Clark, Procter and Gamble, APP, Hengan, Vinda, C&S PAPER, Metsa Tissue, WEPA, Cascades, and KP Tissue.

The global facial tissue market is expected to grow from $11.7 billion in 2019 to about $21.5 billion in 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is an increase in awareness about hygiene, which has in turn increased the demand for more disposable paper products such as facial tissues as opposed to reusable cloth napkins to curb the spread of viral infection. The market is expected to stabilize and reach $16.1 billion at a CAGR of 8.3% through 2023.

The facial tissues market consists of the sales of the tissue papers or wipes or paper handkerchiefs that are thin, soft, absorbent, smooth and disposable which are used for cleaning face and reducing the spread of an infection or diseases as like swine flu. The market includes the sales of various types of facial tissue papers such as regular facial tissue papers, anti- viral facial tissue papers, and recyclable facial tissue papers. The facial tissues that have been used at home and away from home (restaurants, hospitals and healthcare industry) are included in this market.

The global facial tissues market has been geographically segmented into North America, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, South America and Middle East & Africa. North America was the largest region in the facial tissues market in 2019.

In March 2019, WEPA Group acquired Arjowiggins Greenfield’s plant in France, this is expected to increase the production capacity of WEPA Group by approximately 130,000 tones. The company also acquired the Northwood & WEPA Joint Venture in the U.K., and Van Houtum Group Holding B.V. in the Netherlands. This shows that the company is following an acquisition strategy for gaining a strong position in the global tissue paper market.

The facial tissues market covered in this report is segmented by type into box facial tissue, pocket facial tissues and by applications into at home, away from home.

Companies in the facial tissue market are increasingly using TAD (Through Air Drying) technology to manufacture facial tissues to have cost benefits. The TAD process used in tissue manufacturing was developed by P&G, Kimberly-Clark, and Scott, the machines are being utilized by some manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble for facial tissue production. In TAD process, the fiber web is dewatered and dried by non-compressive means, thereby avoiding the compaction that occurs during wet-pressing of the web in the conventional process. The use of these non-compressive water-removal technologies results in a product with improved properties such as high bulk, softness, cross direction (CD) stretch and absorbency. Fiber savings are possible for TAD tissue as the weight of the sheet can be reduced due to the higher bulk. Since fiber is usually the highest cost element in a tissue product, reduced fiber cost is the major advantage associated with the use of TAD technology. Leading players in the facial tissue paper market are now focusing on improving their production processes by adopting product extension techniques, novel marketing strategies and also making strong investments in R&D into already established factories by adding innovation to these facilities and boosting sales.

The harmful effects caused by the use of chemically manufactured facial tissues can restraint the facial tissue market. The facial tissues are manufactured using different chemical substances. The use of poor or low quality chemical ingredients may cause harm to the skin of the consumers . The facial tissues treated with lotions, aromatic agents, antimicrobial agents, dyes and more have appeared in the market during recent years, and thus consumers both children and adults are at a higher risk being exposed to these substances through direct contact, especially with the skin and the mucous membranes, and via inhalation. For instance, facial tissues are often impregnated or infused with aromatic agents such as eucalyptus oils and menthol to alter the aroma and make the nose-blowing experience more pleasant. Hence, the lack of use of good quality of chemical ingredients is anticipated to halt the facial tissues market growth.

The rise in the number of bacterial and viral infectious diseases has led to the rise in demand of sterilized, antibacterial and anti-viral facial tissues. The facial tissues are sterilized during the manufacturing process to prevent the spread of harmful microbes. The special anti-bacterial and antiviral facial tissues are infused with antibacterial and antiviral agents respectively to deactivate the bacteria in cold, flu viruses in cough, sneeze, or nasal discharge to prevent spreading of viruses to others. For instance, Kleenex® anti-viral facial tissue manufactured by Kimberly-Clark has three soft layers, including a moisture-activated middle layer that kills 99.9% of cold and flu viruses in the tissue within 15 minutes. Thus, the rise in the number of infectious diseases and increased hygiene awareness among consumers is anticipated to drive the facial tissues market growth by enhancing the utilization of tissue products in the forecast period.