Personal care products

Personal care products are a class of consumer products associated hygiene and personal grooming. They are marketed to modern consumers as "minimally necessary" or improving appearance or well-being.

They are applied on various external parts of the body such as skin, hair, nails, lips, external genital and anal areas, as well as teeth and mucous membrane of the oral cavity. Toiletries form a narrower category of personal care products which are used for basic hygiene and cleanliness as a part of a daily routine. Cosmetic products, in contrast, are used for personal grooming and beautification (aesthetically enhance a person's appearance). Pharmaceutical products are not considered personal care products.

Most of the personal care products are rinsed off immediately after use, such as shampoos, soaps, toothpastes, shower gels, etc. Some products, such as moisturizers and sunscreens, are designed to remain on the skin for extended protection.

The global market size of the personal care products industry is several hundred billion US Dollars (as of early 2020s). As of 2025, it was estimated that the average adult in the United States used a dozen personal care products daily containing over 110 unique ingredients. Further, among those ingredients, different countries have restricted use of different sets, so that, for instance, the European Union has banned inclusion of over 2,400 such ingredients while the United States has banned only 15, as of 2025. Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Gillette, Avon, Natura & Co, Kimberly-Clark and Shiseido are some of the world-leading companies in personal care products industry.

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