Personal care products

Personal care products encompass a wide range of consumer items designed for external application on various parts of the body, including the skin, hair, nails, lips, and oral cavity. These products serve to cleanse, protect against harmful bacteria, and maintain the health, hygiene, and appearance of these body parts. While toiletries focus on basic hygiene as part of daily routines, cosmetics are geared toward enhancing one's aesthetic appeal. It's important to note that pharmaceutical products fall outside the realm of personal care items.

Many personal care products, such as shampoos, soaps, toothpaste, and shower gels, are designed to be rinsed off immediately after use. However, some, like moisturizing creams and sunscreen, are meant to be left on the skin.

The global personal care products industry boasts a market size of several hundred billion US Dollars, as of the early 2020s. Leading companies in this sector include household names such as Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Gillette, Avon, Natura & Co, Kimberly-Clark, and Shiseido.