The International Top 30

There aren’t any major surprises in The International Top 30, our 28th annual ranking of the biggest companies in the household and personal products industry with headquarters outside the US. Unilever remains No. 1 and L’Oréal No. 2—far ahead of the No. 3 company on our list. Yes, there are few companies have moved up and down our rankings, but no one firm jumped more than a space or two. In fact, the biggest news this year may be Chanel reporting financial numbers for the first time in its 108-year history! Quiet is good in a year that’s fraught with geopolitical gyrations all around the world from The Middle East to the Korean Peninsula to Russia to the UK. Despite some recent softening, global economic growth will remain robust at 3.1% this year, before slowing gradually over the next two years, according to The World Bank.

“If it can be sustained, the robust economic growth that we have seen this year could help lift millions out of poverty, particularly in the fast-growing economies of South Asia,” said World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim.

That’s great news for our industry, which thrives whenever more consumers enter the middle class. Last year, global household and personal products industry sales rose 5% to $617 billion, according to Euromonitor International. More specifically, beauty and personal care sales rose 5% to $465 billion and home care sales also increased 5% to $152 billion.

The Asia-Pacific region has become the biggest market for beauty, but trends are still being set in Europe and the US, too. Meanwhile, for most multinationals, emerging markets now represent 50% of sales. The World Bank expects activity in advanced economies to grow 2.2% in 2018 and 2% next year, as central banks gradually remove monetary stimulus. Growth in emerging markets and developing economies overall is projected to strengthen to 4.5% in 2018, before reaching 4.7% in 2019 as the recovery in commodity exports matures and commodity prices level off. Sure, there are speed bumps, what with rising tariffs and financial market volatility, but the next couple of years should remain strong for our industry.

To see how The International Top 30 firms rank among US companies, log on to Happi.com and read The Top 50, our annual ranking of the biggest household and personal product companies with corporate headquarters in the US.