P&G plans to launch air freshener

Procter & Gamble is to compete in the &£320m UK air freshener market for the first time by extending its Febreze fabric conditioning brand into the category.

The launch will mean that P&G will challenge the air freshener market dominance of Reckitt Benckiser, which makes the Airwick brand, and SC Johnson, which manufactures the rival Glade range. The air freshener market grew four per cent in 2003, according to data from Euromonitor, to &£316m.

The company has already launched Febreze air freshener products in the US.

First to be launched will be a range of themed scent “discs” that contain complementary fragrances and are played by a special device. Each disc contains five fragrances that are released every 30 minutes to create a series of mixed scents based around a theme.

There are expected to be four themes, including “exploring a mountain trail”, “daydreams in the hammock”, walking barefoot on the shore” and “strolling through the garden”.

The core Febreze range is designed to be sprayed on home furnishings, such as curtains, to dissolve odours. The brand was relaunched in the UK earlier this year and extended with fragrances such as Meadow Rain and Summer Splash (MW November 27, 2003).