Pressure Points
How 2020 events impacted
the U.S. aerosol industry:
The Aerosol Pressurized Products Survey will help us understand
Another year has come and gone and 2020 certainly
presented its own set of challenges. However, with these
challenges came new opportunities. As we look ahead to
2021, we also begin to think about the Aerosol Pressurized Products
Survey, which is the best tool the aerosol industry has to analyze
domestic aerosol production. This annual survey reports on the
unit production of aerosol products, valves and containers in the
U.S. in order to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the aerosol
industry and share relevant information on the size and trends of
aerosol products and component production across the country.
This was a difficult and extraordinary year, with the COVID-19
pandemic disrupting our daily lives in ways that few could
predict—and that disruption had a significant impact on the U.S.
aerosol industry.
The Aerosol Pressurized Products Survey provides robust and accurate
data that aerosol companies rely on to gauge their overall
growth in comparison to the industry, identify potential opportunities
within product categories and reassess their sales strategy,
production planning and future investments. Beyond these uses
within the industry, the data and results can also be used to communicate
with legislators, regulators and other key stakeholders
about the economic impact of the aerosol industry.
Because this report is so critical in analyzing the condition of
the aerosol industry—and with so many disruptions in 2020—it is
even more important than ever for manufacturers of aerosol products,
as well as suppliers of valves and containers, to participate in
the survey in order to develop an accurate picture of the industry.
When conducting this survey, HCPA is extremely careful
to protect each participating company’s confidential business
information. HCPA contracts a third-party survey firm, Association
Research, Inc. (ARI), to administer the survey and collect the
results. Using a third-party survey firm ensures that participants’
information remains confidential and is not shared with anyone
at HCPA, on the survey committee or in the industry. The survey
committee is made up of volunteers from valve, container and
propellant companies, and recruits aerosol manufacturers from
across the U.S. to participate in the survey.
While the survey committee makes every effort to get each and
every aerosol company to participate, there are still companies
who don’t respond to the survey. In order to account for this
missing information, the survey committee meets with ARI to
provide its insight on the market in order to estimate the missing
production for each product category.
ARI provides a one-time report of aggregate data for the companies
that have participated, then identifies the non-responding
companies. The survey committee estimates the product category
market of the non-respondents by utilizing their sales data and
market knowledge. For most product categories, this estimation is
based on valve sales. In the cases when valve sales cannot be used,
container sales data is used. These estimates are provided directly
to ARI to ensure confidentiality.
No individual company—whether a valve or container supplier
or aerosol product filler—is ever singled out or specifically named.
ARI further protects the confidentiality of respondents by withholding
subcategory data from the survey committee if there are
too few respondents or if a single manufacturer reports a majority
of the market.
Every year, the survey committee elicits feedback from the
industry on methods of improvement. Based on recent feedback,
the survey committee made the following changes this year:
• Fillers are being asked to report their product categories into
various subcategories. The survey committee removed
subcategories in last year’s survey to help streamline the
process and increase participation rates. Participation rates
did increase; however, the industry indicated that including
subcategories provided more insight into the market and was
valuable to the survey report.
• This year’s survey will request information related to
disinfectant products and air fresheners separately to account
for changes in consumer behavior related to COVID-19.
• More detail was added to the subcategories so that fillers can
better identify where their products should be reported, as
well as provide more examples of the “Other” subcategory in
each product category so that fewer products are reported as
“Miscellaneous.”
• The Animal Product category has historically been a fraction
of a percent of the overall aerosol production in the U.S.
As a result, the Animal Products category is being removed
and this information will now be included in the Household
Products category.
Participation in the survey improves the accuracy of the results
and makes it easier to estimate the remaining totals needed to
generate the final results. When fewer companies participate, it
weakens the industry’s ability to understand year-over-year growth
in specific product categories and makes it more challenging for
companies to identify potential market opportunities.
We don’t yet know how the changes in consumer and worker
purchasing behavior will transfer into future years; we do know that
the 2020 production totals will look different than in years past,
and the Aerosol Pressurized Products Survey will help the industry understand
what was an outlier and what was the start of a new trend.
For more information, please contact ngeorges@thehcpa.org.
Spray
10 Spray January 2021
NICHOLAS GEORGES
HCPA VP of Scientific
& International Affairs
ngeorges@thehcpa.org
When fewer companies participate, it
weakens the industry’s ability to understand
YOY growth and makes it more
challenging for companies to identify
potential market opportunities...