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Compared with many other Europeans, the Brits are a relatively clean, sweet-smelling bunch with deodorant and body spray use high across both sexes. In total, 95% of women in the UK use a deodorant every day.

As you might expect from a product designed to reduce or mask the effects of sweating, though, sales can be dependent on the weather. This means that the scorching summer of 2003 boosted sales because the products were used more frequently, whereas the milder summers since then seem to have impeded sales. As a result, value sales are relatively stagnant and were worth £459m in 2008, according to Mintel, a rise of just 8% over the past five years.

However, sales by volume have performed strongly, largely as a result of price promotions and innovation in smaller pack sizes. The latter are particularly useful for taking away on holiday and as an additional deodorant to keep in a gym bag.

Young consumers are the most avid users of deodorants and body sprays. Last year, sales to under-25s reached a value of £110m.

In general, products in this sector are seen as essential toiletries. They should therefore be immune from consumers looking to save money as a result of the economic climate. Indeed, body sprays came out well in the last recession in the 90s because people traded down to them from fragrances.

The market has, however, been periodically hit by scare stories in the media about some of the chemical ingredients used in deodorants, although this tends to have little long-term effect on shopping habits.

When it comes to competition, this sector faces pressure from deodorising bathing products and other heavily scented options. Indeed, fragrance is a key determinant of which products are chosen by shoppers.

Aerosols and pump sprays remain the favourite format in the sector and account for 80% of value sales.

Manufacturers benefit from high levels of brand loyalty, because when shoppers find a brand that they trust, they tend to stick with it. Unilever dominates the market with its five brands: Lynx, Impulse, Sure, Dove and Vaseline. Each appeals to different age groups and categories. Lynx has established a strong positioning among young men with its humorous ads promoting the 'Lynx effect'.

In 2007, Unilever introduced Sure Girl to extend the appeal of the Sure brand among younger shoppers.

Beiersdorf's Nivea has undergone considerable innovation recently to sustain its value sales. In 2007, it added Nivea Fresh and, more recently, it has extended further with Nivea Double Effect and Nivea for Men, all of which have been supported by advertising.

Henkel owns the Right Guard and Natrel brands. There has been very little activity surrounding the Natrel brand in the past few years, although in 2008 it launched Natrel Plus. Henkel's ad budget has focused on launches under the Right Guard brand such as Right Guard 24H Time Release and Right Guard Women.

By 2013, Mintel predicts that the value of this market will have reached £485m, a rise of 6% on 2008.

Options for growth are limited because of near-universal penetration and so will rely on increased frequency or persuading people to buy more premium products, the latter option being much harder in a recession.

Moreover, those people least likely to use deodorants are the over-65s, according to TGI, an age group that will grow the fastest over the next five years.