Soap, shampoo and body wash hidden inflation: +21.4% per unit vs +1.9% official inflation

By ShrinkRadar · Updated 2026-11-05 · Part of the ShrinkRadar Index, recomputed from the case library and official price data on every build

When a soap, shampoo and body wash pack shrinks, its price per unit jumps. In 22 documented soap, shampoo and body wash shrinks with shelf prices before and after and an official match (2020–2026), the median price per unit changed +21.4%. Official inflation for the same cases, matched to each one’s category, country and time, was +1.9%: official prices up 1.9%, the ShrinkRadar per-unit price up 21.4% over the same periods.

In one lineBy countryBy yearCasesOfficial seriesMethodCite

Soap, shampoo and body wash in one line

Each line is computed from the tables below. Copy one with its source.

1. Soap, shampoo and body wash: official prices were up 1.9% and the ShrinkRadar per-unit price up 21.4% over the same periods. Packs that shrank cost a median 21.4% more per unit than the pack they replaced, against 1.9% official inflation for the same category, country and time (22 priced cases with an official match, 2020–2026).

2. In 100% of those soap, shampoo and body wash cases (22 of 22), the price per unit rose more than official inflation for the same category, country and time.

3. Across all 51 documented soap, shampoo and body wash shrinks since 2018, the size cut alone raised the price per unit by a median 15.4%, before any change in the shelf price.

4. In Germany, soap, shampoo and body wash packs that shrank were up 23.4% per unit, while official prices (Eurostat HICP) for the same cases were up 3.1% over the same periods (10 priced cases with an official match, 2020–2024, all from Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg).

5. In the Netherlands, soap, shampoo and body wash packs that shrank were up 17.5% per millilitre, while official prices (Eurostat HICP) for the same cases were up 1.0% over the same periods (5 priced cases with an official match, 2024–2026, mostly from Consumentenbond).

By country

The same comparison for soap, shampoo and body wash cases by the country they come from, each against its own statistics office. A country needs at least 5 priced cases with an official match; 11 of 13 countries have fewer, and the table says so instead of showing a figure.

By year

By the year the pack changed. A year needs at least 5 priced cases; thin years are marked. Comparisons spanning several years (2 soap, shampoo and body wash cases) are left out of this series but kept in the headline and the case list.

The 51 soap, shampoo and body wash cases

Which cases count. All 51 soap, shampoo and body wash cases that changed in 2018 or later are listed and count in the size-cut figure. The per-unit headline uses the 22 that have shelf prices before and after and an official match (listed first). Left out of the per-unit figure: 27 size-only cases (the source recorded no shelf prices; we never fill one in), and 2 priced cases without an official match. Cases without an official match: no official benchmark loaded for this country (10); official data not published for that period (1). Not listed: 5 older soap, shampoo and body wash cases that changed before 2018, outside the range of the official data.

Official series used

Each soap, shampoo and body wash case is matched to one official series for its country. A broad match means no series exists for exactly this category, so the nearest wider one is used.

Method and limits

Cite this page

ShrinkRadar, “ShrinkRadar Index: soap, shampoo and body wash hidden inflation”, https://shrinkradar.com/shrinkflation-index/soap-shampoo-and-body-wash/, accessed 2026-11-05. Data: ShrinkRadar case library; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U; Eurostat HICP; Office for National Statistics CPI (Open Government Licence v3.0).

More on soap, shampoo and body wash

• ShrinkRadar Index: all categories →Every category, country, month and year, with CSV downloads.
• Shampoo, soap and toothpaste shrinkflation →Every documented case in one place, brand by brand.
• All Soap, Shampoo & Body Wash cases and tracked products →Size Facts, brands caught most often and products we check daily.
• shrinkflation-index.csv →Every Index figure, including this category, with case counts and a status column for thin rows.

Other categories in the Index

• Chocolate and candy +20.0% vs +8.7%
• Pasta, rice and meals +16.4% vs −0.7%
• Chips and snacks +19.5% vs +4.7%
• Dairy +11.1% vs +4.8%
• Breakfast cereal +25.0% vs +2.6%
• Laundry +14.5% vs +2.0%
• Coffee and tea +25.0% vs +11.6%
• Cookies and crackers +21.2% vs +1.3%
• Meat and fish +19.3% vs +3.0%
• Personal Care +27.9% vs +1.6%
• Dish soap and cleaners +11.1% vs +1.7%
• Juice and soft drinks +33.2% vs +5.0%
• Frozen Foods +16.9% vs +3.8%
• Baking goods and spreads +25.1% vs +2.8%
• Pet Food +17.6% vs +1.9%
• Bread and bakery +16.0% vs +1.6%
• Toilet Paper +29.4% vs +28.8%
• Health and supplements +15.2% vs +3.2%
• Ice Cream +9.5% vs +6.6%
• Paper Towels +25.8% vs +28.8%

Closest to a figure (priced cases with an official match now, of 5 needed): Baby 4, needs 1 more; Household 4, needs 1 more; Oral Care 4, needs 1 more; Tissues 4, needs 1 more; Feminine Care 3, needs 2 more; Shaving & Razors 2, needs 3 more; Cat Litter & Pet Supplies 1, needs 4 more; Deodorant 1, needs 4 more; Bags, Foil & Wrap 0, needs 5 more.