After fuel prices increased by 22% and cooking oil by up to 8%, manufacturers warn that the price hike is also expected to affect washing preparations and detergents.
Many washing powders are produced locally, but the raw materials are imported from abroad. Laundry soaps are mainly imported. Local manufacturers claim that foreign suppliers have informed them of increases in raw material prices of 15 to 20%, compared to the period before the war.
The increase in fuel prices has directly impacted the increase in raw material costs in factories abroad. Manufacturers also count the higher transportation fees as additional costs.
Considering the arrival time of new supplies, which ranges from 30 to 45 days, detergent manufacturers predict that the new prices in the market will be reflected at the beginning of May.
Price increases are also expected to be inevitable for importers of ready-made preparations imported from abroad, where according to market data, it is learned that there has been a price increase from foreign suppliers.
In March 2022, with the start of the war in Ukraine, the prices of detergents produced in the domestic market increased by 10 to 20%. The increase was influenced by the more expensive raw materials and the increase in transportation fees. At that time, the increase in prices and demographic changes affected the decrease in demand, according to manufacturers.
According to INSTAT data, for 2025, an amount of 68.3 million kg was imported for the group "Soap, cleaning preparations, lubricants, candles". Compared to 2024, imports of the group increased by 2%.
For the months of January-February 2026, the group's imports decreased by 13% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Domestic detergent manufacturers have often raised concerns that the decline in consumer demand is being affected by demographic changes and emigration, resulting in a decrease in the amount of imports of raw materials for detergent production./ Monitor
