It’s Decision Day for A Lot of Us

NOTE: This article has been updated from the print version.

The United Kingdom made a bold decision to leave the European Union; Brexit may prove to be a disaster for the economies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, not to mention the global economy, at least in the short term. Later this year, decision time will come to the US when voters go to the polls to elect the next president—Clinton, Trump or Anybody But? Brazil, too, has decisions to make. South America’s largest economy is grappling with a recession even as it decides the fate of its president, Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached this spring. Her vice president, Michel Tremer, is serving as interim president until the outcome of the trial determines whether or not Rousseff can finish her term to 2018.


It’s decision time for many players in the global household and personal products industry as well. Of course, decisions impact a company’s fortunes on a daily basis; i.e., hire that new division president? Launch that new product? Cut capital spending? It’s always decision time when multinationals are watching market share fall into the hands of upstart competitors. Similarly, executives at startups must have the gumption to take on multibillion-dollar rivals in categories they’ve dominated for decades.


Add to all of this is a global economy that’s been sending mixed signals for much of 2016. Will the tepid expansion that began in March 2009 continue or will the aforementioned Brexit, recession in Brazil or the slowdown in China bring this long-in-the-tooth expansion to an end? Evaluating all of these factors often influences a company’s decision to make that acquisition, expand into that new country market or enter a new category. There’s been a deluge of activity during the past year that has riled The Top 50, our annual look at the leading US-based companies in the global household and personal products industry space. To find out how companies are handling all of these changes, click here.


Changes, many of them unwelcome, are also impacting the global preservative market. Melissa Meisel reports on the outside issues that are having a real impact on what formulators put inside their products, click here.


How women view their face makeup is changing too. Christine Esposito tells us that women expect more than even coverage from their cosmetics formulas. To learn yourself, click here.


Tom Branna
Editorial Director
tbranna@rodmanmedia.com