Benzocaine-free oral analgesics on the rise

Sales of Hyland’s oral analgesic products are up 23.5% to $15.4 million for the 52 weeks ended Aug. 11 across U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI. Overall sales trends across the category are down by 1.7%, which suggests that what Hyland’s is doing is right — its products are safe, they work and they aren’t formulated with benzocaine.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

Oral analgesic products have been impacted by a Food and Drug Administration warning made last year against the use of the ingredient benzocaine in children to relieve oral pain. Children under the age of 2 years who are teething and given benzocaine should be under the supervision of a doctor, the agency warned.

Both Pfizer’s Anbesol and Church and Dwight’s Baby Orajel have since reclaimed positive momentum. Anbesol sales were up slightly by 1% to $22.6 million and Baby Orajel was up 1.4% to $26.8 million.

Hyland’s also benefits from a strong following of mommy bloggers, the company noted. “Hyland’s relies primarily on word of mouth in the support of its teething products,” Julie Kim, Hyland’s marketing brand manager, told DSN. “Our word of mom is second to none.”