Top FMCG products in South Africa: consumer goods ranking and insights

South Africa’s FMCG market is one of the most mature and competitive on the continent, combining strong local brands, global manufacturers, and well-established yet evolving consumption habits. Using data collected through SagaProduct, Sagaci Research’s product scan solution powered by our online panel in South Africa, this article ranks the top 30 FMCG products in South Africa based on real consumer scans.

Unlike claimed usage or purchase intention surveys, product scan data captures what consumers physically have at home. This provides a grounded and behavioural view of FMCG consumption, highlighting the brands, categories, formats, and pack sizes that truly dominate South African households.

Top 30 FMCG products in South Africa

Let’s explore the Top 30 FMCG in South Africa based on the SKUs most scanned by members of SagaPoll online panel.

Here is the detailed ranking of the top 30 FMCG in South Africa including consumer rating (on a scale from 1 to 5). 

Rank	Brand	Category	Packaging	Size	Manufacturer	Origin	Rating
1	Lion	Housewares and home furnishings	Paper box	50 matches	The Lion Match Company	Local	4.35
2	Stork	Spreads, jams and honey	Cup	1 kg	Siqalo Foods (subsidiary of Remgro)	Local	4.45
3	Crosse & Blackwell	Mayonnaise	Glass bottle	750 g	Tiger Brands	Local	4.46
4	Coca-Cola	Carbonated soft drinks	Plastic bottle	2 L	Coca-Cola South Africa	International	4.41
5	All Gold	Ketchup	Glass bottle	700 ml	Tiger Brands	Local	4.48
6	Cerebos	Salt	Plastic bottle	500g	Bud Group	Local	4.37
7	Sunlight	Liquid soap	Plastic bottle	75 cl	Unilever	International	4.49
8	Vaseline	Petroleum jelly	Cup	250 ml	Unilever	International	4.41
9	Excella	Edible oils	Plastic bottle	2 L	Excella (owned by Wilmar)	Local	4.44
10	Six Gun Grill	Herbs and spices	Bag	200 g	Crown National	Local	4.48
11	Nola	Mayonnaise	Plastic bottle	750 g	RCL Foods	Local	4.41
12	Aromat	Herbs and spices	Plastic bottle	75 g	Unilever	International	4.49
13	Coca-Cola	Non-alcoholic beverages	Glass bottle	1.25 L	Coca-Cola South Africa	International	4.35
14	Koo	Table sauces	Can	400 g	Tiger Brands	Local	4.45
15	Sunlight	Bar soap	Plastic wrap	500 g	Unilever	International	4.53
16	Oros	Juices	Plastic bottle	2 L	Tiger Brands	Local	4.47
17	D’Lite	Spreads, jams and honey	Sachet	1 kg	Willowton Group	Local	4.19
18	Reitzer	Body lotion and cream	Plastic bottle	500 ml	Reitzer	Local	4.35
19	Jungle	Family cereals	Paper box	1 kg	Tiger Brands	Local	4.51
20	Vicks	Consumer health	Other	10 g	Procter & Gamble	International	4.43
21	Lucky Star	Canned seafood	Can	400 g	Lucky Star	Local	4.43
22	Vaseline	Petroleum jelly	Cup	100 ml	Unilever	International	4.41
23	Gold Star	Baking powder	Sachet	100 g	Anchor Yeast (owned by Lallemand)	Local	4.46
24	Zam-Buk	Petroleum jelly	Other	7 g	Bayer (produced by Interthai)	International	4.46
25	Isoplus	Styling agents and gel	Plastic bottle	225 g	Marico	Local	4.30
26	Ricoffy	Coffee	Can	250 g	Nestlé	International	4.34
27	Albany	Bread	Plastic wrap	700 g	Tiger Brands	Local	4.50
28	Simba	Salty snacks	Sachet	20 g	PepsiCo	International	4.36
29	Carling Black Label	Beer	Glass bottle	750 cl	SAB (owned by AB InBev)	Local	4.27
30	Vaseline	Bouillon	Tube	50 ml	Unilever	International	4.38

Key FMCG consumption insights in South Africa

Several strong consumption patterns emerge from this product ranking, shedding light on how South African households prioritise value, familiarity, and functionality.

Large family formats dominate across categories in South Africa

The ranking tends to be skewed toward large pack sizes, particularly in food and beverages. Two litre soft drinks, one kilogram spreads, two litre edible oils, and one kilogram cereals consistently outperform smaller formats. This reflects shared household consumption and a clear preference for formats that optimise cost per use rather than convenience.

South African FMCG brands remain deeply entrenched

While multinational manufacturers such as Unilever, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and PepsiCo are well represented, the ranking is largely driven by South African brands. Tiger Brands clearly stands out, with multiple products in the top 30, including All Gold, Albany, Oros, Jungle, Koo, and Crosse & Blackwell.

Other established local brands, such as Lion matches, Lucky Star canned fish, and Reitzer body lotion, further illustrate the enduring strength of South African heritage brands with strong emotional and cultural relevance in everyday consumption.

Affordability and versatility outweigh premium positioning

Products that can serve multiple purposes or stretch across usage occasions perform particularly well. Vaseline appears multiple times in different formats, underlining its role as a versatile household product. Bar soap ranks strongly alongside liquid alternatives, highlighting the importance of affordability and flexibility.

Taken together, the data shows that FMCG consumption in South Africa remains firmly anchored in essentials, with strong loyalty toward brands that deliver consistency, practicality, and value.

What this means for FMCG players in South Africa

For FMCG brands and manufacturers, the data shows that everyday essentials, trusted local brands, and value-driven formats continue to drive household consumption in South Africa.

More importantly, SagaProduct provides a behavioural view of FMCG consumption based on real products present in households, rather than claimed usage. This allows brands to understand what consumers actually buy, in which formats, and at what scale, and to apply the same analysis consistently across more than 30 African markets to inform portfolio, packaging, and brand strategy.

Methodology

SagaProduct, Sagaci Research’s proprietary Shopper Panel in Africa captures detailed insights into the products consumers purchase. Data is based on brands most scanned by panel members.

Population: panel members in South Africa

Period: Year to date / last 12 Months as of December 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to some common questions we receive about FMCG product scan data and rankings in Africa.

What are the most consumed FMCG products in South Africa?

Based on consumer scan data, the most consumed FMCG products in South Africa are everyday essentials such as cooking oils, spreads, table sauces, bread, soft drinks, dishwashing liquid, and personal care staples.

How is this FMCG ranking calculated and why use product scan data?

This ranking is based on product scan data collected through SagaProduct. Consumers scan products they have at home, allowing Sagaci Research to measure real usage and distribution rather than claimed behaviour. This approach reduces recall bias and provides a more accurate view of FMCG consumption than traditional surveys.

Can this data be analysed across multiple African markets?

Yes. SagaProduct uses a consistent methodology across markets, making it possible to conduct the same in depth FMCG product analysis in more than 30 African countries. Similar analyses using this approach have already been carried out in markets such as Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire. 

Get in touch with our team on contact@sagaciresearch.com to request your report for your target categories and countries.

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