SEOUL, KOREA- Airwashers with strong humidity maintenance and air purification features are emerging as must-have items to keep indoor air safe and healthy during the dry winter season. According to Lotte HI-Mart, the sales of airwashers during the period from October 1 to 27 marked a robust year-to-year growth of about 70 percent.A Lotte HI-Mart official said, “The sales of humidifiers, including airwashers, peak in November and December. The winter season, in general, accounts for more than half of annual humidifier sales. The inquiries for airwashers increased sharply in October this year, earlier than usual.”
The humidifier market showed robust growth of 10 percent until 2010 but thereafter contracted sharply after a 2011 scandal involving harmful disinfectant used in humidifier water that caused lung disease and in some cases led to deaths.
Today, however, an increasing number of consumers are showing more interest in airwashers, with its sales expanding at a robust pace. Against this backdrop, not only large companies like LG Electronics but mid-sized humidifier manufacturers, including Winix and Cuchen, are making inroads into the airwasher market.
