Haleon, the consumer health group behind Sensodyne toothpaste and Panadol, trimmed its 2026 sales growth forecast to around 2.5% after third-quarter organic revenue growth of 2.6% fell short of its own expectations.
It did not say what the previous forecast was in the statement.
Organic revenue growth strips out currency moves, acquisitions and disposals, and the group's reported revenue rose 2.5% to £2.868 billion.
Brian McNamara, chief executive, blamed softness across some categories, including weaker cough, cold and flu consumption, which led to lower orders in North America and Europe.
Respiratory health sales fell 2.0%.
Haleon also had to stop importing Centrum vitamins registered as over-the-counter products in China, after a change in how regulators classify a raw material.
It said the change was not linked to product quality or safety, and that the products generated about £75 million of revenue in 2025.
Brazil change
The group is also accelerating a revamp of how it sells in Brazil, bringing it forward to the fourth quarter to coincide with a new tax framework in the country.
Haleon expects that to cut fourth-quarter net revenue by £15 million to £20 million.
Oral health shines
Oral health was the bright spot, with sales up 8.8% and Sensodyne growing at double digits.
India grew at high-teens rates, helping the International division to 6.9% growth, while Asia Pacific rose 3.9% and North America 2.5%.
Europe slipped 0.6%, as volumes fell 2.7% in a market Haleon described as challenging, particularly in Germany.
Price added 2.1% to group growth, while volume and mix added only 0.5%.
Vitamins and supplements fell 0.5%.
Profit and buyback
Haleon kept its forecast for adjusted operating profit growth, a measure that strips out one-off items, at high single digits at constant currency.
It also allocated a further £500 million to share buybacks, to be completed by full-year results on February 25, 2027.
McNamara said the priority was to drive stronger volume growth and return to its medium-term growth targets.
