Southeast Asia's Smart Bathroom Market On The Move

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8 hours ago
4 min read

Southeast Asia is emerging as one of the fast-growing smart bathroom markets in Asia, fuelled by urbanisation, rising incomes and growing interest in health, hygiene, and connected living. Smart toilets, digital showers, and integrated mirrors are evolving from luxury items to aspirational mid-market products, intensifying competition among Japanese and European giants facing agile Chinese, Korean, and local ASEAN players. Asia Pacific remains the fastest-growing global region, with Southeast Asia standing out: according to BRG, revenues from smart bathroom products (such as shower toilets and bidet seats) in this region are expanding at mid teen rates through the mid-2020s, outpacing mature markets. Countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are seeing a surge in residential towers, hotels, and malls that specify smart fittings for premium and upper mid projects.

Urbanisation and a thriving middle class are increasing the pool of consumers willing to pay for connected bathroom features. In parallel, smart-city programs and stricter water use regulations in markets such as Singapore and Malaysia are promoting sensor based, water efficient sanitaryware in public and semi-public spaces. Culturally, high hygiene awareness and familiarity with hand spray washing make it easier for consumers to upgrade from manual sprays to bidet seats or fully integrated smart toilets. E commerce and social media further amplify visibility of Japanese and Korean smart bathroom innovations, turning them into lifestyle aspirations for younger, tech savvy urban buyers.

Currently, sensor operated, and remote controlled toilets dominate, offering touchless flushing, integrated bidets, heated seats, deodorisation, and self-cleaning functions that blend hygiene and convenience. Over the next five years, app controlled, and AI enabled models with health monitoring and personalized presets — are expected to gain ground as prices fall and IoT ecosystems mature. Growing water scarcity and energy costs also drive adoption of digital showers that track usage, optimize flow, and help consumers meet ESG goals while saving on utilities. In ASEAN’s mixed climate markets, where electric and gas water heaters are common, integrating smart controls into showers provides strong differentiation in a crowded fittings category.

Smart mirrors are emerging at the intersection of home automation, health, and beauty offering lighting control, voice assistance, skin analysis, and content display in one surface. New AI driven models can assess mood, skin, and health indicators, then sync with other devices, positioning the bathroom as a connected home hub. In Southeast Asia, such mirrors appear in high end apartments, hotels, and beauty focused retail spaces, supporting virtual try-ons and personalized recommendations.

The competitive landscape is diverse, with global sanitaryware giants, consumer electronics firms, and local specialists each playing distinct roles. Japanese, European, and US brands (e.g., Toto, Lixil, Kohler, Grohe) lead in technology, water efficiency, and premium design, focusing on luxury and upper mid projects through strong developer and hospitality partnerships. Chinese and Korean players, many with IoT backgrounds, emphasize value-for-money smart products and ecosystem integration. Local ASEAN brands compete through affordability, local design customisation, distribution strength, and responsive service often partnering with global tech providers for electronics while assembling locally.

To compete effectively in Southeast Asia, global brands often employ a multi-tier product positioning strategy balancing advanced integrated systems for luxury developments with cost-optimised smart toilet seats and simplified control solutions for mid-market buyers. They invest heavily in B2B relationships and marketing that position smart bathrooms as value and experience differentiators. In response, regional players promote modular retrofit solutions like intelligent toilet seats compatible with existing pans and flexible financing or service models for public and semi-public spaces or even residential projects. Many also build strong omnichannel presence, using marketplaces and social platforms to raise hygiene and water saving awareness in local languages.

Several ASEAN-based or regionally focused brands are active in smart toilets, digital showers, and integrated mirrors, combining local design with imported electronics. Some of the prominent ones are;

• COTTO (Thailand): Offers stylish, affordable smart toilets and bidet seats with water-saving flushing and hygienic glazing, along with digital shower systems for residential and hospitality projects.

• Viglacera (Vietnam): Expanding from ceramics to advanced toilets featuring improved flushing and hygiene for mid-market housing.

• Caesar (Vietnam): Provides competitively priced rimless, nano glazed toilets; newer models feature advanced seats and controls.

• HCG (Philippines): Supplies full bathroom systems emphasizing temperature stability and safety, tailored to local plumbing conditions.

• ActiMirror (Hong Kong): A Spanish Asian start up under Roca Group, offering connected smart mirrors with interactive displays and IoT integration for bathrooms and retail spaces.

• Sorento (Malaysia): Offers stylish, intelligent water closets.

Apart from these there are brands such as TOTO, Kohler and Villeroy & Boch etc. that hold a sizable share of the market but are not ASEAN based.

Regional operations of major international brands such as Kohler, American Standard, and Roca manufacture or customize digital showers in ASEAN facilities, gaining “local” positioning. Meanwhile, OEMs across China and broader Asia (e.g., SHKL, Bathnology, Mirror Light) supply LED and smart mirrors rebranded for ASEAN interior and bathroom markets.

Find out more in our latest edition of Southeast Asian reports.

Source: Himanshu Labroo, BRG Research

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