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Male Grooming Trends: Profiting in 2009 and Beyond

Datamonitor
February 27, 2009
129 Pages - SKU: DFMN2150911

Abstract Table of Contents Search inside this report Related Reports

Introduction

The market for male grooming products, although still niche, is growing and evolving. Male consumers are placing greater importance on looking good and the personal care aspects of improved health and wellness. Understanding male needs, attitudes and behaviors towards grooming will open up new commercial avenues in this underserved arena.

Scope

Detailed insights and analysis documenting the attitudes and influences behind mens' grooming product choice
In-depth and comprehensive quantitative data covering the increasing importance behind personal appearance and how this affects the market
Strategic conclusions and actionable recommendations on male grooming trends for the personal care industry
Countries covered: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, India

Highlights

The male grooming market, while exhibiting strong potential, needs a markedly different approach in order to succeed compared to the mature female market, due to some substantial differences in attitudes and behaviors that exist across genders.

For many men, purchasing personal care products continues to be borne out of necessity and largely devoid of an emotional connection such as that seen among many females. By increasing the level of engagement between men and their grooming brands, companies can help to improve sales and push the market further towards the mainstream.

Much is written about particular groups of men such as metrosexuals, yet they remain the minority. Most men exhibit traits from a number of subgroups and marketers should be mindful to include all men in communications. Products deemed as 'essential' have traditionally been most popular. The potential exists to elevate more to this status.

Reasons to Purchase

Gain an understanding of men's attitudes towards grooming and how these are continuing to change
Use the latest evidence based insights to launch and position products, so that they are successfully positioned to capitalize on prevalent attitudes
Access a compelling blend of quantitative and qualitative data illustrating male consumer attitudes and market developments

Overview: Catalyst; Summary; Table of Contents; Table of figures; Table of tables
THE FUTURE DECODED: INTRODUCTION: the male grooming sector continues to show robust growth without fully living up to its enormous potential; TREND: The adult male population is steadily increasing in the majority of featured countries; The percentage of the population accounted for by men remains steady in the majority of featured countries; The dynamics of the male population clarify the potential of the male personal care market; Key takeouts and implications: with male population growth and a fairly constant gender balance, barriers to male personal care growth are attitudinal and behavioral rather than driven by physical numbers; TREND: Male attitudes to personal care are still evolving; The 'metrosexual' trend originated approximately 10 years ago; Retrosexuals and the menaissance movement mainly consist of men reacting to the metrosexual trend; Men do not feel under as much pressure as women to look good; Some men are increasing the amount of time they spend on their personal appearance; Some men are open to premiumization in personal care; Men are more skeptical of personal care products that rely on natural ingredients; Men are also less trusting of the efficacy of natural products; Attitudes to natural products are accurately reflected by consumption data; Endorsements from professional associations are regarded by men as the most credible product claims made by personal care products, but this does not motivate purchases; Key takeouts and implications: the male grooming market has grown in importance to the personal care sector, but much potential remains to be tapped; TREND: Motivational factors for men in the field of personal care show significant differences to equivalent female attitudes; Price is most important to men when choosing personal care products; Men feel a lower engagement with personal care products and brands than women do; Most men do not actively monitor new product launches in the field of personal care; Women perform the majority of household shopping tasks; Men do not feel particularly self-conscious when faced with advertising for personal care products; Key takeouts and implications: men do not feel the high engagement and emotional connections that women feel with personal care and grooming products; INSIGHT: Skincare remains underdeveloped in the male marketplace compared to the female; Minimizing body odor and sweat is the biggest skincare concern among men; Skincare products designed to improve body shape lack credibility with consumers; The scale and rate of growth in the female skincare market is continuing to outstrip that in the male market; Key takeouts and implications: a wide variety of skincare issues are of concern to many men, but encouragement is still needed to increase product usage; INSIGHT: Haircare remains a core category in male grooming; Many men are concerned about haircare issues but do not use products to address all of their fears; The gender gap in the haircare market is not as sizeable as in other personal care categories; Key takeouts and implications: substantial potential exists in the male haircare market; INSIGHT: The male market for fragrance is exhibiting relatively strong growth; The men's market for fragrance has been hit by recessionary conditions and other inhibitors; The male market is growing at a faster rate than the female market; Key takeouts and implications: the male fragrance market derives much of its value from its status as a gift; INSIGHT: Personal hygiene is rated as an important factor in achieving a sense of wellbeing by many men; Men agree that personal hygiene plays an important role in achieving a sense of wellbeing; Key takeouts and implications: personal hygiene is important to both sexes; INSIGHT: Oral hygiene is regarded as a necessity by the majority of men; Men are likely to act on their oral hygiene concerns; Key takeouts and implications: oral hygiene shows men are willing to act on personal care needs as an everyday necessity
ACTION POINTS: ACTION: Increase men's level of engagement with personal care brands; Viral and word-of-mouth marketing can be used to increase engagement; Include some aspects of marketing that will appeal to women; ACTION: Ensure that grooming products are priced realistically for men; Trading up opportunities should not be completely abandoned; ACTION: Market male grooming products as a necessary and functional part of everyday life; The male grooming market is open to new players; ACTION: Encourage men to act on their personal care concerns; Encouragement should not be limited to younger generations; Avoid spreading unnecessary fears among consumers; ACTION: Improve product offerings in the men's skincare category; Seek to target the attitude-behavior gap in male skincare behaviors; Anti-aging products still have much potential in the men's market
APPENDIX: Definitions; Methodology; Further reading and references; Ask the analyst
Datamonitor consulting: Disclaimer
List of Tables: Table 1: Life expectancy, years, by gender, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US, 2008; Table 2: The male population in absolute (millions) terms and by percentage of the population as a whole; Table 3: Personal care market value (US$ million), by gender, 2007; Table 4: Consumer survey: the proportion of respondents who agreed that they felt under pressure to look good, by gender, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US, 2008; Table 5: Consumer survey: the proportion of respondents who advised that they had increased the amount of time spent on their personal appearance in the past six months (2008), by gender, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US; Table 6: Consumer survey: the proportion of male respondents who advised that they had increased their consumption of higher quality cosmetics and toiletries in the preceding six months (2008), in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US; Table 7: Consumer survey: the proportion of respondents agreeing that 100% natural products are better for them, by gender, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US, 2008; Table 8: Consumer survey: the proportion of respondents who agreed that 100% natural personal care products were just as effective as non-natural products, by gender, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US, 2008; Table 9: Consumer survey: the proportion of respondents who advised that they had chosen to use more products with natural ingredients during the past six months (2008), by gender, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US; Table 10: Consumer survey: the type of approach adopted to new products released in the personal care sector, by gender, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US, 2008; Table 11: Time spent shopping per day, (minutes), by gender, Europe, US and Asia-Pacific, 2002-2012; Table 12: Consumer survey: the proportion of respondents who agreed and disagreed that personal care advertising made them feel self-conscious, by gender, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US, 2008; Table 13: Consumer survey: the proportion of respondents who advised that skincare products offering body shape benefits lacked credibility, by gender, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US, 2008; Table 14: Consumer survey: the proportion of male respondents who rated personal hygiene as either 'important' or 'very important' in maintaining a sense of wellbeing, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and the US
List of Figures: Figure 1: There are many factors to consider in the male grooming market; Figure 2: The male share of the personal care market is substantially lower than their share of the population in all featured countries; Figure 3: Men seem most comfortable discussing personal grooming subjects under the cloak of anonymity offered online; Figure 4: The varying degrees of credibility of product claims made by manufacturers of personal care products; Figure 5: More women than men are likely to cite factors as having a 'high' or 'very high' influence on their personal care product choices; Figure 6: Skincare accounts for the largest proportion of the female personal care market, but this is not mirrored in the men's category; Figure 7: The skincare market is dominated by women overall; Figure 8: Minimizing body odor is the biggest skincare-related concern among men; Figure 9: The female market for skincare is substantially bigger than the equivalent male market; Figure 10: The haircare market is more evenly distributed by gender, but still favors women; Figure 11: Factors influencing men's choice of haircare products; Figure 12: The female market for haircare is larger than the equivalent male market, but the gap between genders is not vast; Figure 13: The fragrance market is weighted in favor of women; Figure 14: The male market for fragrance is growing at a faster rate, although the female market remains dominant; Figure 15: The market for personal hygiene products is distributed evenly between genders; Figure 16: Personal hygiene is rated as the most important factor among male consumers in creating a sense of wellbeing; Figure 17: Usage of personal hygiene products is almost even by gender, although the female market is slightly more lucrative; Figure 18: The market for oral hygiene products is distributed evenly between genders; Figure 19: Oral hygiene issues cause much concern among male consumers; Figure 20: The usage of oral hygiene products is almost even by gender, although the female market is slightly more lucrative; Figure 21: Woody's Quality Grooming is building a male-oriented personal care brand through focusing on 'essential' products for the everyday man; Figure 22: Unilever has introduced a haircare range under the banner of its Axe deodorant brand; Figure 23: L'Oreal's Men Expert range aims to appeal to all age groups; Figure 24: The Nivea For Men range includes a moisturizer with anti-aging propoerties

Male Grooming Trends: Profiting in 2009 and Beyond

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