A changing of the guard for mens grooming

Men’s grooming has seen a dominance from western Europe in terms of revenue generation over the last decade, but recently the market has seen a surge from the emerging countries. Chris McLeod reports

Men’s grooming has been an intriguing sector in the personal care industry over the last few decades.

With the birth of the metrosexual at the start of the millenium, many had expected an explosion of growth from men’s toiletries, notably in skin care, however, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst at Euromonitor, Nicole Tyrimou, tellsSPC: “Men’s grooming has only grown steadily over the last few decades and is still less than 10% of the total personal care industry globally. Having said this, it remains the third fastest growing category in global personal care.”

Herbie Dayal, CEO of KMI Brands, also adds: “Male grooming has been steadily growing over the past 20 years. It is not a sudden change or sudden spurt in male usage of products but rather a continual increase year on year.” Nonwithstanding these initial insights, the use of sweeping statements to describe this sector’s performance does not begin to show the many nuances that continue to develop each year. These differences demonstrate, almost more than any other sector in personal care, the extent of the contrast in cultures, values and opinions around the world that affects consumer behaviour.