Globally, men use more grooming products than many realise, and so male health & beauty brands need to encourage switching rather than attracting new customers.

The data presented here and commentaries are based on Canadean’s nationally representative consumer survey, which gathered over 30,000 responses across 38 Health & Beauty product categories in Brazil, Russia, China, India, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US in 2011.
Results from this survey were integrated with industry research to quantify total consumption by key consumer groups and determine the market value and volume influenced by 20 consumer trends.

The male grooming market in ten key countries* is bigger than many would think: men account for 47% of the volume of Health & Beauty products used, equivalent to over 3,000 million litres of Health & Beauty products every year. So while the use of male grooming products is increasing, results are already high.

This means marketers’ primary challenge is not to attract men to their category, but to encourage them to switch from unisex and/or female brands. For example, this was the basis of Old Spice’s “Smell like a man, man” campaign in the US in 2010, which encouraged men to swap “lady-scented” body wash for a more masculine product.

Men use more Health & beauty products than many realize

After accounting for both men’s frequency of product use across these sectors, and for whether it was a man’s, women’s or unisex product that they used, Canadean’s consumer survey shows that men’s consumption of Health & Beauty products approaches that of women’s in several product markets, such as Haircare, Oral Hygiene, and Fragrances. In terms of total volumes around the world, it should be noted that the large male populations of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) region drives the global volume: male grooming isn’t restricted to just mature economies, even if product choice can differ.

Successful products target the key motivations of their target age group

In order to encourage men to switch to male products it is vital to understand the motivations driving consumption in key consumer groups. In particular, age, and the needs of specific age groups, is a key determinant of men’s Health & Beauty consumption habits; the success of a product targeted at men will often be based on its ability to meet the target age group’s most important motivations.

Value for money is key in health-driven sectors

In sectors squarely focused on health benefits, such as oral care and personal hygiene, the top concern amongst men that influences consumption is getting the best value for money. Men of all ages may want healthy teeth, whiter smiles, and to be well scrubbed, but this focus on value means that price competition is likely to be strong in these sectors in the future.

After value for money, motivations between different age groups are more diverse. Early Young Adult males (those aged between 16 and 24 years old) look for products that match their lifestyle and that appear tailored to their individual needs, whereas Older Consumers (those aged over 55) are looking for quality products that will be highly effective, so claims regarding functional ingredients are likely to stand out.

Different motivations also drive consumption in beauty-driven sectors

When it comes to sectors such as fragrance and skincare, and even make-up, the results between age groups differed further. Older males prefer products that are budget friendly, yet still offer quality benefits, in particular due to the ingredients they contain.

In contrast, young males look for products that are “on-trend” and that are designed specifically with their gender in mind; often helping them feel confident, and not self-conscious, about the product they are about to use. One brand catering to this is Bulldog Natural Cosmetics, whose range of shaving products introduces men to the benefits offered by skincare products made from natural ingredients.

Male grooming isn’t about products that are “Just For Men”

The fact that the New Gender Behaviours trend, which tracks products chosen because they offer gender-specific benefits, is only relatively important among Early Young Adults in Beauty-driven sectors shows that male grooming isn’t solely about offering products “For Men”. Instead men look for Health & Beauty products designed to meet a specific range of needs, and increasingly, albeit slowly, they are less concerned about overtly masculine branding.

About Canadean
Canadean has a long-held reputation for providing valuable and in-depth market research initially built up in beverages, and now operates across the FMCG market and related industries, including packaging, ingredients, soft drinks, beer, retail, foodservice, wines & spirits, health & beauty and food. It specializes in conducting online survey panels, producing in-depth market insights reports through qualitative and quantitative in-country analysis as well as offering clients a bespoke consultancy service tailored to address each client’s specific business needs.