WHY MEN DO NEED SKINCARE By Beatrice Aidin
Monday, September 17, 2007
We all have a stock image in our heads of a gentleman and his traditional grooming routine: the wet shave, the swaddling hot towels, the stinging splash of aftershave. But it's time for a visual update, for times have seriously changed.
In the past four years, the men's skincare market has trebled to be worth £55m and sales of male body lotions, toning gels, depilatories and suncare have soared by 77 per cent. Over the past few months, male skincare has been launched by brands including Dior, Dr Nicholas Perricone and Dr Murad as well as a high-profile relaunch of a men's range by Lanc?me complete with an ad campaign fronted by alpha-male actor Clive Owen. Then there's the impending launch of a men's haircare range at Aveda and a new Tweezerman offering of male grooming tools which includes an ingrown hair remover.
But do they really need all this skincare? “Men's skin is about 10 per cent thicker than women's,” says Boots skincare advisor Steve Barton. “Women's skin has a downy hair which is like fine needles. A man's skin in comparison has thick hair to penetrate this thicker skin.” Factor into this equation that men's skin is oilier, due to testosterone – thus they age less quickly – and it begs the question whether chaps need skincare at all.
“The act of a razor when shaving,” says Barton, “is essentially the same as microdermabrasion, it thickens the skin slightly. But it also dries out the skin, making it more porous and sensitive.”
And, of course, men may age differently from women but they still age. According to research by Lanc?me, for instance, men's wrinkles appear later but develop more rapidly.
Marketing products to men is also somewhat direct. Clarins, for example, has found that sex sells; the brand is pushing its new Men's Skin Difference with the tag line: “You won't hear ‘Ouch!' any more, only ‘I love you.' ” Humour, too, has its place. Brands such as the new Laidback, with its range of all natural products, for example, has quotes on bottles such as PG Wodehouse's classic quip: “There is only one cure for grey hair. It was invented by a Frenchman. It is called the guillotine.”
Men are also reaching for beauty creams due to the increasing need to look youthful. “Competition in the workplace means that men cannot afford to neglect their appearance,” emphasises Mintel's report on Men's Grooming Habits, 2007. “The pressure is even greater for men to look the part once they reach 40, due to the need to compete with much younger colleagues.”
Dr Perricone, who has his own Men's Skin Fitness Anti-Ageing products, echoes this view. “It's a competitive world whether it's a job or a relationship, and when you interview, youth is important. People tend to be biased, unfortunately, towards youth. And someone who looks better gets the job.”
This point is underlined by the biggest demographic shift in the industry towards men over 44; according to Mintel, men aged 45-54 are predicted to increase as consumers of skincare by 11 per cent in four years. But the habit is likely to cost them less than their female counterparts since, according to Lanc?me, the average men's grooming products are significantly less expensive than women's, with basic moisturisers 50 per cent cheaper.
The increase in men's skincare sales is also seeing a knock-on effect in the cosmetics' market with brands increasingly factoring men's issues into product development; this has resulted in a focus on skin cover-ups and presenting a glowing complexion, rather than any Russell Brand-inspired black eyeliner offerings.
Chantecaille, for instance, had men in mind when developing its latest Just Skin tinted moisturiser – the packaging focused on a unisex approach to encourage male customers. And Clinique Skin Supplies for Men has launched the M Cover Stick, the first mainstream concealer for men which is already popular, especially in internet sales.
Men-only grooming parlours are also a burgeoning market and offer treatments akin to those in a women's beauty salon. “In the past three years I've had three more competitors,” says Laith Laines, founder of The Refinery, in London, which is opening a branch in Tokyo with Japanese cosmetics king Shu Uemura. His most popular treatment is back waxing: “Men don't have a choice, their girlfriends demand it.”
Taking products one stage further is Wholeman, based in London's Bond Street, which has recently produced the first ever range of vitamins designed specifically for men: treatments for skin, nails and hair, as well as erectile dysfunction, are all covered. Bob Ager, the founder of Wholeman, agrees that the men's grooming market is on the rise. “It is gaining 20 per cent a year,” he says.
Interestingly, getting men to chop and change between brands (as women traditionally do) is proving a challenge. “Blokes are more loyal and less promiscuous,” says Ager. “At least when it comes to grooming.”
Getting a skinful
www.nvperriconemd.co.uk
www.muraduk.com
www.lancome.co.uk
www.clinique.co.uk
www.the-refinery.com
www.wholeman.co.uk
www.renskincare.com
Laidback at www.touchmyface.co.uk
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