Male grooming

The male grooming category is showing signs of recovery, and is now worth £848.5m in take-home sales [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 10 June 2017].

Skincare’s on the up too: it added 1.9% to its value over the past year. But razors and shaving soap are in the doldrums as beards are here to stay.

How guys look after their looks

50%

use moisturiser

32%

use facial wipes

51%

believe a healthy diet is enough for good skin

39%

feel skincare products contain unnecessary chemicals

38%

pay greater attention to their facial hair than to their face’s skin

53%

agree it is fashionable to have a beard

23%

use beard products

67%

believe they look good for their age

61%

feel confident about the way they look

38%

check themselves in the mirror throughout the day

That’s what the industry says. But what how do Britain’s men feel?

A new Mintel report about skincare reveals how the UK’s fellas feel about the way they look and what they do about it.

The key figures are on the right.

The majority of men adopt a relaxed attitude towards their appearance, according to Mintel.

And it’s the older chaps who are “brimming with self confidence” adds the market intelligence agency’s Roshida Khanom, associate director of beauty & personal care.

“Following role models such as Pierce Brosnan, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, Britain’s older men are adopting a relaxed attitude towards ageing.”

Pictures advertising women’s facial skincare products are often enhanced or manipulated, but such images will not always appeal to men, she says.

“Allowing skin to look aged but healthy may instead have greater resonance.”

Such high confidence could have a detrimental effect on facial skincare product sales, as many British men do not think they need them, adds Khanom.