Male grooming: the overdue arrival of a false dawn

With 8% of all new personal care launches said to carry ‘male orientated claims’, an analysis of the current UK market would seem to suggest so.2 It is easy to see why so many brands have long regarded male grooming as an area of huge potential; fierce brand loyalty, active lifestyles, and untapped disposable income in the younger age groups equate to enormous spending power. However, until recently, sales (and consequently new product development) in this sector were largely precluded by socio-cultural taboos around men who used products being considered effeminate. In the last decade, the ‘David Beckham effect’ and other societal shifts have reduced the stigma surrounding ‘metrosexuality’, with the result being men are free – and more importantly willing – to invest money into personal care products in order to look and feel good. So, with male grooming on the rise and growing at twice the rate of men’s clothing in the UK, what will the future hold?3 While deodorants still represent the vast majority of sales, it is the skin care sector that represents the greatest growth opportunity to brands in the male personal care market. As an indication of the transition of this sector into mainstream culture, Mintel reports that in 2012, 64% of men in the UK owned a moisturiser, with 23% using it on a daily basis. This represents a huge upturn on previous decades, and judging by levels of new product development in the market – new product launches increased by 73% between 2007 and 2012 – one that brands are fully aware of, and actively prioritising. Indeed, the overall ageing shift of the UK population must also be considered; while brands will, and should, continue to compete over the younger demographics’ brand loyalty, the older consumers are increasingly more likely to be active participators in grooming and must not be overlooked. A traditional criticism levelled at mass market male skin care – and arguably a historical barrier to the ‘groom boom’ – has been accusations of the major players’ male offering being merely an extension of already successful female brands into the men’s sector. Brands have sought to differentiate their men’s brands through distinguishable, easily comprehensible packaging, traditionally in block colours such as blacks, navy blues and chromes in order to distance their offer from its female counterpart. Indeed, the importance of packaging upon male consumers should not be overlooked – Mintel’s data claims that 42% of male consumers between 16-24 years of age are directly influenced by innovative packaging when selecting products.4 However, as the men’s market continues to develop, and male consumers become simultaneously more knowledgeable and demanding, there are indications that brands must do more to communicate the functionalities of their products to consumers. Crucially, this will require more effectively catering for the different requirements of male and female skin.

Physiology

So what are the differences between male and female skin, and how can a knowledge of these differences be used to drive the development of better and more targeted male skin care products? It is known that gender differences in the male face include the presence of facial hair, increased vascularity, increased thickness, increased sebum production and differing rates of fat and bone absorption.5 Also, the skin contains many hormone receptors in both the dermis and epidermis so human sex hormones such as oestrogen and androgen have an effect on how the skin behaves. Indeed the skin actually synthesises significant levels of sex hormones with sebaceous glands and sweat glands being the major producers. Sex hormones can have a marked effect on the skin influencing, for example, the development of acne, hirsutism and pigmentation among others.6 Furthermore, Clinique have published a review of gender differences in human skin discovering that men’s and women’s skin differ in hormone metabolism, hair growth, sweat rate, sebum production, surface pH and fat accumulation, concluding that this knowledge of gender-linked differences should be used to develop male-specific products.7 More recently a large study involving 300 subjects was conducted by the University of Hamburg taking measurements at forehead, cheek, neck, volar forearm and dorsum of the hand. It was discovered that up to the age of 50 years men’s trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) is significantly lower than women’s, after age 50 the levels assimilate. Younger men have a higher stratum corneum hydration than women but this decreases after the age of 40 years. Sebum production in male volunteers is always higher than that of females and stays stable with age whereas female sebum levels decrease over their lifetime. Finally, the pH at all locations was below 5 for men and above 5 for women.8 A further study9 looking into men’s skin care habits concluded that the elevated sebum levels in male skin resulted in many men perceiving skin care products as having a ‘tacky feeling’. Consequently, the new generation of lighter emollients such as Cetiol RLF would be ideally suited for men’s skin care products. If making an SPF claim it would also be advisable to consider the use of water phase UV filters such as Tinosorb M and Tinosorb S Aqua to maintain light, nongreasy textures. Products for more mature males should focus on enhancing barrier function (therefore reducing TEWL) and providing moisture to combat the reduction in hydration. In terms of appearing older, Shiseido carried out a research project comparing sagging of the cheeks and lower eyelids between males and females. In terms of the upper and lower cheeks, sagging severity was the same for both genders at all ages. However, sagging in the lower eyelid region was significantly more severe for males after middle age.10 A further study by Kao concluded that in general men have more severe wrinkles than women with men especially showing increased wrinkles in the forehead region compared to women.11 Crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles are the first to appear followed by glabella lines after the mid-forties.12 The fact that it has been shown that men have a lax attitude to using sun protection products in comparison to women, and that long term sun exposure is the main cause of wrinkle development, may explain these gender differences.13 Proctor and Gamble have researched extensively on the factors which make us appear aged, or more aged looking than our chronological age would suggest. Initial research focused on female volunteers but more recent studies have been concerned with understanding what makes men appear old. The conclusion, that it is skin colour homogeneity, particularly the contribution made by melanin and haemoglobin, which influences the perception of age, would seem to leave the door open for the development of tinted moisturisers for use by males.14 This is borne out by an analysis of the market - both male BB creams and tinted moisturisers are indeed becoming ever more popular in the UK. We have ascertained that the male consumer demands product differentiation not only through packaging, but also through the formulation. However, not only should new product development focus increasingly on achieving substantiated results with functional ingredients, but also the science behind the efficacy should be clearly communicated to the consumer. There is already evidence of such a shift in consumer demands on the shelves, with brands such as Nivea for Men introducing their existing anti-wrinkle ingredient SkinEnergy Q10 – present in female targeted products such as Nivea’s Age Defying Hand Cream – to their men’s range.15 Additionally, there is even further evidence of this consumer demand for substantiated efficacy in earlier stages of the process, with leading raw material manufacturers now creating actives specifically designed for – and crucially tested on – men. Silab’s SMS Energy, from the seeds of chick peas, simultaneously increases intracellular ATP levels and stimulates activity of the enzyme creatine kinase resulting in enhanced cell renewal, improved skin tone and reduced fatigability. Crucially, in order to ensure relevance for its target consumer, the product has been tested on healthy males of 35+/–13 years of age, ensuring brands who wish to make substantiated functional claims have robust data in conjunction with the highest spending age demographic. Furthermore, an increasing amount of non-facial launches have proliferated the UK market in the last twelve months, further illustrating the sector’s expansion away from traditional applications. Nip+Man’s Pec Fix, Bicep Fix and Ab Fix are examples of efficacious non-facial products targeting modern man’s new found comfort with vanity. Sculpting claims can be achieved using products such as Silab’s Affiness, an ingredient derived from sweet orange and coriander. Affiness stimulates the hydrolysis of triglycerides to free fatty acids in the lipid compartment of the mature fat cells, thereby mobilising lipid reserves. Additionally, the product limits the major pathways of lipid storage and production. Although only 48% of men have used body care products in the last 12 months (compared to 84% of women), this number is increasing and consequently body applications can be expected to continue to grow in the men’s market, and become more ambitious in their functionalities. An interesting positioning of these products is through sport, with products expected to thrive in the UK’s post-Olympics legacy. With many men leading active lifestyles, and outdoor endurance events and the training they require now fully mainstream in society, ‘Sport-focused’ multifunctional ranges such as Molton Brown’s recently launched SPORT will surely become more commonplace in the market. In light of this increasingly active trend, there are opportunities for NPD. According to Mintel, of those men who currently use body care, 31% would be willing to pay more for products that accelerate skin healing, 29% for products that protect against chaffing or itching and 26% for products with added antiperspirant properties.16