It started a while ago at the beautician section of the hairdressers, previously a male-free zone. Now you see men nonchalantly having manicures and heading off down the corridor for facials. Some look a bit sheepish, but most sit having their nails buffed as if they’ve been doing it all their lives. Some guys are there for “a bit of waxing” I’m told, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
Well now it’s official. Sales of cosmetics and skincare for men in Asia -- sorry, “male grooming products” -- are growing faster than for women, at nine per cent and five per cent per annum respectively. This is I learn in Campaign Asia Pacific. It seems a sort of watershed has been reached where nearly two-thirds of men believe cosmetics are not only for women. I’ve never understood that: men are usually happy to use whatever they can find after a quick rummage in the bathroom cupboard. Even if they emerge smelling like a girl’s handbag, they wouldn’t be seen buying it themselves. No way. I knew one who would not even be seen with “women’s stuff” – not even non-embarrassing things – in his supermarket trolley, in case persons unknown thought he was shopping for himself. Clearly times have changed.
Kantar Worldpanel interviewed 5,300 male consumers in China, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia and Thailand for this survey.
Their findings indicate that metrosexuals are on the march, fearlessly slathering themselves in potions to look and smell more alluring. Well that’s what you might think, but it’s not necessarily the case. It seems your average Asian bloke arms himself with male grooming products for a variety of reasons.
Bad breath and dandruff
Men are concerned about their looks but they worry about different things in different places.
Bad breath is an issue for high-income Chinese men, as well as male consumers in Indonesia and Vietnam. That would suggest the rest don’t care, which is odd. Almost half of low-income Chinese men and the same number of Filipinos agonise over acne. Many north Asian men worry about being too sweaty, but so they should, since 80 per cent of them don’t wear deodorant. Half of Asian men claim to be worried about having dandruff, but for all that, they don’t do much about it. Only 70 per cent of sufferers invest in anti-dandruff shampoo.
