Unlocking men’s market potential
What do men really want? That’s the question retailers and men’s grooming brands are grappling with as they prepare for fresh planograms for 2024.
With the return to offices and social activities combined with more interest in self-care, the U.S. men’s personal care market expanded by 10.7% in 2022 (versus 2021) to hit $5.5 billion, according to Mintel.
Growth aside, the category remains underserved, according to Marie Driscoll, managing director of beauty and luxury for Coresight Research.
The challenge is understanding how to address men, especially since Coresight Research reveals males have different shopping habits than women. “Nearly one-third of male beauty shoppers are not using traditional channels for product discovery,” she said.
[Read more: Men’s grooming: Is the men’s personal care category expecting a bounce this year?]
Unlike women, men are less likely, for example, to ask advice from friends, family or even professionals. They are influenced most closely by female counterparts when it comes to television, which suggests a good avenue to reach men.
Coresight’s research also pinpoints that the mass market has an edge when it comes to men that can be further developed. “As many men have just started exploring the beauty and cosmetics market, they have a greater need to be understood than their female counterparts; however, a sense of luxury is less important to men compared to women,” Driscoll said.
Retailers realize men are an important component in their business. Now, retailers and brands are courting them with personalized products, special shops within their stores, celebrity-backed lines and a balance of legacy and emerging brands. Retailers are searching for how to merchandise best for males. Some create man caves while others integrate men into a general market shelf set.
[Read more: Back-to-office means men’s grooming bonanza]
The biggest questions retailers face is how to balance legacy brands and newcomers and where to merchandise men’s products to get the biggest punch.
“There are a lot more products for men,” said Heather Hughes, Walgreens’ group vice president of beauty, personal care and seasonal. “There is a premiumization happening as men discover beauty. There is a blend of making sure there are products for him while keeping in mind that 80% of shoppers entering the door are female—but they might be shopping for him.”
Creighton Kiper, merchandising vice president of beauty at Walmart, realized how big of an opportunity men represent after he took on the beauty category. Males in meetings frequently asked him what he had in the pipeline for them.
“They especially had questions about skin care, cleansing or acne,” he said. Kiper said Walmart said the chain has recently launched new men’s items and has several in the works, especially in skin care. “There's more to come for men and I'm really excited about it.”
CVS goes big in men, especially in its BeautyIRL doors. Signs alert shoppers to the men’s aisles and end caps tout brands like Cremo (complete with a red and white barber sign) and Would, a Barstool Brand sold exclusively at CVS. The range includes hair, face, body and beard care.
Target also continues to test and fine-tune its men’s shop within shops with a clearly defined men’s area. The retailer has a proprietary brand called Goodfellow & Co., as well as several trending brands such as Duke Cannon, Scotch Porter, Harry's, Method Man and Every Man Jack.
Products that Speak to Males
Products for men were ubiquitous at the Cosmoprof North America exhibition in Las Vegas in July. Several brands showed off products designed with men in mind. Although there has been a growing demand for non-gender specific lines, Emilio Smeke, chief executive officer of Daily Concepts, said it was important in his category to have packaging that stood out for men.
Daily Concepts After Spa collection, which includes products like exfoliating gloves, washcloths, poufs and scrubbers are color-coded in a dark green package to help men easily find them on shelves.
“We also have a QR code on products that link to all the different products with videos to show how to use the products,” Smeke said, explaining that helps men who don’t always ask for help know what to buy.
Voesh, a brand known for its spa-at-home products, just launched a men’s version of its moisturizing heel socks to accommodate the size needs of men, said Kim Banchs, senior sales director for Voesh.
Men represent fertile growth opportunities for Okay Pure Naturals, said Chris Lopez, marketing director for the brand. Okay’s men’s range includes everything from muscle and foot soaks to multi-purpose combination products.
“They think like a man,” said Lopez. “The products combine steps to save time and money,” he said, singling out items such as the Okay’s All-Natural Face & Body Wash and the Body Wash & Shampoo and the Growth Oil for Hair & Beard. “These products are currently performing the best in the squeezed marketplace of men's grooming. They provide retailers with maximum product velocity, even on limited shelf space.”
To make it easier to find what they need in a sea of products, Okay is putting effort into packaging and marketing messages that will help its products pop on shelves, Lopez said.
Allan Lever, owner, founder and CEO of Look Beauty, offers Bandito by Masque Bar (sold in Target’s Men’s Zone department). “We have specific men’s SKUs based on our Korean beauty heritage, but tailored to men,” said Lever. A recent addition to the line is the Men’s Exfoliating Foot Mask, which is larger than the core SKUs. “We had complaints that the sizes were too small for men’s feet,” Lever said.
Men are also tip-toeing into skin care. “Our under-eye treatments are booming. We have a men’s version we call “Pack Your Bags,” which are in black packages rather than our traditional white. They are for reducing bags under your eyes.”
Target just announced a hair and skin care line created by Houston White, a barber turned beauty entrepreneur. There are 11 products in the range, including shampoo, deep conditioner, three-in-one body, scalp and hair scrubs. There are also pomades since White was known for her pomades.
Duke Cannon Supply Co. put its stakes in the ground as firmly positioned for men right from its inception. Featured at chains such as g Target, Walgreens and CVS, Duke Cannon is a one-stop brand for men’s needs with shave, bath and body, deodorant and hair care with “manly” names such as Big Ass Brick of Soap and Thick body wash.
According to Devin O’Brien, vice president of marketing, one of its secret weapons is the popularity of its scents, such as Midnight Swim and Bay Rum. “You can find the same scent across all of our products,” he said, noting that makes it easy for men to shop. The company recently announced reformulated antiperspirants and deodorants that aim to meet the “demand of hardworking men,” he explained. Duke Cannon is the official grooming partner of the annual Army/Navy football game, and a portion of every purchase goes to support U.S. veterans
Men look for grooming tools curated for their special needs, and that’s helped propel sales of Wahl’s Manscaper. In fact, to leverage the strength of the name, Steven Yde, division vice president for the Wahl Clipper Corp., said the company has carved Manscaper out as a sub-brand with plenty of runway for new product innovations.
Wahl is pumping millions of dollars into a campaign to draw attention to the Manscaper collection, incorporating influencers across all social channels. Yde said Wahl’s recent upgrade addresses every consumer's grooming needs.
With the influx of new items, shelves are increasingly more challenging to navigate. Another “male-focused” brand, Just For Men, uses technology, according to Stuart Hendrickson, senior marketing director for men’s care at Combe, the parent of Just for Men. The market leader in men's hair color offers an AI-powered virtual try-on virtual tool so men can "pre-shop" for easy selection in stores.
18.21 Man Made just introduced a scent designed with men’s preferences in mind, inspired by the heritage of Route 66. “Our Beard, Hair and Skin Oil is a professional-grade, premium oil blend that locks in healthy hydration for weightless, conditioning strength in skin and strands,” said Aston LaFon, president and cofounder of the brand. He sees a fertile future for the category as men take control of their grooming routines.
“I’d love to see more dialogue around men being more preventive with their hair, scalp and skin care routines. I think many of us wait until we’re bald and go, ‘what should we get for baldness?’ versus using a product like elixir 13 (from 18.21 Man Made) as a preventative to promote healthy hair and scalp and target the main cause of hair loss when you are young.”
Value Drives Men’s Decisions
Quality products at accessible prices are important to men, according to Coresight Research. Garcoa teams up with retailers to deliver quality options to national brands. The company's portfolio hits on many key points for men, from personalization to products that help men look and feel their best.
The assortment includes a Daily Results Beard Shampoo, Daily Results Aftershave Balm, Daily Results Transparent Shaving Gel and Daily Results Beard Conditioner. Each is on par with premium products such as those sold by Barbary Brothers.
Celebrities Are Marketing to Males
Famous faces such as John Legend, Harry Styles, Machine Gun Kelly, Brad Pitt, Travis Barker and Pharrell are behind launches that are targeted directly to men or with a unisex positioning.
John Legend’s Loved01, sold in CVS and Walmart, is credited with bringing men into mass doors. The brand resonated with Andrea Harrison, vice president, merchandising beauty at CVS, because of its positioning for melanin-rich skin. Legend created the brand in partnership with Dr. Naana Boakye.
“With Loved01, we were intrigued with the formulation because it was created with skin with more melanin in mind. We felt it was speaking to a consumer who might not feel seen. Personalization at the shelf is about feeling more reflected. The customer is looking for new and we want to be where the customer is,” said Harrison. Legend even made an appearance in a store in Los Angeles posing as a CVS employee for social media content.
Harry Styles is revving up his Pleasing line, which debuted with a nail polish collection. Recently the company tapped Shaun Kearney as its first CEO. He is tasked with taking Pleasing into its next chapter. Kearney was most recently chief design and merchandising officer at Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop brand.
Sustainability Gains in Importance
Men, especially Gen Z, seek brands with conscious ingredients and packaging. Edgewell Personal Care Co. just released its fiscal 2022 Sustainability Report, which spotlights gains the company made over the past year. Edgewell has a goal to make 100% of its plastic packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable and to use recycled and/or certified responsible sourced fiber for fiber packaging.
Those efforts are reflected in the company’s Jack Black range. For example, the Brightening Booster Vitamin C Serum is made with ingredients like sustainably farmed green microalgae, which helps protect against the damaging effects of blue light, and black myrobalan, a tree native to South Asia whose fruits contain powerful antioxidants.
Launched in 2022, Edgwell’s Fieldtrip is a Gen Z-focused, gender-inclusive skin care brand formulated with nature-found ingredients from around the world.
TikTok Made Them Buy It
Men haven’t been as influenced by social media as women, but that could be changing. Men are tuning into Get Ready With Me videos by male content providers. There is also an uptick in men watching videos under the hashtags #mensskincareroutine (37.8 million views), #mensmakeup (386 million views), #boymakeup (263 million views) and #guyliner (80 million views).