Male grooming industry has come a long way in the past few years. From being a non-entity to multi-billion-dollar market, male grooming is gaining worldwide acceptance and modern men are engaging in one or another form of grooming regimes. Men and grooming were considered exclusive in the past but with the rise of the metrosexual men words such as body care, skin care, grooming and hair care are new additions to the vocabulary of men. 

Today, even a men’s salon in small town offers four-page menu consisting of options from hair spa to hair colors and highlights. It was a thing of the past when they were no fairness creams or skincare products for men, and they were forced to use products made specifically for women. Skin is the largest organ of the body and looking good is no longer the territory of women, today, male grooming products are occupying more shelf space in outlets on account of high demand.

Countries such as South Korea and Japan are already defying old standards and defining new beauty trends with exfoliation, hydration, or masks. It was in 2005, when Emami was the first company to launch a fairness cream, Fair and Handsome, created exclusively for men in India. From that date, men grooming market has gained a lot of attention and is flourishing at an unprecedent rate. Also, there is a transition in the business and marketing approach of the products sold by male grooming majors. As the traditional definition of masculinity is changing so is branding, brands are focusing more on highlighting self-care and converging masculine and feminine ideals away from the toxic masculinity.

With rising awareness about the impact of unfriendly environmental conditions such as pollution and sun rays on the skin, demand for skincare products in the country has been increasing. In 2011-12, Philips started operation in the electronic grooming market i.e. shavers and trimmers after realizing the growing inclination of youngster towards growing facial hairs. Since, then Indian trimmer and shaver market has grown from over USD 1886 million in 2018 and is anticipated to reach USD 4311 million by 2026. 

 

According to TechSci Research report, “India Men’s Grooming Products Market, By Product Type (Fragrance, Shaving, Skincare, Haircare and Moustache & Beard Grooming), By Sales Channel (Supermarket/ Hypermarket, Grocery/Retail Store, Online, etc.), Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2012 – 2022, the India men’s grooming products market established a growth of 1.4billion USD in 2016 and is anticipated to grow at a cumulative annual growth rate of over 15% in the next years to come. With rising number of male consumers inclined toward satisfying the latest beauty standards and the increasing disposable income and the expanding younger working population are supporting the growth of the India men’s grooming products market in the forecast period. 

The Indian men grooming market was valued over $ 2 Billion in 2018 and has presence of some of the biggest players in the country such as Procter & Gamble (P&G), Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), among others. Online start-ups, such as Bombay shaving company, Beardo, Ustraa are aiming to make it big in the market and are launching products. Today, the men grooming market is thriving at a rapid pace with over 76 brands wooing men today, which is up from 18 in 2009. 

• Happilyunmarried.com was launched in 2015. The online e-commerce portal generated revenue of 10 crores in the first year of operation with products such as cologne soaps, beard growth oils, beard combs, among others. 

• Another startup, bombayshavingcompany.com started offering products through stores and big bazaar with 250 stores in Delhi and Mumbai only.

• Ustraa, competing in the same space sells products through e- commerce sites such as Flipkart and Amazon and stores.

 

• Men in this decade are going beyond hygiene, cologne, deodorants and opting for regular usage of products such as eye serums, face masks, facial cleansers as looking   good boosts the self-confidence of men.  

• Investments by the brands and advertisements by the influencers such as celebrities, actors, sportsmen are paving way for male grooming in India. Social media is   another factor that is focusing on the need of instant transformation among selfie generation, triggering the usage of male grooming products. Drastic increase in   the number of beauty bloggers is building awareness among men which is leading to conscious consumerism.

• Changing demographics and lifestyle is another factor that is influencing the grooming market. Plethora of options to choose from and deeper consumer pockets and   increasing awareness to look good are sharp indications of rising demand of cosmetics among males.

• Also, men have started spending more time and money in salons and spas for hair colour products and skin lightning creams, consequently, leading brands are launching   products personalized for the skin type of men. Increasing interest of men in personal care products are compelling brands to shift focus from unisex products to   gender specific offerings.

• Additionally, FMCG giants are betting on start-up in order to increase their share in the market. Like in 2018, Colgate purchased over 10% stakes in skin care  start-up, Bombay Shaving Company. Another major in the consumer domain, Emami bought stakes in The man company. 

• Increasing trend of pogonophiles and religious association of beards with various religions is attributing to the increasing demand for beard related offerings such   as beard wax, beard oil, among others. Consequently, several companies such as Beardo and Ustraa are launching and including products related to beard care in their    portfolio.

• There are companies such as Singh Styled targeting  communities such as Sikhs, offering beard and hair care products.

• Use of natural products is also gaining traction on account of increasing awareness pertaining to the benefits of natural grooming products. Natural products are   free from harmful ingredients such as heavy metals, phthalates, parabens, consequently, attributing to the growing popularity.

• Nowadays, consumers are aligning themselves with brand, whose ideologies they can related with. As a result, there is growing prevalence of vegan, organic, cruelty free and environmentally friendly products. 

According to another TechSci Research report “India Personal Grooming Market By Product Type (Hair Dryer, Hair Straightener, etc.), By End User (Individual Customer & Institutional Customer), By Distribution Channel (Online Retail, Institutional Sales, etc.), Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2026” India personal grooming market is anticipated to grow at robust CAGR during the forecast period. The market registered USD208.22 million in FY2020 and is expected to grow further over 20.97% in the upcoming five years. Anticipated growth in the market can be attributed to rising urbanization, increasing disposable income of middle class population, changing preferences of Indian consumers for professional products and growth of professional beauty & wellness market. Moreover, innovation in products offerings, enhanced shopping experience on e-commerce websites, increasing demand for professional products among consumers and innovative branding and marketing, promotional strategies are further expected to propel demand for personal grooming products in India over the next five years.

Gillette is the best a man could get, thanks to its shaving products. Other major brands operating in the country include Hindustan Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Dabur, L’Oreal, Nivea, DEPOT, among others. In 2018, the largest consumer products company in India, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), launched male grooming products in partnership with e-tailing partner Amazon for marketing male grooming products on web market place.  

• Perception of brand is a major challenge in the male grooming market as skincare and grooming giants catering to women face resistance in acceptance of their products created for men.

• Male grooming start-ups in the country lack funding from private equity firms and venture capitalists which is a challenge for their growth.

CONCLUSION  

When compared with female grooming and skin care market, male grooming is a niche/smaller market; however, the gap is projected to decrease in the upcoming years due to dropping taboos. 

Moreover, with the entry of major brands in male grooming market, Indian market is full of options as Indian men are more conscious and are indulging in self-care than ever before.