From face creams to foot baths, the male beauty market is experiencing a major boom as a growing number of men are saying no to ‘toxic masculinity’ and yes to more self-care love.
Due in part to shifting perceptions of conventional masculinity and with the low-maintenance masculine type no longer set as the standard, men are being encouraged to indulge in self-care. This has led the male beauty market to experience a major boom.
A report from the market insight company Statista suggests the global male grooming market will be worth around €105 billion by 2028, up from nearly €73 billion since 2022.
Education is a big part of this developing trend. Men are becoming more aware of the benefits of a good self-care routine – this is increasingly found with skincare – just take a casual look at the ads during any major sporting event. Men looking after themselves, albeit in a minimalist way, are all over the place.
From a marketing point of view, brands are contributing to this growth by developing ways to make their products more appealing to men. Usually by marketing their efficacy and sticking to more gender-neutral-looking packaging.
Men’s attitudes towards self-care and pampering saw an initial shift during the COVID-19 pandemic. While in lockdown, some indulged more in beauty products. Fashion and beauty website Glossy says working from home allowed men to experiment with skincare and cosmetics in ways they hadn’t before. Since confinement ended, men have continued to stick to their newfound self-care habits.
According to the market research company Grand View Research, skincare sales make up 45.6% of the global men’s grooming market – placing the sector ahead of the game – followed closely by hair-styling products. This is due to more men buying organic hair products, changing hair-styling trends and hair colourants becoming more popular.
Social media, in particular TikTok, seem to be the biggest influence behind the growing awareness of male self-care: #menskincare accounts for 704.7 million views and #mensgrooming has over 2.1 billion views on the app.
It doesn’t come as a surprise people are using various platforms to share tips and tricks on the best grooming techniques, as social media is a place where physical appearance is heavily highlighted.
According to @dermdoctor, a popular dermatologist who creates informative skincare content on TikTok, ” TikTok has created a wealth of beauty content, including tips and tutorials on skin care, hair care and grooming. The ease of access to this information has made it available to men for the first time.”
After seeing beauty content from male influencers on social media, an increasing number of men are getting a taste for trying out various cosmetics and are taking better care of the way they look, proving that cosmetics and pampering aren’t just reserved for women. A take of action that confronts ideas of “toxic masculinity”.
However, it isn’t just cosmetics that make up male self-care but also beauty outings. More men are feeling comfortable with indulging in manicures and pedicures.
Something Harry Styles might have influenced with the launch of his own non-gendered beauty brand “Pleasing” back in 2021. The brand features a line of nail, lip and skin care.
This new way of self-expression calls for a new sense of freedom.