With the fashion for facial hair still going strong, new research from Mintel reveals that the love of the beard is hampering sales of men’s facial skincare. Sales of men’s facial skincare products (including moisturisers, cleansers, masks, specialised products such as lip balms, eye care) increased just 1.3% in 2015, following a market increase of 13% in 2013 and 8% in 2014.
According to the Men’s Facial Skincare UK 2016 report , a savvy shopping mentality has impacted sales of ‘mass market’ beauty and personal care products, resulting in a decline of -0.3% in 2015. Indeed, today as many as 42% of men say they take advantage of a discount when shopping for beauty and personal care products.
But it isn’t just savvy shopping which is hampering growth, as reluctant older male skincare users have had a negative impact on sales. Indeed, while as many as 60% of 16-24 year old males use a moisturiser this declines to 41% of 45-64 year olds and just 29% of males aged over 65.
What’s more, although moisturiser (49%) is the second most commonly used male facial skincare product after soap (84%) the trend for facial hair has resulted in fewer experiences of dry skin caused by shaving. Indeed, moisturiser sales continue to be challenged by the fact that men have less visible skin to moisturise and are shaving less often, with post-shave being a key usage opportunity.
Overall, when looking at usage across the facial skincare category, one third (35%) of men use lip balm, while slightly fewer (33%) use a facial cleanser. Meanwhile, …
