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Guys without a skincare routine are no longer typical.
Today, 52% of U.S men report using skincare products, according to market research firm Mintel. That’s up from 31% who said the same just two years ago.
Around three in four American women, for comparison, use skincare products.
“Our research shows a growing market for male skincare products as younger men are willing to invest in higher-end products, specifically those touting clean ingredients,” Carson Kitzmiller, a senior analyst at Mintel, said in a statement.
The trend of men getting into skincare has been building for years. Long-standing publications aimed at a male audience, such as Esquire and GQ, post articles on skincare routines and brand recommendations. In March, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson debuted his own skincare line, Papatui.
Earlier this year, L’Oréal skincare brand CeraVe ran its first-ever Super Bowl spot. The campaign featured male actor Michael Cera.
“Men are [a] great growth opportunity and one of the secrets behind the success of dermatological beauty,” Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oréal, said during a June conference hosted by Deutsche Bank. “This is the most unisex category of products. It’s very gender-neutral: packaging, formulas, no fragrance.”
‘Men have distinct skincare needs’
Marketers looking to take advantage of this shift in culture should pause before putting some skin in the game.
“If this is a newer audience for your brand, you will have to do more than plug-and-play your current messaging strategy into content refreshed with male pronouns and images of men,” said Amanda Aldinger, CEO of Antonym, an independent copywriting and verbal identity studio whose clients include beauty brands Cécred, La Mer and Josie Maran.
“Although the beauty industry refreshingly continues evolving beyond the gender binary, men have distinct skincare needs—physiologically and emotionally,” Aldinger added.
Marketers aiming to enter this space will need clear messaging that accounts for nuances in tonality, psychographics, education gaps and cultural influences, among other factors, she noted.