Men spend more on personal care than women

Team L&M

Can you believe, it’s not women but Indian men who are spending more on grooming and personal care products! Yes, you read it right. Gone are the days when just a cream and an oil (any brand) would suffice for men. Today, men not only want specific grooming products but also the brand they like. Thanks to the increasing per capita income, men now won’t take anything that is given to them. They prefer picking and choosing what they want, themselves. No more passive accepting by them; be it shampoo, soap, hair oil, shaving cream or a deodorant.

These are the findings of a study done by ASSOCHAM. Indian men’s grooming market has seen a growth of more than 45 per cent in the last five years, says its report. And that the male grooming industry, currently at Rs 16,800 crore, is expected to touch Rs 35,000 crore in the next three years.

So, more and more Indian men are aspiring to look better groomed. And, in fact, men who fall in the age group of 25 to 45 spend more money on grooming and personal care products than women. Yes, you read it right; men are buying more than women.

And if you compare cities and small town, it is smaller towns that take the lead — men in smaller towns display greater desire for grooming, as compared to their counter parts in cities, especially in the whitening and fairness segment. You can blame it on filmstars —- Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham, Arjun Rampal… the list is increasing. And the industry is booming!

It’s an evolving trend in India; men are beginning to look at innovative grooming and personal care products created specifically for them. This has also resulted in a sharp increase in number of beauty salons and spas in the country. It is estimated that about 40-45% of total salon business come from men’s treatment, adds the paper.

The ASSOCHAM study also says that there has been sharp increase in number of beauty salons and spas in the country and salons get an estimated 40-45% of their total business from men’s treatment.

The result is the companies that traditionally produced female cosmetics are introducing new product lines for men to grab the market. These products range from facial cleansers and face creams to razors and shaving gels, specifically meant for men with sensitive or oily skin, unheard of till some years back. In addition, companies are also bundling perfumes and deodorants, with supplementary benefits such as anti-perspiring and whitening properties, to drive product adoption across the country.