This article was originally published in the Male Grooming Trend Report. Receive your copy here
Primed and ready to boom: male grooming has been a market led by promise.
From manscara to menicures, the segment has enjoyed a series of headline-grabbing trends as well as significant shifts in both usage and acceptance of beauty and skin care among men.
But the reality is that the category has never been an easy one for brands to crack.
While this may remain the case, as many male consumers remain reluctant to try products and expand their repertoire, a shift is definitely happening with more men, particularly the younger Gen Z demographic, moving into the market.
With a global value of $61.3bn, the male grooming category registered healthy 6.4% estimated growth in 2024, according to Euromonitor International, and beauty retailers are certainly seeing increased demand.
UK retailer Boots registered a 14% increase in men shopping for beauty products in 2024 as more male consumers explore the category.
In the US, YouGov data reveals that men aged 18-34 were twice as likely to consider buying beauty products from Sephora in 2024 than they were in 2020.
Meanwhile, Amazon, which is now the top beauty and personal care retailer in the US, according to NielsenIQ, is also seeing rising numbers of male grooming shoppers, with brands reporting strong growth on this key channel.
Benefiting from the rise of the more engaged male shopper are three key categories: fragrance, deodorants and skin care
The reasons for this are multiple but social media has played a significant role, says Suzanne Scott, Global Associate Beauty Director of SEEN Group.
“TikTok in particular is having a huge influence not only on crafting routines but introducing male consumers to brands.
“Secondly, there is a larger story around cultural norms.
“While there is still a significant number of men who remain in the ‘for men’ category, buying (or being bought) multi-use products, there is a growing number who finally feel emboldened to care for and maintain their appearance, and share their thoughts and recommendations.
“This isn’t limited to skin care, but also includes make-up, fragrance, and hair care.
“Empowered by social content creators, more young men are confidently investing in their appearance and sharing their routines and recommendations with other men.”
And as younger men and the next generation come through – growing increasingly experimental with product use, and navigating contemporary and mixed interpretations of masculinity – the emphasis will be on brands to adapt to the demands of the changing male grooming consumer.
Johanna Augustin, beauty brand expert and CEO of Swedish creative agency Pond Design comments: “Male grooming is set to follow the female beauty boom.
“Look at Gen Alpha boys – just like girls, they want experiences beyond the traditional Adidas, Hugo Boss or footballer fragrance.
“They seek experiences, to share tips and tricks with friends and experiment on different levels.
“I see a huge opportunity for the men's category to become far more disruptive, vibrant, and non-traditional.”
Trend 1: Gen Z men are disrupting skin care
Much has been written about Gen Z’s obsession with skin care, but the rate at which young men are adopting the use of face products marks a radical change for an industry that has struggled with years of consumer hesitancy.
In 2024, 68% of Gen Z men in the US aged 18-27 used facial skin care, up from 42% in 2022, according to Mintel, representing an increase of over 25% in just two years.
This trend reveals the insights behind the data and what this means for brands: how this demographic is increasingly open-minded and discerning about skin care, and crucially, is experimenting and engaging with different kinds of brands.
Trend 2: Amazon's domination
Male shoppers are now spending the majority of their beauty budgets on Amazon.
Research from e-commerce and marketing agency Front Row found that in the US, men are spending four times’ more of their skin care and grooming budgets at Amazon (54%) compared to speciality beauty retailer stores such as Sephora (14%).
They have also come flocking for fragrance: men’s fragrance grew by 19% year-on-year on Amazon between 2023 and 2024 and is outpacing both women’s fragrance (+15%) and the fragrance category as a whole (+14%).
Front Row’s Director of Insights Emily Safian-Demers says that with more and more men both incorporating skin care into their daily routines, and purchasing fragrance, brands that overlook or ignore male consumers on Amazon “risk losing out on significant growth opportunities.”
Here, Cosmetics Business explores what Amazon is getting so right.
Trend 3: Bundles, kits and sets
No doubt about it, male grooming can be a tough market for brands.
It takes more investment and education from brands to engage men into the beauty and skin care category than it does women, say industry experts, but there is one strategy that men’s brands are increasingly adopting to address these challenges.
Bundles, kits and sets have proven to be a tried-and-tested way of attracting gift-seeking customers for years, particularly during key seasonal and holiday periods such as Christmas and Father’s Day.
But men’s grooming brands have grown savvy to the benefits of bringing kits into their year-round offer, and are reaping rewards as a result.
Trend 4: Evolving masculinity
Mike Tyson's new role as the face of male grooming brand Dr. Squatch, makes the boxing legend the latest in a line of tough guys to spread the message that men can embrace self care, and with it, their ‘sensitive’ side.
While the Dr. Squatch campaign is comedic, it reflects how the wider cultural conversation around masculinity has changed, and how male grooming brands continue to play a role in that today.
Yet an increasingly complex picture is emerging where a mix of 'progressive' and 'traditional' ideals of masculinity are coexisting in the contemporary conversation.
This trend explores how male grooming brands can navigate evolving interpretations of masculinity.
Trend 5: Fine fragrance-led deodorants
Whether it’s the bright, fresh scent of Italian bergamot, neroli blossom and fresh vetiver, or the energising, fruity blend of cherry, red apple and amber: these are fragrance profiles that you would imagine finding in perfume, rather than in men’s deodorants.
Yet specialist brands such as Salt + Stone, Native, AKT, Cremo and Each & Every are repositioning deodorant as a fine fragrance essential, in a trend that moves the category on from traditional men’s products, where scent would be limited to single word descriptions such as ‘fresh’ or ‘cool’, and the promise of a ‘masculine scent’.
The personal care space has seen the elevation of everyday essentials to more sensorial, ritual- based self care rituals, from body sprays to cleansers.
And in deodorants and antiperspirants, this is working particularly well as a way to win male shoppers and encourage them to trade up to more premium products.