Generally, makeup is marketed exclusively to women. Women wear foundation, concealer, eyeliner, eye shadows; they straighten and blow dry their hair; and they are usually the one with the five different shampoos and conditioners in the shower. But what if women aren’t the only ones using these products? What if the boys are sneaking around the bathroom covering their morning circles with their girlfriend’s concealer, or freshening with up a creamy foundation?
An article in Daily Mail reported men’s secret “female” habits. One out of 10 British men admitted borrowing a couple drops of their girl’s foundation or concealer, and one in ten men surveyed confessed to using hair removal cream or wax. What’s more, seven percent used a hair straighter and one-third of the men surveyed said they’d used their partners’ nail and hair products. That doesn’t even cover fake tans, eyeliner or mascara use.
This may be men’s silent way of asking for beauty products of their own. Why are women the only one to use makeup (besides news anchors and actors)? Men get dark circles, blemishes and bad hair days, too. Are men’s beauty products an uptapped market? The demand and usage may not be as high as women’s, but it appears there is not only potential but a need for men’s beauty products.
In fact, Business Week reported an increase in Japanese cosmetic sales, as more Asian men are buying male beauty products. According to trade ministry data, men’s skin care products experienced a 17-percent increase (to 17.6 billion yen) in 2008, while an industry wide decrease of 0.2 percent (to 1.51 trillion yen) was experienced. Euromonitor predicts global sales of men’s grooming products will see a 12-percent increase (to $29.3 billion) between 2008 and 2013.