Cosmetics are an integral part of our lives and traditionally that of women. But...what is a cosmetic product? It is simply a mixture of products intended to be put on people's skin, hair, nails or beard in order to change their appearance, to accept them and to take care of them. However, nowadays we are seeing the emergence of brands that specialize exclusively in male cosmetics, such as Horace, a French company, or other major brands that offer a range of products for this target group as Nivea.
Why this change?
The cosmetics market
Traditionally, the cosmetics market represents a large share of revenue for companies of this sector. In 2020, for example, the global cosmetics market generated more than 55 billion euros in revenue, a figure that is constantly increasing.
The male market in terms of cosmetics has always been present even if it has never been very developed and exploited. Indeed, it is not uncommon to see perfumes for men, for example. However, in these kinds of products one always find the image of the virile man, depicted as a superman. The last few years have shown the problem of this kind of stereotypical vision of men, especially as some people do not recognize themselves in this image transmitted by the advertisements. Products for men were mostly "accessories" to assert charisma rather than a care objective.
The companies in this market then looked into the question and tried to respond to an increasingly important and diversified demand: that of care rather than that of virility.
Mentalities are changing
Traditionally (from a European point of view at least) the cosmetics market was reserved for women and their femininity. Most people associated (and often continue to associate) the terms cosmetics, make-up and fragility. Thus a man who used cosmetics was automatically seen as effeminate and "non-conforming" to the vision of Man. Unfortunately today this vision still persists, making cosmetics a taboo subject for some men (and women).
However, Asian cultures are more developed in this respect as men have been taking care of themselves for decades (to say the least), with self-image being very important in their culture. It is not strange for a man to use skincare, make-up or creams to take care of himself. For example, South Korea is known worldwide (especially in recent years) for its high quality cosmetics and boy bands. These artists openly declare that they take care of themselves and like it and are often the brand ambassadors of cosmetic products from Korean brands such as VT, which is very popular in Europe and the rest of the world these days.
Nowadays it is possible to see an open-mindedness that allows a progressive dissociation of the image of the manly man who does not need "women's" cosmetics. Thus, young adults are more and more interested in products that take care of their skin, hair and beard.
The interest of the male market
Therefore, even if some people still have a long way to go to accept that cosmetic products are not "only for women" and thus lift this taboo, the new developments in terms of male cosmetics show promising results and figures regarding the future of this new segment in the cosmetics market.
This is mainly due to the drive of cosmetic companies to include everyone and therefore to propose advertisements where each individual can recognize himself, as well as to propose products that respond to all types of skin, hair and beard.
In this way it can be seen that the male market offers new opportunities and it will be interesting to see how brands and new companies will adapt to the ever increasing demand of individuals while respecting both the consumer and the environment. To go further, if these changes in mentality will not also concern other sectors traditionally "reserved" for women that companies could exploit.
Victoria S.
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References
2021. [online] Available at: <https://fr.fashionnetwork.com/news/La-cosmetique-masculine-en-france-un-marche-aux-mille-et-une-nuances,1071382.html>
Etudes-et-analyses.com. 2021. Le marché des cosmétiques pour homme - blog Etudes-et-analyses.com. [online] Available at: <https://www.etudes-et-analyses.com/blog/decryptage-economique/marche-cosmetiques-homme-08-02-2021.html>
Google.com. 2021. horace cosmétique pub - Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=horace+cosm%C3%A9tique+pub&rlz=1C5CHFA_enFR883FR883&sxsrf=AOaemvLS7lqFBir4hwwaaUOpc5jlNJauKA:1638120585697&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiU9O_cyrv0AhURzoUKHQ2kCFcQ_AUoAnoECAEQBA&biw=1210&bih=798&dpr=2#imgrc=0qDVzpnpgCYfoM>
Google.com. 2021. horace cosmétique pub - Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=horace+cosm%C3%A9tique+pub&rlz=1C5CHFA_enFR883FR883&sxsrf=AOaemvLS7lqFBir4hwwaaUOpc5jlNJauKA:1638120585697&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiU9O_cyrv0AhURzoUKHQ2kCFcQ_AUoAnoECAEQBA&biw=1210&bih=798&dpr=2#imgrc=Hq4yTul3f3K75M (Horace)>
Kpopherald.koreaherald.com. 2021. 5 major boy bands spreading K-beauty overseas. [online] Available at: <http://kpopherald.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=201810241051009023552_2>
Nast, C., 2021. Beloved K-Pop Group BTS Told Us Their Ultimate Skin-Care Secrets. [online] Allure. Available at: <https://www.allure.com/story/k-pop-group-bts-beauty-secrets-interview>
Sauvons Notre Peau. 2021. Qu'est ce qu'un produit cosmétique ?. [online] Available at: <https://sauvonsnotrepeau.fr/definition-liste-officielle-produit-cosmetique/>
Semrush Blog. 2021. [Rank me if you can] Etude : le marché du cosmétique en 2020. [online] Available at: <https://fr.semrush.com/blog/rank-me-if-you-can-etude-le-marche-du-cosmetique-en-2020/?kw=&cmp=FR_SRCH_DSA_Blog_Core_BU_FR&label=dsa_pagefeed&Network=g&Device=c&utm_content=515715306663&kwid=dsa-1100352002044&cmpid=11849486850&agpid=1131568485
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In Asia, the fashion trend is changing as you mentioned that men started to purchase skin-care products and make-up themselves. Do you think this is due to the developed freedom of personal choice, or a well applied marketing strategy for a niche market? Thanks. (Jing CHEN)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Personally I think society and the world are changing. Even if marketing plays a role in the "trends" of the moment, in my opinion it is not everything. People are becoming more assertive in their choices and I think they are more open minded about what may or may not be good for them (both in terms of cosmetics and ethics).
DeleteSo I think people are asserting their different beliefs and therefore there is more freedom of choice than before and marketing is a tool that accompanies and spreads that freedom.
I loved your article ;) Do you think that the fact that more and more male personalities as artist, model or even influencers are advocating a skincare routine is influencing the market?
ReplyDeleteAnaïs A.
DeleteThank you for your reaction!
DeleteIndeed, I think that celebrities in general are a way for people to identify themselves. So, through collaborations (or not) with big cosmetic brands it is easier for them to reach the target market. So I agree that celebrities influence the cosmetics market ^^.
I've been very interested in Horace products and other male skin care products recently. Personally I bought several male cosmetic products for the first time ever in France.
ReplyDeleteI have seldom seen products specialized for men when I was in Japan despite the fact that the K-pop artists make an influence today. In my opinion, its market size is getting bigger all over the world but growing speed in Europe is much faster because there have been so many ads of male cosmetic products on SNS in my daily life since I arrived in France and that's a fact that the investment for the ads is worth continuous growth.
I love your article, thanks.
AKira N.
Thanks for your comment!
DeleteI agree with you that the spread of male cosmetics is recent and important in Europe today. Personally I hope that this open-mindedness of men's (and women's) minds to skincare products will continue. It is a health thing.
Hello Victoria ! I really enjoyed reading your article. I know that Asian’s citizens (East Asia countries) really care about their image and appearance, giving a lot of attention of what people say and think about them. Do you think that it is an asset for Asian countries to increase the sale of male cosmetics products?
ReplyDeleteESSALHI Iman
Thanks for your comment!
DeleteIn general I think it is a good thing to sell products that are good for health (skin, hair, etc) to everyone: it's inclusion. As for the financial point of view and the cosmetic brands, I think it is in their interest to consider this market (not really developed until now).