BHUBANESWAR: The trade in male grooming segment has witnessed a quantum leap in the last few years.If the latest study by apex industry body Assocham is to be believed, men in the age group of 25 to 45 years are spending more money on grooming and personal care products than women in the country.
The study revealed that looking good and spending time before mirror are no longer the domain of women and men are paying up to look good. The rising aspiration among men to look better groomed, rapid urbanisation and increasing per capita income have led to the male grooming market’s rapid growth of more than 45 per cent in the last five years.
Assocham Secretary General DS Rawat said since the trade is growing at compound annual growth rate of about 45 per cent, the current male grooming industry of `16,800 crore is expected to touch `35,000 crore in next three years.“It may be christened as an evolving trend in the country with men preparing to look innovative and well-groomed. In order to give them an impetus, personal care products are being specifically developed for them,” Rawat said.
The study estimated that more than 40 per cent of total salon business comes from men’s treatment and they are now spending a handsome part of their income for grooming sessions in spas and salons. Skin lightening and hair colour products are among the most popular along with shaving products which is expected to grow at 29 per cent.
Surprisingly, men in smaller towns are displaying greater desire for grooming, especially in the whitening and fairness segment. There has been a sharp rise in demand of cosmetics due to changing demographics and lifestyles, rising media exposure and wider availability.
An executive at a City-based men’s parlour Bikram Singh said gone are the days when a handful of soaps, deodorants and shaving products were available in the market and men were focusing on their look for the day of wedding. “Now-a-days there is a proliferation of male products in the segment. Air conditioning male parlours have replaced traditional barber shops and men are trying to look handsome everyday with hair and beard trimming, styling, colouring, shampooing, facial, manicure, pedicure and even massage,” Singh said.