WOMEN ARE NO longer alone in being bombarded with the latest in cosmetic products. Skincare companies are scrambling to tap into a fast-growing consumer segment - men - and their significant spending power.
An ACNielsen report this year, What's Hot Around the Globe: Insights on Growth in Personal Care, identified almost double the growth rate for men in sales of deodorant as for women.
Why the sudden growth? Companies are now making products and treatments aimed specifically at men, spoiling the male consumer with choice - whereas in the past, he'd have to pick through the women's section for anything more than the basics.
'We found that men were using their partner's products,' says Connie Lai, assistant manager of Institut Clarins. 'Although effective, these aren't quite right for their needs. For example, male skin tends to have a thicker epidermis, so certain firming products weren't having the full effect. We developed the ClarinsMen line to ensure that our clients were getting the most appropriate care we could offer them.'
Companies that now offer men's products have also adapted their marketing strategies: packaging is simpler, with clean lines, in mainly greys or blues; product names are self-explanatory or masculine, such as Clinique's 'Scruffing Lotion' or Kiehl's 'Multi Purpose Facial Formula for Men'; and scents are either mild, citrus or removed altogether.
Men are more likely to look for time-saving solutions that offer more than one benefit or don't require a complicated application. For example, Clinique offers a three-step programme. Rather than a cleanser that has to be applied with cotton wool, it markets facial soap that offers the same benefits but is used in the same way as a regular bar of soap. Products also have been tailored to men's daily routines. Much of the focus is on shaving, for instance: lotions, scrubs and moisturisers. The lotions not only lubricate, but soften and prevent razor burn.