It's a guy thing: grooming for the modern man

the concept of sophisticated male skin care was restricted to a well-groomed few. How times have changed. "The male consumer on average spends 30 per cent more on grooming today than he did 10 years ago," says Sharon Codner, regional spa director at The Peninsula Hong Kong.

"Celebrities such as David Beckham, George Clooney and actor James Franco, who recently modelled in campaigns for Gucci, have helped inspire men and helped make male grooming one of the most rapidly growing markets in the cosmetics sector," Codner says.

"Men have become very savvy in their skin care and the results they want to see from both homecare and professional facial treatments," says Karen Alekisch, spa director at the Mandarin Oriental.

"The message that prevention is easier than reversal works for all skin types. Men understand that this is not a gender-isolated issue."

According to Codner, men in their mid-thirties generally spend more than other age groups on products and, in particular, on spa treatments. This is a trend that's particularly strong in Hong Kong, notes Codner, stating that male guests make up 40 per cent of The Peninsula's spa clientele. That percentage is even higher on the mainland and in Japan, she says.

Anna Treier, founder of Sense of Touch, says that while massages, facials, waxing and manicures are now the norm for men, more invasive aesthetic procedures like Botox, fillers and laser treatments are also becoming popular as male consumers look beyond grooming maintenance to anti-ageing and firming investment.