UK men are grooming it for themselves

Two thirds of British males claim to use men’s grooming products because it makes them feel good, gives them greater confidence and will help them get ahead in life, and not as a way of being more attractive to the opposite sex, according to new research by market researcher SPA Future Thinking.

The survey of 1,000 UK men, conducted this summer, also found that the metrosexual man has grown up: 51 per cent of men who regularly use grooming products are married or living with a partner.

Change in the market​

Will Ullstein, research director at SPA Future Thinking, who headed up the study, said: “Our research shows the metrosexual has grown up. Today, he’s doing it for himself – not for the girls.”​

Ullstein believes this is reflected in the way men’s grooming products are now marketed, as there has been a shift from using Hollywood glamour to advertise and endorse these products.

“It’s a move away from the overt, showy and glamorous grooming of the metrosexual era, to buying and using these products for oneself because they have almost become a practical necessity for self-assurance,”​ he said.

“In fact, our research shows the majority of men claim grooming makes them feel good about themselves and gives them greater confidence. “​

Some surprise results​

There were some surprising claims cropping up in the study as, in terms of products used, more than 40 per cent of men claimed to have used body lotion, hand cream or moisturiser.

The research also found that one in five men do not use deodorant or body spray. However shampoo and shower gel did register as the most used products (79 and 71 per cent respectively), although only 70 per cent of shower gel users claim to use it every day.

This was followed by 62 per cent who claimed to use after shave or cologne, and just over half who claimed to use soap, with 88 per cent of men who use soap doing so daily.

Perhaps quite alarmingly, given all the health risks and fears surrounding UV damage and skin cancer, almost one in five men said they never use sun cream.