Evonik offers new beard care range as male grooming remains in focus

Facial hair is increasingly in the spotlight when it comes to male grooming, with shaving and the razor category a hot point of competitivity following Unilever’s acquisition of razor subscription service the Dollar Shave Club​ and with beard care leading innovation.

Evonik’s latest launch comes as confirmation of the latter trend, tapping into the rise of the beard trend often attributed to the rise of the social subsect of hipsters​.

“Beards have become more acceptable in the workplace and in casual settings​,” Euromonitor International has said of the trend in Australia, noting that beard oils and moisturisers are likely to be the products leading any growth in the category.

Untapped potential ‘vast’​

Market commentators have noted that while in saturated, developed markets such as the UK and Australia, growth has slowed considerably in male grooming, there is still a large amount of white space for it to expand into globally.

“Men’s grooming is still comparatively low, at US$35.4 billion value in 2013, which suggests vast, unrealised potential in the category,” ​Euromonitor analysts have noted.

Indeed, Datamonitor Consumer recently revealed that African men are offering an exciting emerging consumer group for personal care.​

"African men are not shy about shopping for – and using – grooming products to improve their appearance​," Datamonitor Consumer​researcher Massiata Barro told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.

Evonik’s offering​

Evonik, apparently wise to the global nature of the opportunities posed by male grooming, has positioned this as a worldwide launch.

The formulations are touted as being specifically suited to beard hair, the company states. “Most of the shampoos and conditioners on the market for men are made for head hair and are not automatically suitable for beards. Facial hair is thicker and wirier than head hair,”​ Evonik explains.

“The experts at Evonik Personal Care targeted these consumer needs and created a selection of advanced formulation solutions for the next level of men care products focused on solutions for beard grooming.“​

The company is particularly plugging its In-One concept, which combines the benefits of shampoo, beard grooming and shower oil, tapping into a demand from male consumers for multifunctionatlity relevant to their needs.