| Men’s
hair care: virile growth
-
18 Jun 2004
Author: Claire Briney
Global
men's hair care sales continue to surge forward in 2003, valued
at US$2.4 billion, up 4% versus 2002. Men’s hair care
exemplifies the way in which men’s grooming products
are increasingly influenced by factors such as media exposure.
In
Japan, for example, hard-setting hair wax and the newly developed
hair gum format benefited from the elaborate hairstyles worn
by young men imitating celebrities such as pop stars. The
football World Cup, held in Japan and South Korea in 2002,
also left its mark, with products encouraging many young men
to go for the "Beckham" look.
Making
headlines
Demographic
factors such as the rising number of single-occupancy households,
as consumers delay committing to marriage and children, have
led to a growing number of men doing their own shopping, with
more disposable income to spend on themselves.
Moreover,
the range of magazines targeting fashion-conscious young men,
including GQ, Maxim, Stuff, Men’s Health and the Japanese
BiDan (Beautiful Man), has expanded significantly, stimulating
interest in male-specific hair care both through features
on men’s grooming and via high-profile advertisements.
Manufacturers
such as Mandom, L’Oréal and Shiseido have, therefore,
been increasingly inclined to invest in the development of
products aimed specifically at men. Product innovation strategies
have increased in intensity, and new product developments
through 2003 spurred growth in the sector in a number of major
markets, like the US, Germany and Japan, despite unfavourable
economic conditions.
Big
in Japan…for now
Japan
scoops almost half of the global sales of men’s hair
products, although having declined since 2001 to stand at
US$1.15bn last year, this market is clearly showing signs
of maturity in addition to suffering from the dampening influence
of the wider economy.
Notwithstanding
this, colourants have helped shore up sales here, being hugely
popular amongst both the young and old. While younger men
catch up with fashion; "creating" naturally messy
hair, the older generation is busy preventing the first grey
hairs from catching up with them. This trend seems more apparent
now than ever before, with post-war babies increasingly conscious
of their looks.
Bleach
it like Beckham
Amongst
the Japanese young, the trend for colouring hair started even
before the 2002 football World Cup which saw many fans colour
their hair in order to stand out in the crowd at the stadium.
These days men are still bleaching their hair and colouring
it with striking colours such as brown or ash blue. And 2003
saw Japanese men opt for the messy look, with strands of hair
spiked together, and styling products, especially wax, helped
achieve this.
The
versatility of this look was not lost on manufacturers, who
quickly launched products for specific hair lengths. Market
leader Mandom led the way with a host of new products to tempt
the young and fashion conscious, including Lúcido Spike
Hair Wax. The company’s Gatsby Wild Styling Solid promised
"wolf-style" hair for medium-length hair with a
hard and dry finish, whilst Gatsby Ultra Hold Styling Solid
aims to help short hair twist and stand up in bundles, and
Gatsby Mat & Creamy separates hair but with a smart finish
and less shine.
Not
forgetting the less adventurous older man, Mandom also introduced
a wax that contains powder, promising a lighter style while
retaining hair volume and moisturising without the stickiness
of conventional wax. Eyeing Japanese men’s particularity
about their hairstyle, Shiseido even added a special comb
to its Geraid brand, to add further volume to hair.
Separating
the men from the boys
The
US, the world’s second largest men’s hair care market,
enjoyed substantial gains in 2003, largely due to a litany
of new products geared toward younger men. Sales for the year
rose 12.4% over 2002 to surpass US$727 million. Here too,
sales have been sustained as increasing numbers of young men
are interested in capturing the highlighted and edgier looks
of media stars while older men have paid more attention to
keeping the colour and thickness of their hair during their
younger days.
The
rising use of colourants by men to both cover grey or emulate
the hippest fashions is also promoting the use of more expensive
shampoos and conditioners, specially formulated for coloured
hair, though few mass-market brands specifically market men.
Seeing this void, Maxim plans to build on the success of its
hair colourant products and has extended its hair care line
aimed at the same young, image-conscious men who already buy
Maxim products.
While
men’s hair care benefited from increased use of colourants
by US male consumers, substantial gains were caused by a rash
of new male-specific products in hairstyling gels, mousses,
waxes and pomades. US men often pay more attention to the
styling products they use in their hair, as opposed to shampoos
and conditioners. Makers used this fact to their advantage,
first attracting them styling agents that promised to help
create the hippest new hairstyles, and then extending their
brand to include shampoos and conditioners under the same
brand. Men who had previously purchased value brands of shampoos
and 2-in-1s found themselves trading up to these speciality
lines believing they would achieve optimal result by using
styling agents, shampoo and conditioners by the same brand.
Emblematic
of this strategy has been the success of Colomer’s American
Crew hair care line. The brand includes a wide selection of
hair care items, including shampoos, conditioners, styling
products and hair thickening agents, as well as shaving and
skin care balms, and shower gels. Many men first began using
American Crew styling agents after receiving recommendations
from barbers and stylists on maintaining their hairstyles.
Satisfied with the results, they begin trying more products
offered by the brand. This trend has prompted many men’s
grooming lines to offer a full range of products, as men become
more comfortable with purchasing items which promise to keep
them looking their best.
In
the UK, many manufacturers launched into the men’s hair
care in 2003 to try and chip into the dominance of Sara Lee’s
Brylcream. Dendron Ltd launched its Bblonde for Men range,
including a hair lightening kit, a spray-in lightener and
a lightening shampoo. Tigi Bed Head launched a hair wax with
berry fragrance, Boy Toys, aimed primarily at the male market.
In May, Zirh Skin Nutrition (Shiseido) launched its lightweight
water-based styling wax, Control, designed to focus on texture
and shine. L’Oreal expanded its popular hair care range
Elvive to include two shampoos especially for men. Elvive
for Men Thickening Shampoo was launched specifically at 30-50
year old males with thinning air; in addition, Elvive for
Men Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and 2-in-1 were also launched.
Young
bucks
Young
men have clearly become the key target group for manufacturers
in this sector. The increasing time-span between gaining financial
independence and setting up a family is one significant factor
in the burgeoning importance of young men as a consumer group.
However, even before financial independence is attained, young
men are able to exert an increasing amount of purchasing power
due to declining birth rates in many developed markets.
In
these markets manufacturers are increasingly eyeing 15 to
25 year-old consumers especially, as the number of children
in the population falls and the proportion of household expenditure
invested in their upbringing increases. Children are also
able to tap into their grandparents’ resources, thus
earning in Japan the title "six wallets", indicating
their unparalleled spending power.
The
undeveloped purchasing habits and lack of established brand
loyalty of younger consumers is another significant aspect
of their appeal to manufacturers, which are attempting to
drive an emerging sector through the expansion of specialist
hair care offerings. This, and the continued desire of ageing
baby boomers to conceal their thinning and greying hair younger
men to colour their hair for fashion reasons should guarantee
strong sales gains in this sector for the foreseeable future. |
