The report, which can be found here, is co-authored with beauty researcher and blogger, Imogen Matthews, and says it aims to examine why the category has in Europe remained flat in recent years.
“Have mainstream brands become trapped in the category language and ‘For Men’ clichés? Is it time to explore new ways to engage men in areas such as wellbeing and personal identity?” it asks.
From its findings in response to these key questions, the report highlights three key themes:
Gender Fluid: “Brands should review the ‘For Men’ label and explore more gender-free positioning.”
Embrace Bro Culture: “If masculinity is changing, brands needs to address issues such as individuality, wellbeing and identity.”
Cleanse, Moisturise, Enhance: “Are subtle, under-the-radar cosmetics the way forward for men’s ‘high vis’ life moments?”
While it has seen sluggish development as market category in Europe in recent years, male grooming certainly has potential: indeed, Google recently highlighted men’s beauty and skin care as one of its top four key trends for the industry to watch.
One to watch
The report finds that although male grooming searches are lower in volume at this point in time than its report’s other key trends, men’s skin care is a trend demonstrating sustained growth in all three focus markets (Japan, France and the US) and is likely to continue growing over the years to come.
“While men’s body- and soap-related searches continue to grow, there is a lot of interest in skin care products for the face, including face wash, moisturizers, and branded facial brushes,” the report states.
“As searches for men’s skin care-related products are evolving from more general terms like “men’s skin care” to more specific terminology such as “men’s face wash,” there is opportunity to educate men (and those who shop for them) on the different nuances for each product type.”
Both the Google report and the new Two by Two report are united on this crucial point: brands need to innovate new ways to educate and engage men in order to maximise the potential of this category.