“Once a Christmas bath set and a bottle of aftershave was all it took, but today it seems that Britain's men are becoming more discerning with their beauty regime,” explains the firm.
“Indeed, new research from Mintel reveals that almost half (47%) of young men have had a treatment in a spa, salon or other treatment area in the past 12 months, up from one in three (33%) in 2015.”
Key insights
The firm’s insights also revealed the following:
- Brits to spend £7.6 billion on treatments in spa, salon and in-store treatment areas in 2017.
- 33% of Brits have had a treatment in a spa, salon or other treatment area in the past 12 months*.
- 76% of those who have had a beauty treatment in the last 12 months say that beauty and grooming treatments promote their mental wellbeing.
- In the past 12 months, 18% of men aged 16-24 have had a massage treatment, up from 11% in 2015.
- 18% have had facial hair removal or shaping (up from 8%) and 17% have had body hair removal (up from 6%).
Embracing gender neutrality & digital
Roshida Khanom, Associate Director, Beauty and Personal Care at Mintel, explains that the rise is likely due to the rising capability of tech in this area.
“The spa, salon and in-store treatments sector continues to see steady growth, as the proportion of people having treatments such as facials and massages saw a rise over the past two years,” he says.
“This is likely in response to the introduction of more technical facial treatments, such as LED and radiofrequency facials, as well as express treatments."
The research expert also suggests that gender neutrality is on the rise in this space, opening it up to men as well as its tradition consumer base of women.
“The high proportion of men showing engagement in spa and salon treatments highlights that consumers are moving away from gender stereotypes while embracing gender neutrality.”