MEN ARE BEAUTY LOVERS TOO. Women no longer have the monopoly on cosmetics. Throughout the world, more and more men are using beauty products and the male cosmetics industry is the sector which is expected to see the largest growth between now and 2020. These are the results of a new global report by Euromonitor International on the beauty and personal care market. So it’s not just women who enjoy preening in front of the mirror, gentlemen spend a lot of time there too, devoting more time and energy on their beauty routine and using up to 10 essential cosmetic products. The Euromonitor analysis reports that sales of men’s grooming products have topped 50 billion dollars and are on track to grow by 16% within the next two years. Times are good, then, for the male cosmetics industry. WHICH PRODUCTS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR MEN? Gone are the days when men used to grab any old soap off the supermarket shelf. Nowadays they choose their products carefully to meet the specific needs of their skin and hair. According to the report, 95% of men consider shampoo an absolute must, followed by conditioner (over 70%), aftershave products (70%), hand cream and sunscreen (68%), face cleansers, pre-shaving products and hair care treatments (65%). Close behind are hair styling products (63%) and body creams (61%). The key point for people like us who work in the hair care sector is that 40% of men wash their hair every day. In Europe, Italian men are ahead of the pack as regards beauty and personal care, believing it will help boost their appeal. Looking glamorous and attractive appears to be just as important to men as it is to women. After all, today’s society demands that we always look nice. Just think about when we post photos of ourselves on social media. We want to look our best, as well-presented and groomed as possible, and rightly so. This desire to please has affected both the sexes across the board and has led to the healthy habit of taking care over our appearance. WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD? The wind of change is blowing abroad too. In Brazil men spend 48 minutes a day grooming, using on average 4.9 cosmetic products. Their main concerns are blackheads (39%) and greasy hair (27%). In Russia, instead, men are quicker: they spend 28 minutes at day in front of the mirror, using at least 2 beauty products and are mostly worried about grey hair and wrinkles. Men in North America spend around 48 minutes on their skincare routine, they use 4.1 beauty products a day and keep a careful eye on blackheads and hair loss in particular. The French spend 49 minutes in front of the mirror every day, they use at least 2.8 cosmetics and are mostly concerned about dark spots on the skin and the onset of white hairs. 
 FOCUS ON ITALY. In Italy purchases of men’s toiletries account for 24% of total sales, which exceeded 10 billion in 2018: men spent 68.8 million euro on soap and shaving foam and gel, and 55.9 million on aftershave (data from Cosmetica Italia). The most popular products amongst men are high-performance creams, specific beard grooming products, balms, softening butters and top-quality cleansers. The male beauty routine has introduced new actions and rituals, and grooming is becoming an indispensable part of a man’s beauty and personal care regime. 
Globally and irrespective of gender, sales of beauty and personal care products grew 6% in 2018, reaching over 460 billion dollars. The numbers are staggering and are a clear indication that the cosmetics market is healthy and on the up and up. It does not appear to have been affected by the recession because, as the 2018 Beauty Report shows, consumers are not willing to cut corners as far as their beauty and wellbeing are concerned. Even when times get tough, “consumer sales can actually rise because products help keep our moral up, especially in moments of difficulty”. A word to the wise…