From The Winter 2005 Issue of Natural Grocery Buyer

The Guys Eye Personal Care

Christine Spehar

Blame it on Bravo’s hit show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, blame it on Starbucks’ sugar-free vanilla lattes, or on those sleek powder blue iPods—men of the 21st century want to look pretty. And in their quest for flawless skin and groomed hair, men have discovered what women have known all along: A little attentive shopping, concentrated mainly in your store’s personal care aisles, can yield those unguents and powders and secret elixirs that have so much to do with a person—even a man—looking good.

So good, in fact, that in June 2003, market research firm Datamonitor estimated the men’s personal care market to be worth around $5.3 billion and predicted that “the U.S. beauty market for men is set to grow at twice the rate as the female market.” According to NPD Group, men’s skin care products sold $52 million in U.S. department stores in 2003, up 10 percent in dollar sales from the year before. Combine that with the fact that the overall natural personal care market grew by 11 percent during 2003, according to The Natural Foods Merchandiser’s June 2004 Market Overview issue, and it looks like men’s natural personal care is a sector to keep your eye on.

Natural personal care companies such as Kiss My Face, Nature’s Gate and Burt’s Bees are well aware of the so-called “metrosexual” trend and are making sure that men aren’t left out of the picture when designing their products.

Heberto Calves, director of marketing for Kiss My Face, says that though his company does not carry a line of products geared specifically for men, they have plenty to choose from. “A lot of our products are very gender-neutral,” says Calves. “We recognize that men aren’t too shy to buy what’s considered a high-maintenance product anymore.” Kiss My Face offers shower gels, shaving creams, deodorants and therapeutic baths in androgynous scents such as “summer” and “cool mint.” Overall, men’s-related products make up 15 percent of Kiss My Face’s profits, and the number is growing, according to Calves. Burt’s Bees, on the other hand, has long carried a men’s Bay Rum line that includes shaving soap, shower soap, aftershave balm and moisturizing cream. “This line was developed for men, and the packaging unmistakably caters to men,” says Renée Quimby, director of marketing. Burt’s Bees is planning to revamp and expand its men’s line, a move that many companies are now making as men’s personal care makes up a bigger chunk of their sales.

“Burt’s Bees has had about a 10 percent to 15 percent growth rate in the Bay Rum products, but when the new line comes out, we are expecting to see growth closer to 25 percent to 40 percent,” says Quimby. “We find that the Bay Rum line is considered to be pretty traditional, and we want to replace it with a more updated line for the younger male, because it’s the 25- to 40-year-old men who are making men’s personal care a stronger category.” Burt’s Bees’ new line does not yet have a launch date but will feature old standards like aftershave balm and shaving gel, as well as some newer additions like shower gel and a multipurpose cleanser for hair and body.

Shelley Rubenstein, marketing manager at Nature’s Gate, agrees that the new metrosexual male is youthful and chic. “Men are starting to pay more attention to and purchase more skin and hair care products themselves. There’s a great deal of emphasis placed on keeping oneself young and fit. It’s acceptable for men to pay attention to fashion, style and their looks. Trendsetters unashamedly admit to using skin and hair care products to look good, and so male grooming is much more acceptable,” she says.

To address this trend, Nature’s Gate focuses on products that appeal to both sexes. “We make sure that at least some of our products have fragrances that would appeal to men. We also have an entire line of fragrance-free products in our Nature’s Gate Organics line, and this also has high appeal to men,” says Rubenstein.

Indeed, many companies feel gender-neutral products are important to consider when marketing to men—for several reasons. First and foremost, they can reach men without designing an entirely new men’s line by carrying products that are genderless in scent and packaging. These companies strive to make men feel more at home in the personal care aisle by adding some unbiased options to the typically floral and feminine personal care world.

With a 42 percent market share in the shaving category, Kiss My Face leads the section and plans to give products that appeal to men even more shelf space. “Though our brand skews more [toward] females, we have a strong male following. We’re taking the growth of the men’s segment into consideration as we design our new packaging, so we don’t alienate men,” says Calves.

Outside of its men’s line, Burt’s Bees also focuses on androgynous scents and packaging. “Most of our products, with the exception of facial care, are pretty neutral. Our fragrances are based on essential oils and herbs, which appeal to men as well as women,” says Quimby.

Gender-neutral products and packaging appeal to women who buy for men.

Furthermore, gender-neutral products and packaging appeal to women who buy for men. “Because a lot of women still do the shopping for men, it’s important to carry products that both genders will feel comfortable buying and using interchangeably,” says Calves. He also suggests placing men’s and women’s products in the same areas of your personal care aisle to blur the distinction between the products and to make it easier for women to shop for men.

Lastly, men are still men, so it is important to consider efficiency and effectiveness when marketing to them. “Men are not going to go through time-consuming rituals in the bathroom like women do. They want a product to do what it is supposed to do,” says Quimby. For this reason, Quimby suggests starting small when marketing to men. “Don’t overwhelm men with too many choices. Start with all-purpose items and expand from there. Include special displays for men with educational shelf-toppers explaining how and why to use a product,” she says.

While men may be from Mars and women from Venus, it seems their planets may finally be coming into alignment, at least in the intimacies of natural personal care products.

Christine Spehar is a Boulder, Colo., free-lance writer.