A rapidly growing number of men today are taking an active approach to grooming, probably because they’ve discovered this is a sure-fire way to look younger, healthier and more “put together”.

 

Men didn’t used to have many choices when it comes to picking out a skincare or hair care product at the pharmacy or beauty counter. Now, with the growing popularity of men’s grooming products, we are spoilt for choice!

 

Thankfully, the Men’s Health team has done the leg work and home work for us. The team road-tested one hundred men’s grooming products from hair care to fragrances and thirty outstanding winners were then hand-picked and recognised at the Men’s Health Grooming Awards 2011.

 

  

In conjunction with the Awards, an extensive online survey was also conducted to gain insights into Singapore men’s attitudes, habits and purchasing preferences on grooming. Into its third year, this year’s survey findings were shared with marketers and advertisers during the Awards ceremony held recently at The Dempsey Brasserie.

 

The 2011 survey attracted a staggering total of 1,153 respondents – more than double of last year’s 427 responses. The majority of respondents are single men in their 20s and 30s, tertiary-educated PMEBs with a median income of $3,764.

 

Here are some highlights of the survey findings…

 

 

In 2009, we found a growing interest among Singapore men in personal grooming. In 2010, the revelation was that 8 out of 10 respondents actually enjoyed the experience of grooming. This year’s survey reinforced the fact that the purpose of grooming is “a daily part of my life” for these men and not just reserved for “special occasions” or about “impressing other people”, as they were asked to rate in the questionnaire.

 

74% of the respondents responded affirmatively to “Grooming must deliver results. There’s no point doing it if it doesn’t.” Enjoyable or not, they sure take the process seriously. So it’s not surprising that the time spent grooming in the bathroom has also increased for these men; from 15 minutes daily in 2010 to almost 20 minutes this year.

 

Marketers would want to note that the majority valued functionality over price, and that they tended to be brand-loyal. Not that they scrimp on their purchases either – with 46% spending more than $50 per month on grooming products. That puts us on par with the women, I reckon!

 

Here are more highlights taken from this year’s survey:

 

 

The good news here for marketers is that men are increasingly seeking out targeted, solution-based products. More than half (59%) of the respondents are using hair products which are targeted at fixing specific problems such as dandruff and oily hair or scalp. From the survey, it seems like men are more aware of the different types of hair or scalp conditions and are actively matching products to their own condition in order to maintain their crowning glory. I’m sure Wayne Rooney will approve, as he spent the recent summer break fixing his hair(less) issue.

 

These men were also willing to spend generously to care for their crowning glory; 67% being prepared to spend more than $20 on a single hair care product with 20% spending more than $50.

Our men were equally discerning when it comes to skincare. And this happens to be the category of products which they were most willing to spend on, topping hair and body care. When it comes to facial wash, only 30% claimed to be using an “ordinary facial wash” while the rest were using products specifically targeted to their skin type/condition.

 

Not surprisingly, given the Asian skin DNA and our climate, respondents were most interested in oil-control products (67%). What was interesting was that anti-aging and anti-fatigue/energising products figured as strongly as acne-fighting products, between 38% and 40%.

 

 

What may be heartening news for beauty evangelists of the Wash-Tone-Moisturise regime is that one in four men claimed that they actually followed it faithfully. More than one-third of the respondents even claimed to use a facial scrub once every two to three days. Now, that should put some of my female friends to shame!

 

 

 

You are in the right business if you’re marketing men’s shaving products in this part of the world! 84.7% of respondents prefer to be clean shaven and are willing to spend time and money to D-I-Y in the bathroom instead of visiting the barber. Most men (70%) also prefer a wet shave instead of using an electric shaver.

 

 

Such findings received resounding support from a separate study conducted recently by Gillette and Nielsen. In that survey, 73% of Singaporean males said they shave to “look professional” and 44% of them shave to “feel more confident”. The Gillette survey also found out that two out of three Singaporean women (67%) preferred their men to be clean shaven. Good to know that most of us are on the right track!

 

 

I also found out that Singapore men are not content with just possessing a single bottle of fragrance, since the survey found that 66% of respondents owned two or more fragrances! With the Men’s Health Grooming Awards for fragrances broken down into categories such as Best Date Scent, Best Sports Scent, Best Work Scent and Best Adventure Scent, I am spoilt for choice when picking up one for different occasions – so that I will end up smelling good all the time!

 

Besides fragrance, our Singapore men are also surprisingly partial to pampering themselves with a massage or body treatment at a spa or salon. Nearly one in five have visited such establishments in the past month. 

 

Grooming is booming…

 

Just to put things in perspective…according to Euromonitor’s World Consumer Income and Expenditure Patterns 2011, the per capita consumer expenditure for personal care in Singapore is a whopping $US437.56 – the highest in Asia. This is even more impressive when placed next to global leader the United States which stands at $US631.6!

 

Citing another report from Euromonitor – Men’s Grooming: Singapore published in May 2011, the men’s grooming and personal care industry in Singapore grew at a steady 7% to reach 65 million in 2010. In that year, men’s skin care sector experienced the highest growth of 30%, followed by hair care.

 

The boom can be partly attributed to increased marketing targeted specifically at men, and the introduction of several new men’s skin care ranges. The old stigma associated with men using skin care products no longer exists as men become more open about grooming.

 

As consumers become more savvy and conscious of their general beauty and personal care regime and choices, they are likely to incorporate more products and seek trade up to superior products. For instance, instead of using a daily shampoo and conditioner, they might incorporate serums, masks and leave-in conditioners in their daily hair care regime. As empowered consumers armed with greater product knowledge, they are likely to seek products that better suit their unique needs. And The Men’s Health Grooming Survey findings echoed this trend towards male consumers opting for targeted products.

 

The challenge ahead for marketers is to get through to this traditionally more reticent audience, as compared to their female counterparts who have embraced and even sought out beauty advertising as information. From the survey, Singapore men have cited magazines and websites as the top two sources of information on grooming. At SPH Magazines, we believe in engaging our community of 114,000 readers* through multiple touch points such as annual events like Men’s Health Urbanathlon, Men’s Health ‘Lunch On Us’ Roadshows and our localised website at www.menshealth.com.sg.

 

If you’d like more information on the Men’s Health Grooming Survey, do drop me a note at jerphua@sph.com.sg. Alternatively, you may want to contact our Group Account Manager, Joe Tan at tanjoe@sph.com.sg