Fashion

Why men are buying women's beauty products

AFP
June 30, 2012

First Published: 14:19 IST(30/6/2012)
Last Updated: 16:24 IST(30/6/2012)

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Man looking in the mirror

While the availability of male-oriented beauty products has been rising rapidly in recent years, new research has shown that women's products are increasingly being purchased by men.

While brands such as EVOLUTIONMAN and Eylure have made the headlines for unveiling respective items including

men's nail polish and false lashes (dubbed "guy"lashes), figures recently released by American flash sale site HauteLook found that the number of men buying women's cosmetics, skincare and haircare has increased by 76 percent in the past two years.

The most popular category for men buying for themselves was skincare -- products such as cleansers, moisturizers and eye creams are among the most purchased. The soaring significance of male grooming has been noted across the globe, with a report last month highlighting a 66 percent increase in men in the UK seeking beauty treatments over the past 12 months -- with haircuts, hair removal and tanning among the most popular.

Earlier in the year, reports of a rise in US men opting for Brazilian waxes emerged, while figures released by L'Oreal China showed men's products were among the fastest-growing categories for the brand. HauteLook adds that "the rising demand for grooming products among men comes at a time when sales from women have dipped".

Simultaneously, "women have been cutting back on grooming, taming and general femininity," read a press release, with the androgynous looks seen from labels including Ralph Lauren and Hermès during the Spring/Summer 2013 shows cited as an influencing factor.