New research from The NPD Group Inc, a global information company, indicates sales of men’s prestige skincare was worth £25 million in the UK in 2012, having grown by more than 4% year on year.
The UK market contrasts to three major European markets which all experienced a decline in market value last year – France down -4.4%, Italy down -8.8% and Spain by -11.3%.
The most popular skincare product amongst UK males in terms of how often it is purchased is treatment shave*, followed by moisturiser, facial cleanser, hygiene products (e.g. shower gel and deodorants) and face exfoliator. The chart below shows the average sales price for each of these top-selling product segments, with moisturiser being the most expensive of the top five with an average price of £24.
Some of the most established men’s skincare brands on the market include Clinique, Clarins and Lab Series. In recent years many of these brands have successfully launched ‘advanced’ skincare products, such as Clinique Skin Supplies for Men Dark Spot Corrector, Lancome’s Genific HD Youth Activating Concentrate and Clarins’ Exfoliating Cleanser.
Men’s skincare routines differ by region. Moisturisers represent 20% of all men’s skincare sales in the UK. Men in London, the North West, Yorkshire/North East/Borders and Ulster display the most sophisticated skincare routines by selecting moisturiser over all other skincare categories.
The research shows that men in Ulster rank hygiene products third most popular in place of facial cleanser, while in the region of North West, Yorkshire/North East/Borders and Wales men select to buy face exfoliator over hygiene products which are ranked at a fifth place.
Other categories considered as more advanced, like anti-ageing and eye products – currently outside the top five most popular products in sixth and seventh place respectively – account for a higher share of unit sales in London compared with anywhere else in the UK. They are also the most expensive products in men’s skincare (see chart). Nationally men’s anti-ageing products account for 6% of unit sales, while in London they account for 7%.
June Jensen, Director for The NPD Group Beauty UK, says: “While total sales of prestige skincare products are on the up, the buying behaviour by region and what they tell us about men’s skincare regimes and attitudes to grooming are interesting. London-based males appear to be early adopters of more sophisticated skincare routines adding anti-ageing products and eye products to their grooming regime, and with a growing number of brands launching products for men-only, we expect to see sales of these products increasing across the country.”
Twitter: @npdgroup
Read more skincare reports here
Speak Your Mind