Masterfully plucked eyebrows rose high when it was announced that modern men in the UK began to behave like women in regard to caring for the appearance. In the society of "metrosexuals", men also calmly choose their moisturizing cream and hair gel in the cosmetics department, as well as the next drink in the pub. It came to that the cost of men's care for the exterior was 1.3 billion pounds a year - almost as much spend on women, according to the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years Pannochka. Net But is this true? A study conducted by the marketing firm Mintel proves that British men are still far from getting used to the idea of ??personal care. The majority of respondents said they try to spend as little time as possible in the shower and do not like to spend money on something other than basic hygiene products.
More than half of the 990 men interviewed said they spend less than 15 minutes a day caring for their appearance. A quarter of them jump into the shower for literally 10 minutes. Third - never use the usual deodorant, and 96% do not care about the hair on the body. Only one in five showed interest in hygiene products and improving one's appearance.
James McCoy, an analyst at Mintel, said: "For more than a decade, the industry has predicted a rapid increase in the consumption of goods for men's hygiene, based on the assumption that more men are taking care of their appearance".
"In fact, over the past five years, the market has grown by a small 20%, because men are reluctant to accept the expanded range of personal care products that have always been the prerogative of women".
The sale of skin care products has grown five-fold compared to 1998, aided by celebrities such as David Beckham and Jude Law, and television shows such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, where gay men gave gerotoxical men advice about Fashion and beauty.
But although there is a lot of talk about "metrosexuals" (understanding by this category of men living in big cities, professionals who spend a lot of time and money on their appearance), most men completely ignore the beauty industry.
Nivea marketing manager Joanna Mintz explains this by the fact that the relevant market has just begun to work out her advertising strategy. "A man has a more utilitarian approach to hygienic goods," she explains.. - They do not need technical information about what is contained in the product and how this affects the appearance. They need something simple that would fulfill their functions: if they have dry skin, they use moisturizing cream. Everything is simple ".
Phil Hilton, editor of the magazine for men Nuts, agrees: "One of the main differences between men and women is that women are optimistic about looking and smelling fantastic.
Men think about how to minimize damage, so as not to look like they were sleeping on a park bench, and that a person from the HR department does not tell them that they are creating a problem in the office ".
Analysts believe that this industry will continue to develop, and expect that the new generation will become obsolete in itself the stereotype of "macho". But it is too early to worry that men will go to public latrines in groups to fix their makeup.
Medicus. En.