Metrosexual beauty on the rise across Asia

In a recent report by the The Telegraph in the UK​, the trend was singled out as being particularly dominant already in Korea and Japan, and is now on the rise in China too.

Indeed, figures from market research firm Mintel confirm that the size of the male facial skin care market in China is projected to reach 11.5 billion yuan in 2020, up from 7.3 billion in 2014.

The rise of male grooming is very much a region-wide phenomenon, with CosmeticsDesign-Asia recently reporting​ on the emergence of an ‘effeminate’ male consumer in Japan, for example.

Increasing interest in male grooming is offering a strong opportunity for skin care category growth: both domestic and international brands are now mobilizing  across the region to meet this booming trend.

Truefitt & Hill: in the spotlight​

One brand which is moving to profit from the male grooming trend is luxury barbershop salon chain, Truefitt & Hill.

The chain, originally established in England as far back as 1805, is seeing strong uptake of its services among consumers in Asia, and now boasts salons in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam, China and beyond.

As a result of its ever-rising popularity, the company has big plans for further expansion, recently announcing that, over the next three years, it plans to develop its presence of seven outlets in India to 75.

Rising trend; regional variations​

According to analysts at Datamonitor, last year 54% of Asian men believed their looks and appearance to be important, versus 44% in Western Europe.

Some key country-specific trends include the preference for self-tanning products among male Chinese consumers as the fashion for enhancing the appearance of muscle blossoms there, and the growing interest in lip care among Indian men.

While the enthusiasm for male grooming is seeing clear variation in trends across the region, products which boast cleansing and purification properties are reported to be one key demand across most markets from various analysts.