The men’s grooming market is stabilising, but consumer spending remains cautious. While 56% of male-targeted skincare launches still promote ‘energy’ claims, a notable 44% of 16-34 year olds find male makeup acceptable. This indicates a surprising trend: male beauty norms are expanding at a pace that outstrips companies’ current investments in the space.
Although 60% of under-35s are willing to spend €20+ on single products, overall value growth is capped by a majority who limit spend to €5. This means that even though men may be interested in premium options, science-backed products carrying a higher price tag must unequivocally justify their cost. This is crucial for distinguishing them from other premium products whose elevated prices are primarily driven by aesthetic packaging or brand image.
The market for restorative skincare and preventative hair-strengthening products is expanding. Brands can turn one-time trials into loyal subscriptions by using AI to create personalised product ecosystems. However, social backlash remains a significant challenge. With 47% of men still finding male makeup unacceptable and 23% taking issue with men dying their hair, brands must carefully consider their tone to avoid stalling adoption.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The rise of skin confidence: how blemish- and oil-control solutions drive men’s self-esteem and spending
- From boost to balance: the white space for stress-relief, sleep-supporting and neurocosmetic skincare claims
- Hairloss anxiety: early-stage prevention, clinical post-transplant care and the mainstreaming of medical grooming
- Smart value vs smart tech: alleviating decision fatigue with AI-powered personalisation and subscription models
- Redefining masculinity: shifting social acceptance of makeup, barbershop culture and aesthetic procedures
- Digital commerce and creator influence: social media’s role as the new product counter and education hub
Male beauty norms are expanding faster than the market can keep up, with men seeking confidence, clarity and calm while still watching their wallets.
Susanne Krenz, Associate Director – Beauty, Personal Care and Household
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for attitudes towards male grooming
- Opportunities
- Tap into skin confidence as the new wellbeing currency
- Reroute from boost to balance
- How to redefine efficacy around confidence and calm
- Capture demand for hairloss prevention and post-surgical care
- How to expand the hair health ecosystem
- Build loyalty with next-gen consumers through a personalised grooming infrastructure
- How to bridge tech and trust in grooming
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THE MARKET
- Price sensitivity drives cautious demand
- Evolving masculinity expands the market
- Growing interest in grooming results
- Social media is turning into the new grooming counter
- Personalisation earns its place through performance
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THE CONSUMER
- Men’s shopping habits for grooming products
- Men grow more independent and loyal with age
- Younger men use tech and subscriptions to simplify grooming
- Facial hair culture
- Self-expression is shared, grooming cadence is not
- Beard grooming is tied to identity and community
- Skin and confidence
- For the young, confidence is skin deep
- Gen Z men lead in appearance comparison
- Hairloss and hair choices
- Younger men suffer from hairloss anxiety
- Footballers put hair transplants in the spotlight
- Acceptability norms
- Social approval fades when grooming turns aesthetic
- Men’s beauty gap widens with age
- Graph 1: socially acceptable men’s grooming practices, by age, 2025
- For under-35s, higher acceptance drives spending and experimentation
- Familiar routines and brand loyalty shape older men’s grooming habits
- Men feel the pressure but handle it differently, depending on age
- Younger men channel pressure into higher spend
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Male grooming innovation remains heavily centred on core categories
- Graph 2: share of launches with male-targeted claims, by category, 2020-25
- Men’s skincare leans into wellbeing and performance
- Anti-ageing leads but men’s skin priorities stay underexplored
- Graph 3: launches in men’s face/neck care with selected claims, 2020-25
- Haircare shows a growth mindset
- Anti-hairloss innovation stabilises after pandemic peak
- Graph 4: share of launches in men’s haircare products featuring anti-hairloss claims, 2020-25
- Digital adspend
- Ad budgets for men’s grooming peaked in 2024
- Graph 5: total monthly aggregate adspend, 2024-25
- YouTube and Meta take the lion’s share of men’s grooming ad budgets
- Graph 6: adspend on men’s shaving and grooming, by top seven channels, 2024-25
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APPENDIX
- Report scope
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Other data source methodologies
- Adspend by company
- Abbreviations
- A note on language – Germany
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