BEAUTY BRANDS LEARN TO CROSS THE GENDER TRACKS

A surfeit of labels, big, small and new, are trying to get a measure of the man in the mirror

In the eddy of swelling numbers in the male grooming business, brands are tapping into trends that could upend gender equations that have long framed the beauty business in the country. From start-ups such as Ustraa and Organic Harvest to concierge service providers such as Urban Clap and the big retail and consumer goods brands such as Amazon, Future group, HUL and others, the spotlight on men has led to a sharp shift in the way they innovate and extend their beauty lines.

A phenomenal 177 male grooming brands have hit the shelves in India in 2017-18, noted Nielsen in a report titled The Man in the Mirror. To stand out in the crowd, brands need to go premium, customise and adopt a unique voice and pitch.

Rajat Tuli and Rahul Anand who launched Ustraa in 2015 said that since the segment has remained untapped for so long, even doing a little goes a long way. Tuli pointed out, “We realised the only available products for men were limited to beard trimmers.” When Ustraa launched, the assumption was that male beauty or vanity is a metro phenomenon. But

Tuli added, “What’s surprising is that growth is coming not just from the urban masses, but tier-ii cities as well.” This has led Ustraa to consider local needs more closely.

Customisation has helped brands tap into the premium segment, thereby providing a swift path up the price ladder. Rahul Agarwal, CEO, Organic Harvest believes the next step, as the category expands, will be for brands to go organic and sustainable.

“For us, this is exciting as we have a large stable of relevant brands across personal care segments and product formats. We are well-poised to grow ahead of this fast-growing market,” said a HUL spokesperson.

A recent study by Mintel said the average Indian man spends 16 minutes grooming his body, 14 minutes on hair and 12 minutes on face, totaling 42 minutes every day. For men in India's metros, it is a good 61 minutes. “With women becoming more selective, men have to become better at presenting themselves. Add to this the work-related pressures and the need to perform better. Even here a better turned out man scores over a scruffy dude,” said Ambi Parameswaran, founder, Brand-building.com.

Beard grooming products (creams, gels, razors) make up over 50 per cent of the market in the country. “The industry has come a long way from Brylcreem in the 1960-70s, Fair & Handsome in the 1980s and Set Wet in the 1990s. The last few years, there has been a virtual avalanche of new offerings,” said Sandeep Goyal, founder, Mogae Media.

According to the Nielsen report, “new focus areas like body and hair care are fuelling growth". Take the four-year-old Bombay Shaving Co., which started off with high-end shaving products and has now diversified into body washes, peel off masks and so on. "We have observed a substantial growth in the male grooming segment, not only in the core shaving products range, but also in skincare, hair care and facial hair management," said Mrunmay Mehta, category leader-beauty & Luxury Beauty, Amazon India.

Grooming services are also offering expensive, home-care options. For instance, Urban Clap has diversified its range of beauty services for men to include face-care along with usual shaving and haircut rituals. Earlier this month, the local arm of British consumer goods major Reckitt Benckiser (RB) launched a men’s hair removing cream under its popular brand Veet with Bollywood sensation Kartik Aaryan as brand ambassador. Speaking at the launch, Pankaj Duhan, chief marketing officer, Reckitt Benckiser Health South Asia said that the number of requests and queries received showed how men’s grooming is no longer taboo.

The male beauty buyer is also changing retailer behaviour. Kamaldeep Singh, president of food business at Future Retail, pointed out in the Nielsen report, “Men like to spend less time on shopping, and so at Bigbazaar we always include male grooming products at the beginning of the personal care section.”

“What’s surprising is that growth is coming not just from the urban masses, but tier-ii cities as well” RAJAT TULI Founder, Ustraa