Sales of razor blades plummet as men let their grooming slide

MEN adopting the “lockdown look” have sent sales of male grooming products plunging by £31million.

Fragrances, razor blades, deodorants and skincare products have all seen a dramatic decline.

Figures yesterday showed sales were down 17 per cent in just three months, according to consumer analysts Kantar.

Experts say men have let their grooming regimes slide and bathroom cabinets go bare in lockdown. Matt Maxwell, of Kantar, said men working from home and social distancing mean they have not felt an urgent need to smell nice or shave.

Deodorant sales fell by 17 per cent while razor blades are down nearly 14 per cent. Shampoo sales for men plummeted by a fifth and shower gels saw a 21 per cent decrease. Mr Maxwell told The Grocer magazine said: “We’ve seen a huge growth in people growing beards.”

A poll for the magazine found nearly one in four men had taken to sporting facial hair since lockdown while a further 16 per cent of the 747 respondents had grown a beard but shaved it off.

It means nearly four in 10 men have grown one during the pandemic.

James Gray, of razor brand Wilkinson Sword, said: “A mix of home-working and furloughs have meant men have reassessed their grooming style. This has resulted in a spike in the number of beard and moustache searches on Google, which doubled between February and April.”