Personal care categories, including men’s grooming, personal hygiene and shower products are taking on higher value cues such as elevated benefits and trending ingredients as brand owners seek the premiumisation needed to unlock value growth.
Take men’s grooming, for example. The category is responding to social shifts in masculinity, with facial skincare and bodycare driving category growth in the US as they take on more importance to men. However, this doesn’t mean that men are taking on complex regimens. To the contrary, demand for streamlined routines is on the rise, fuelling growth in launches of all-in one solutions.
Mintel Director of Insights BPC Andrew McDougall notes that “Masculinity continues to redefine itself, blending self-optimisation with emotional authenticity. Influences such as global wellness trends, K-Pop aesthetics and hybrid work flexibility have driven men to value routines that are both practical and aspirational, increasing emotional and cognitive grooming priorities.”
Cultural diversity is influencing grooming choices, with beard care an important category feature in North America, whereas Japanese consumers remain, for the most part, wedded to a clean-shaven look. In 2025, only 4% of Japanese men grew out a beard or moustache for fashion in the last year.
Within the broader BPC/skincare category, men’s grooming represents 7% of all launches but this has seen some decline within the past five years, dropping 12 percentage points.
Men’s grooming launches reflect wider regional nuances. Even though the Middle East and Africa and Latin America only account for 9% and 11% of global BPC launches respectively, men’s products are proportionally more significant in these regions than in Europe, for example, despite the fact that Europe sees a much higher number of launches.
However, with economically hard times hitting personal care consumers worldwide regardless of gender, the men’s grooming category must persuade cash strapped consumers to part with their money by moving beyond low price promises, especially since 32% of South African men have already bought a budget beauty or grooming product in the last 12 months.
By tapping into trends like wellness, experience and ritual as well as skinification, male grooming brands can upgrade their products to offer functional and emotional value and appeal to the 18% of South African men who bought a beauty or grooming product on impulse over the last year.