Grooming has come a long way and is no longer the domain of women. Men are becoming equally aware of the benefits of facials and other skin care products. With numerous brands and salons in the market and exclusive men’s skin care range, Salon India gets a perspective from brands and salons on the trends and treatments offered.
Today’s men are becoming more and more aware of the latest grooming trends. Booking a salon appointment is no longer restricted to the metro-sexual man. With brands and salons raising awareness and flooding the market with products and treatments exclusively for men, they have options galore to chose from.
Various lifestyle issues, pollution and stress are all adding up to one’s skin woes. Aestheticians are recommending facials and other skin treatments to tackle skin-related issues. Men are also taking cue from celebrities, who are leaving no stone unturned to look good and flaunt healthy skin. Brands are joining hands with male celebrities to promote their men’s skin care range. Salons are offering men’s facial treatments on the basis of their skin concerns.
Salon India speaks to brands, such as Astaberry Biosciences, O3+Professional, Janssen Cosmetics and VLCC to understand the men’s skin care market, products, treatments available and more.
Common skin concerns
Post-shave irritation: Continuous use of a razor while shaving causes irritation and redness of the skin. Soap and water is not a solution for it. Razor burn, inflammation and irritation are some of the common issues of shaving, and all these results to coarse facial skin.
Acne: Factors like humidity, stress, heavy sweating or unhealthy lifestyle leads to acne.
Excessive oil secretion: Men have higher testosterone levels than woman, which explains the higher level of oil secretion in men. Oil on the facial skin, if not cleaned properly, clogs the pores which leads to blackheads and pimples.
Sunburn: Excessive exposure to sunlight leads to pigmentation and skin darkening. Men tend to ignore the facial skin issues caused by the UV rays of the sun, which may lead to rashes, pigmentation and a coarse texture, too.
Types of facials offered
Astaberry Biosciences 
We have recently launched our first men’s only product called Menzpro Facial Kit.
USP
Male skin problems are different mainly due to regular shaving, greater time spent outdoor, more contact with pollution and harsh environment and sweating. Men’s skin becomes thicker and rough and ages in a different manner.There is also more tanning.Menzpro facials are specifically designed to deal with men’s skin. It contains greater quantity of actives that can penetrate the thicker male epidermis and give desired results. With extracts of Carrot and Lemon Peel and infused with Tea Tree oil and Mint oil, the skin is able to look rejuvenated.
Marketing strategy
We are targetting men’s salons and barber shops for the placement of this product. To start with, we have created a small pack size so that the salons can try the quality of the product. One facial kit is priced at Rs.200 and two facials can be done with it. Also we are offering a free Shaving Gel as a launch offer to the salons.
Challenges faced
Astaberry has always been seen as a skin care company for women. This is more so because we did not have any specialised products for men in the first nine years of operations. So from a branding point of view, getting an acceptance for the men’s product under the Astaberry brand was a little difficult.
Presence
In the first two months of the launch, more than 1,500 men’s parlours have purchased the product across India and Nepal.
Future plan
We are planning to launch a full range of men’s products comprising of face washes, shaving gels, scrubs and masks especially designed for men. Also a facial kit in bigger pack size, which is more economical for the salons.
Size of men’s grooming market
The men’s personal care market is huge in India and growing by the day. Reports say it is around Rs.5000 crores.
Janssen Cosmetics (Shweta Parekh, Director, Infinite Enterprises Pvt Ltd)
Products offered
Janssen has introduced an exclusive men’s range, which consists of Energizing Hydro-Gel, Dead Sea Black Mud and Face & Eye Vitalizer.
USP
All products of Janssen Cosmetics are skin-friendly. Even the men’s series from Janssen Cosmetics is light on the skin and the products are oriented towards hydrating, soothing, refreshing and reviving the skin.
Marketing strategy
We use a number of marketing tools available such as advertisements, regular updates on social media and other media, such as gift hampers for Father’s Day, birthdays etc.
Challenges faced
A myth which is still widespread is that the male skin needs only cold water, a little soap and a pungent after shave. In fact, male skin is thicker, has larger pores and produces more sebum as compared to the female skin. Thus, the challenge has been in changing the mindset of men to adopt a skin care ritual, which is important for them.
Presence
Most of the salons that stock our retail products carry the Man series, too.
Future plan
Slowly, men are beginning to take care of their skin and are exploring the options in facials available to them. Thus, we are planning to offer the Man series, as a home care system so that they can regularly maintain their skin.
Size of men’s grooming market
The men’s grooming market is slowly increasing in size and we hope and believe, we will see a marked change in the coming year.
Types of facials offered
VLCC
Men today are increasingly conscious of not only their looks, but overall grooming as 
well. At VLCC, we offer a host of facial and skin care treatments for them, depending on their requirement. Some popular facial treatments are from the Bellewave Switzerland range and comprise of:
Outbreak Extinguisher
The solution to oily and acne-prone skin, the Outbreak Extinguisher treatment purifies and provides relief to aggravated skin. Gentle, yet efficacious, it has Lactic and Mandelic Acid that remove dead skin cell build-up, unclog pores and stimulate skin renewal. Bamboo Charcoal helps prevent acne outbreaks by regulating sebum secretion, helping to keep skin matt, smooth and shine-free. The four step treatment purifies skin thoroughly to reveal a fresher, clearer
and smoother appearance. Among other actives, it also contains Montmorillonite – a Volcanic-origin clay rich in active ionic trace minerals which has absorption abilities for oil and sweat secreted by the skin.
Oxygenique Therapy
The solution for tired and lackluster skin, Oxygenique Therapy delivers a concentrated boost of energy to revive functions for healthy skin vitality. The four-step intensive programme is powered by pure encapsulated oxygen molecules that recharge skin metabolism and revitalise skin straight from the core. Oxygenique has the Vitaly Tea Mask and Honey Peel, which makes it an excellent treatment to combat effects of environmental pollution seen on the skin.
Visionenergy
An intensely concentrated treatment, Visionenergy is engineered to tackle problems commonly faced in the eye contour area. Powered by a blend of potent actives, three combinative actions work holistically and penetrate deep into the skin to promote regeneration for an astounding skin transformation. Amongst other ingredients, Visionenergy has PhytoStem Cell – bio-technically derived from the stem cells of a rare apple species, this active helps to boost the production of skin cells, protect against oxidative stress and aids to reduce visible signs of skin aging. It also has EyeLastin, which helps prevent the visible signs of ageing by minimising liquid retention that causes eye bags. It additionally enhances skin elasticity and smoothness.
O3+ PROFESSIONAL
O3+ has two types of facials for men–Sea Powerful Ocean for skin whitening, 
pigmentation control and normal to dry skin and Ice Cool Tea Tree for acne and blemish control for normal /oily skin.
USP
The USP is the ultimate results that are tailor-made to suit the comparatively stronger skin for men. These results are far more visible, as they take stronger ingredients uniquely formulated keeping in mind that men skin is exposed to more environmental exposure along with razor bumps and cuts due to frequent shaving.
Marketing strategy
Marketing strategy is the same as with the other ranges. However, the target customer has been niche, as the acceptance in that segment,
is higher.
Challenges faced
There are many challenges as there is a slight reluctance in the acceptability as the salon tends to buy one kit suitable for both men and women. Moreover, salons use the classic products, so a lot of training is needed.
Presence
We are increasing its presence in the salons by creating the awareness for the need of specific product ranges for men. We are emphasising on ‘why’ different products are required for men.
Size of men’s grooming market
The size is huge and there is also a huge amount of demand in professional home care for men, as well. We have taken about eight years to launch this range, as we have gained experience and expertise to distribute and increase the demand of the product. Of course, social media plays a big role here.
