Sales of male grooming products in Asia are now growing faster (9% in 2013) than the beauty segment (5%) and the personal care category as a whole (6%), according to research from Kantar Worldpanel.
Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan show the strongest growth. The fastest-growing male grooming products across Asia are soap bars (212%), shampoo (39%) and liquid bath products (33%).
Regardless of age or income level, nearly 80% of men in Asia claim they care about their looks. However, the value share of the ‘for men’ segment in the personal care category is just 4%, with many men still using whatever they find in the bathroom. This highlights an opportunity for personal care brands to launch new variants specially designed for male users.
The opportunity for international brands to get a foothold in the Asian market is clear – while Korea is very proud of items that are ‘Made in Korea’, consumers in Vietnam, Indonesia and China are more open to foreign brands.
