Even scarier than the Mizuho News

_____________________________________________________________________________________
November 13, 2008
Cosmetics Makers Cultivating Men's Skin-Care Market

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The speed with which the catchword "ikemen" (good-looking men) has spread among younger people perhaps reflects the rapid growth of the men's skin-care market in recent years. Encouragement from women and more awareness of the need for good grooming are motivating men to try out beauty products in a trend supported by the efforts of cosmetics makers.

A 28-year-old man who dropped in at the Biotherm brand counter at Seibu Department Stores Ltd.'s flagship Ikebukuro outlet told a beauty consultant there that it was his first visit to a cosmetics shop, but being a salesman he knows he has to be well-groomed at all times. The display corner exclusively for men's products stands out on a floor otherwise occupied by women's cosmetics. The man bought a face wash, lotion and cream.

Biotherm is the unisex brand of Nihon L'Oreal KK, which began to set up corners for men's items in major department stores last February. A representative said that displaying men's products next to women's cosmetics would not encourage men to venture into the cosmetics section, which many have long regarded as "off limits" to males. Thanks to the strategy, sales of men's cosmetics have grown 30% from a year ago. Biotherm also recommends women choose Christmas gift sets, with prices ranging from 6,720 yen to 15,120 yen, for their partners, in the hope that the recipients continue to patronize the brand.

Biotherm, the unisex brand of Nihon L'Oreal KK, began to set up corners for men's items in major department stores last February.

Clinique Laboratories Inc. introduces men's skin-care goods in direct mail sent to about 500,000 customers every month, hoping that women who approve its products will recommend the brand to their male partners. Clinique said sales of men's cosmetics in the year through June 2008 doubled from the previous year.

Those strategies reflect the fact that most customers for men's skin-care goods are actually women. Isetan Co. said about 40% of customers of the cosmetics section that opened at its Shinjuku department store's men's annex in September 2003 are women.

Cosmetics makers are also creating opportunities for men to experience skin-care treatment. Shiseido Co. (4911) holds seminars for men twice a year. When the company launched the Shiseido Men brand in 2004, it relied on TV commercials to get the word out. But it shifted to the seminars because helping men overcome their hesitation about using skin-care products is a priority.

Shiseido publicizes seminar schedules in community newspapers and on local radio stations, inviting about 100 men each time. Beauty experts instruct the participants in how to use skin-care products during a 90-minute seminar. Participants generally give positive responses.

The pace of growth in this segment is startling. Although the overall cosmetics market grew only 3% in 2007 from five years earlier, the men's skin-care market expanded 30%, totaling 15 billion yen. In sharp contrast to 0.3% for the overall market in the first eight months of this year, the men's market grew 21%.

A survey by Nivea-Kao Co. found that the men's facial-care goods market stood at 9 billion yen in 2007, up 7% from 2005. In the breakdown, sales of face-wash products rose 12% to 6.5 billion yen. About 90% of male respondents said they have used hair styling products, but the figure for facial care items dropped to 40%. Nivea-Kao officials said that the skin-care market has potential for further expansion, with more men paying attention to their facial appearance along with their hair. Shiseido said that 90% of female respondents to its survey said they think men should not feel embarrassed about shopping for cosmetics.

Kaori Ishida, an associate professor at Komazawa Women's University, notes that the men's cosmetics market began growing in the late 1990s as men took note of fashion-conscious professional soccer players and rock musicians. Many young men admired and imitated their hairstyles and facial appearance.

Those men are now around 30 years old and starting to take better care of their skin. Baby boomers in their 50s are also conscious of the need for anti-aging measures, helping increase demand for men's skin-care products.

Ishida points out that Japanese women have long preferred men with gentle features to overtly macho men. Considering this tendency, the rapid expansion of the men's cosmetics market can be expected to continue.

--Translated from an article written by Nikkei staff writer Kosuke Iwano

(The Nikkei Marketing Journal Wednesday edition)


Copyright 2008 Nikkei Inc. All rights reserved.

_____________________________________________________________________________________