Male cosmetics

Male cosmetics include all cosmetic products intended for use by men, such as make-up, skincare products, hair care products, body care products, sun care products, perfumes, and other decorative cosmetics.

Historical use of cosmetics

As early as 4000 BC, make-up played an important role in ancient Egyptian culture. Men painted black pigments on their eyes to create exquisite cat-eye designs that were considered more attractive and a symbol of wealth and status. At the same time, Ancient Egyptians believed that green eyeshadow could evoke the god Horus to fight harmful diseases. Around the 1st century AD, ancient Roman men painted red pigment on their faces and illuminated their skin with powder.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, cosmetics were very popular among men, and they valued ghostly, powdered skin. In this era, due to the chemical makeup of the substances used, cosmetics often caused serious health problems, including premature death.

Japanese woodblock print by Torii Tadakiyo depicting an actor in kumadori kabuki makeup.

With the advent of modern filmmaking in the United States in 1930s Hollywood, men's hair and cosmetics re-emerged in the public eye. However, men's beauty products were non-existent on the market until the end of the 1990s. Only a few brands were interested in producing men's cosmetics because it was regarded as a niche market. Not all men accept cosmetics; about 97% of men use skincare products, and about 71% of men use make-up products, but only 17% of men think make-up products are important in daily life.

Kabuki

Main article: Kabuki

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese art performance. It involves elaborately designed costumes, eye-catching make-up, outlandish wigs, and exaggerated actions performed by the actors. Kabuki was originally performed by women, but beginning in 1629, only male actors were permitted to perform kabuki. Kabuki actors apply oil and wax to their faces to help cosmetics stick to the skin. Then they put on a thick white cosmetic called oshiroi that covers the entire face. Oshiroi is made of rice flour and uses slightly different shades of white depending on the age, type, and gender of the character. On the makeup-covered white face, red and black lines are used to outline the eyes and mouth; for male and female characters, different shapes are used.

Moreover, for certain characters, there is a special makeup style called kumadori. Kumadori consists of dramatic lines and shapes of different colours, each representing a different emotional quality. The most commonly used colours are dark red, representing anger, passion or cruelty, and dark blue for sadness or depression. Other common colours are pink, representing youth or happiness; light blue or green, representing calmness; purple, for the aristocracy; and brown for selfishness. There are about a hundred different mask-like kumadori makeup styles.

Male consumers of cosmetics

Age group

Young men who are between 18-34 years old are more likely to use cosmetics.

Males using cosmetics

At first, male cosmetics were targeted to homosexuals, but market research revealed that only 1/3 of male cosmetic consumers were gay. Some men use beauty products to cover flaws on their faces, such as acne marks and freckles. Also, some men simply use cosmetics to become more handsome and more attractive.

Make-up is frequently used by male stage performers and movie actors. Also, intensive make-up might be used to produce a zombie-effect, or other special effects, for a movie. Although using make-up can be time-consuming, it saves time and cost compared to the use of computer-driven special effects and be more visually appealing to the audience.

Older men also use cosmetics, as the number of ageing populations around the world increases. Men may buy anti-ageing products to prevent and maintain a youthful appearance and prevent ageing to prevent wrinkles, age spots, dry skin, uneven skin tone, and even hair damage.

Branding and packaging of male cosmetics

Several cosmetics and skincare brands have products specifically for men's skin, such as Nivea, Chanel, Tom Ford, and Adidas. Nivea is the most popular brand for men with 34.4%, followed by L’Oréal with 21.9%.

The packaging of male cosmetics is generally simple and ordinary, and the colours are mainly blue, green, grey, white or black. As compared to women's cosmetics, there are fewer bright colours such as pink, red and purple. These design choices aim to attract male customers, and at the same time reduce the resistance of male customers to cosmetics, breaking the belief that cosmetics are for women only.

Also, cosmetics companies produce cosmetics tailored to the preferences of men in different regions. For example, Revlon has launched a Middle Eastern collection, and Ferrari has developed a traditional Middle Eastern fragrance, taking into account local consumer preferences.

Men working in the cosmetics industry

Cosmetics industry gender balance

Although most cosmetics consumers are women, most of the executives of cosmetics companies are men. Many large beauty companies have few female representatives on their boards or senior management teams. For instance, the leadership team of the cosmetics giant Revlon, as well as the leadership team of Bath and Body Works and the luxury goods group LVMH (with brands such as Makeup For Ever, Fresh and Benefit Cosmetics), are also highly inclined to males. In comparison, the board of Estée Lauder is almost balanced, but the number of women in administrative positions throughout the company is relatively small. Overall, women accounted for 34% of the board of directors of personal care companies and 24% of all executive positions; while this ratio may be more equitable than other industries, it is not yet reflective of the cosmetics market or society at large.

Male cosmetics bloggers and celebrities

File:Lee Dong Wook 2017 PFW 4.jpg

South Korea Chanel's current spokesperson: Lee Dong Wook

The number of male beauty bloggers on YouTube is also growing. Make-up male bloggers will also evaluate cosmetics and provide makeup tutorials and advertise products. The most famous male beauty bloggers in the United States are Patrick Starr and James Charles.

One of the most prominent male cosmetic celebrities is a Chinese streamer named Li Jiaqi. Jiaqi tests lipsticks and analyzes the colour and texture of each lipstick for a large audience. On November 11, 2018, Li Jiaqi sold lipsticks live and sold 15,000 in five minutes. Jiaqi's recommendations rapidly run out of stock. Many cosmetics spokespersons are also male artists. For example, Chanel’s male spokesperson in Korea is a well-known actor and model, Lee Dong Wook.

Men’s cosmetic market size and growth

The global cosmetics or beauty products industry is an industry that is not affected by economic depression or expansion. In the case of a recession, the sales of cosmetics are generally maintained at a certain steady floor. In 2017, the global cosmetics market value was US$523.43 billion. It is expected to reach a market value of US$805.61 billion by 2023 and a compound annual growth rate of 7.14% from 2018 to 2023. The increase in male beauty awareness is a major factor driving the growth of the global market.

During the period from 2018 to 2023, the global men's beauty products market is expected to grow at a rate of 5.23%.