Ricerche di mercato sulla cura della pelle maschile

It was not too long ago that shampoo, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, and after-shave lotion were the primary grooming products purchased by men.

Today, new products for the scalp, the face, the feet, and everything in between are being developed and promoted to address changing lifestyles among men.  At the same time, the men’s skin care market has increasingly become segmented, not only by age or income, but also by sexual preferences and self-identification.  In nearly all cases, more time is spent in front of a mirror as part of a man’s daily regimen.

L'opportunità di mercato della cura della pelle maschile

The multi-billion-dollar mercato della cura della persona for men contains only a few major groups of products. Besides hair care, shaving, and oral care products, skin care is the largest and growing segment. The products most used are

• Personal cleanliness products such as antiperspirants & deodorants, fragrances, soaps, and body powders.
• Shaving-related products, including shaving soaps, shaving creams, after-shave lotions, and pre-shave lotions, that are used before, during, and after shaving to smooth, soothe, and nourish skin.
• Skincare products such as moisturizers, face and neck creams/lotions, body and hand creams/lotions, facial cleansers and wipes, facial exfoliators or scrubs, mud packs, and lip balms.
• In addition to products, there are spas, natural mineral baths, tanning/bronzing facilities, salt caves, and other new services geared towards healthier, younger-looking skin.

Il focus di questo mercato è stato sul due più grandi popolazioni di uomini, quelli di età compresa tra i 50 ei 70 anni circa (Baby Boomer) e quelli tra i 20 ei 30 anni (Millennials).

Comprendere le esigenze del cliente

It is not simple to know which products will appeal to men and solve their unique skin issues. Often, they don’t even know that a problem exists.

So, identifying problems and explaining about skin care to men will further provide the potential to develop and sell new products into this market.

Examples of skin-related problems for men include:

• macchie e scolorimento sono la preoccupazione principale di molti uomini
• pelle secca, pelle grassa, pelle sensibile 
• acne
• punti neri, pori visibili
• Colore della pelle non uniforme
• wrinkles and lines (i.e. aging-related)
• altri segni dell'invecchiamento

Gli uomini desiderano sempre più soluzioni per la cura della pelle:

• Prodotti facili da usare e che svolgono il lavoro senza troppi problemi.
• Prodotti che scompaiono nella pelle senza lasciare residui.
• Their own products, and not those used by women.
• Generalmente non vogliono profumi forti, o qualsiasi cosa!

If men are already using a product, the challenge (or opportunity) is to show how an alternative one offers better benefits, features, or price. For example, products with a variety of non-overwhelming, subtle scents may be developed, combined, tested, and introduced into this market. Some popular examples in some countries include:

• agrumi
• noce di cocco
• pino/sempreverde
• vaniglia 
• spezie
• menta piperita
• camomilla

Nella misura in cui gli uomini crescono e mostrano di più barba e baffi, la pelle del viso è meno esposta di cui prendersi cura. Ma il rovescio della medaglia è che c’è spazio per nuovi prodotti per la cura dei peli del viso! Ad esempio a prevenire la crescita dei peli incarniti.

Ingestible products, such as specific vitamins, supplements, Alimenti, and some beverages, are being introduced and touted as ways to improve skin tone from the “inside out”.

Baby Boomer e uomini Millennial

Nearly all men want to look better and feel younger!  Though Millennials do not (yet) see the same need to deal with certain anti-aging skin issues, such as lines, wrinkles, or gray hair, they nevertheless are interested in their appearance, and like Baby Boomers, spend an increasing amount of their disposable income on personal care products. 

Even if most men do not think they need skincare products, the male skincare market is expanding as they become more exposed to and educated about the subject.

The attitudes and behaviors toward the care of their skin provide opportunities for companies in this market to expand their product lines and market share.  One can expect to see the development of new product launches by established as well as startup companies to address these needs.

Dopo il successo di decine di fragranze premium/firmate, ci si aspetta che altri prodotti di prestigio per la cura della pelle seguano un percorso simile nei prossimi anni.

Consumer Segmentation Reveals Three Distinct Male Skincare Buyers

Most category analyses treat male skincare consumers as a single group. That misses the structural differences in purchase behavior. Three segments drive the category, and each requires a different go-to-market approach.

The first is the routine-driven buyer. He purchases a cleanser and moisturizer on replenishment cycles, usually through the same retail channel. Promotional lift measurement matters here because this buyer responds to price signals, not new product claims. His basket is predictable, and his loyalty is channel-specific, not brand-specific.

The second segment is the ingredient-aware buyer. He reads labels, follows dermatologists on social media, and compares niacinamide concentrations across brands. Brands like CeraVe, The Ordinary, and Bulldog have built share among this group by leading with ingredient transparency rather than lifestyle positioning. Shopper journey analytics for this buyer show a research phase that often starts on Reddit or YouTube before any retail touchpoint.

The third segment is the prestige-aspirational buyer. He gravitates toward brands like Aesop, Clinique for Men, or Lab Series. His purchase frequency is lower, average order value is higher, and he indexes heavily toward DTC and department store channels. Premium men’s skincare market analysis must isolate this buyer from the broader category because his price elasticity and media consumption patterns are fundamentally different.

DTC Economics Are Reshaping the Men’s Skincare Competitive Map

Direct-to-consumer brands like Lumin, Tiege Hanley, and Geologie entered the category with subscription models that bypass traditional shelf space allocation decisions entirely. Their advantage was not product differentiation. It was customer acquisition cost discipline and repeat rate optimization.

The DTC men’s skincare economics story has evolved. Customer acquisition costs through paid social have risen sharply, and several early entrants have expanded into retail distribution through Target, Ulta, and Amazon. The channel strategy question has flipped: DTC-native brands now seek retail shelf space, while legacy brands build DTC capabilities. Assortment rationalization becomes critical when a brand operates in both channels simultaneously, because SKU overlap erodes margin in one channel and confuses the shopper in the other.

Why the Men’s Grooming Consumer Trends Favor Hybrid Research Approaches

Male skincare purchase behavior is harder to study than female skincare behavior for a structural reason: men under-report their routines. In traditional surveys, men consistently understate both the number of products they use and the frequency of use. Focus group research surfaces richer data because social proof effects in group settings reduce the stigma bias.

SIS International’s focus group research in skincare has documented this dynamic directly. In moderated discussions about daily skincare routines, participants initially describe minimal regimens but reveal multi-product usage when the moderator probes specific occasions, such as pre-meeting preparation or post-workout recovery. The gap between stated and actual behavior is a methodological challenge that survey-only approaches consistently miss.

The men’s grooming consumer trends driving category growth also require ethnographic research methods. Observing how men interact with products at shelf, how they navigate DTC subscription interfaces, and how they store and organize products at home yields insight that no survey can replicate. Product placement in bathrooms, for instance, signals which products are daily-use anchors versus occasional treatments, a distinction that shapes replenishment cycle modeling.

Market Entry Strategy: The SIS Approach to Sizing the Opportunity

A men’s skincare market research program built for market entry decisions requires four interlocking components. Consumer segmentation identifies which buyer groups are underserved. Competitive intelligence maps white space in pricing, ingredient positioning, and channel coverage. Shopper journey analytics reveal where trial and conversion happen. Promotional lift measurement quantifies which marketing investments generate incremental volume versus cannibalization.

According to SIS International Research, the brands that succeed in men’s skincare market entry share a common pattern: they define their target segment before they define their product. SIS International’s proprietary research in consumer goods indicates that brands entering the men’s skincare category with segment-first strategies achieve stronger retail sell-through than brands that lead with product formulation and retrofit a target consumer afterward.

SIS International applies a framework we call the Male Skincare Entry Matrix, which plots four dimensions: segment attractiveness (size and growth of the target buyer group), channel fit (alignment between the brand’s distribution capabilities and the segment’s preferred purchase channels), competitive density (number and strength of existing brands targeting that segment), and ingredient differentiation potential (ability to make defensible, distinct product claims). Brands that score high on channel fit but low on competitive density often find the fastest path to profitable market share.