THEto mania dei face mask selfie it has also conquered men, who are now experts in skin care. From singer Damiano David to actor Chris Pratt via Stefano De Martino, Taylor Lautner and Manu Rios, there is no international or Italian star who, on social media, refrains from showing herself as an expert in skincare and with a beautiful fabric mask posing on your face. Fashion aside, the fact that the men’s beauty market is recording dizzying increases in turnover is clear to everyone.
Male beauty, growing data
Fortunately, the data speaks more than social media: according to Statista, on a global level, in the two-year period 2021-2023 alone, the male beauty sector grew by 13.5 percent. And, in this thriving scenario, the Italian market is no different.
According to Beauty Report 2024 by Cosmetica Italiaafter years marked by minus, 2023 saw the category of men’s beauty products reach a value of more than 141 million euros with an increase of 4.7 percent. The growth was transversal and involved soaps, foams and shaving gels but also after-shave and face and body treatment formulas.
Cosmetics increasingly specific to men
Men are increasingly attentive to skin care. The sale of cosmetics and the demand for beauty treatments are growing strongly (photo Getty Images).
And it is precisely on skincare that the cosmetics industry’s efforts are concentrated. Thus, if on the one hand new brands exclusively dedicated to men’s skin care are sprouting like mushrooms (see phenomena such as The Grey, Patricks and War Paint For Men), on the other beard specialists create hybrid formulas.
Just think of the latest razor from Gillette Labs which boasts an integrated exfoliating bar with a scrub effect to remove skin impurities before the passage of its five anti-friction steel blades.
Specific products are necessary because the male epidermis is particularly oily due to testosterone. As Benedetta Basso, cosmetologist, later explains Aideco (Italian Association of Dermatology and Cosmetology): «From an anatomical point of view, men’s skin is approximately 20 percent thicker than women’s and has a greater density of collagen fibres, which means that it ages later» . So much for gender equality!
Anti-aging remedies increasingly in demand
In fact, it seems that men really don’t want to know about growing old. To the point of being increasingly attracted to all those aesthetic medicine protocols that promise immediate results, with very short recovery times. It’s no wonder that these types of procedures have increased 253 percent since 2019, according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Research commissioned by facile.it also confirms that Italian males prefer, in order, cosmetic dentistry, permanent laser hair removal, hyaluronic acid-based fillers and rhinoplasty.
While there is more and more curiosity about hair transplants as demonstrated by a study by the Insparya Group commissioned by Netsonda: three out of four Italians believe the idea of undergoing this type of treatment in the future is probable or very probable.
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