Starting a men’s grooming brand hasn’t always been a necessity for a brand. The “All-In-One” or single bar of soap for the hair, face, and body ruled the market for decades. That changed when, according to Google, the search for men’s grooming skyrocketed in 2015. That was when beards and the infamous “man-bun” became stylish. Since then, social media and an evolution in men’s skincare have made it into a multi-billion-dollar industry. In this post, we will guide you through what it takes to kick off your brand, and we will help you understand the trends and evolution of the industry.
Starting a Men’s Grooming Brand 101
Starting a men’s grooming business can be daunting. There are so many aspects to consider. This is a starter’s guide for starting a brand. Of course, there are legalities such as permits and business insurance that you should check with your local government. Shop our website for expertly formulated men’s personal care bases that save you time on product development.
- Consider Your Niche: What demographic are you aiming to market to? It must be one you understand and have a passion for. For example, trying to market a 5-step skincare routine to the average American working 41 hours per week (source 1) would probably not do well.
- Fragrance: What your project is scented with largely influences who will be purchasing from your brand. As mentioned in our “Fragrance vs Essential Oil” Post, scenting products with essential oil will cater to more holistic brands with a health-conscious lifestyle. While scenting products with a traditional masculine fragrance oil will suit the general market.
- Branding: Branding is so important, for it is the face of your product. Going back to finding your niche, your brand needs to represent it. Color scheme, mascots, price, and marketing strategy are just some things to consider when building your brand.
- Decide on Your Products: Most importantly, the quality of your products is essential to Depending on your budget, you will most likely start with only a few products in your brand. So you must choose them wisely. Ask yourself: Will it be a shaving line? An all-around Care line? Shop our Men’s Personal Care Category for easy customizable personal care bases to help you jumpstart your business.
Keeping up with the Trends
Keeping up with trends is a great way to maximize sales. Being updated with industry trends can benefit your exposure. For example, when it comes to the industry, trendy ingredients always come and go. So when you see one on the rise, you can incorporate it into your line without compromising your brand. Here are some things to keep an eye out for.
- Ingredients: Ingredient trends rise and fall constantly. For example, Coconut Oil peaked from 2014 to 2017. Coconut was the star of ingredients and was used in every product from head to toe. Now, Coconut oil can only be found in a few brands, and few brands are coconut-based. When you look at products on the shelves, coconut oil no longer dominates the focal point in ingredient lists.
- Uses: With a certain trend comes a certain product demand. In 2018, beards were all the rage. So specific use products such as beard balm and beard oil hit the market. So, keeping up with trends and noticing the need for certain products will keep your brand current.
- Multi-step or all-in-one: It is important to know your demographic to understand how much time a man will put into his routine. Most Americans have a 40-hour work week. So, an extensive skincare routine would most likely not do well with the average American pressed for time. In that case, the best multi-functioning products would do better. However, more complex routines will better suit higher-end markets.
Evolution in the Men’s Grooming Market
If you read this article by Cosmetic Business, you will find that things like social media, Gen Z, and evolving masculinity are shaping the personal care industry. Gen Z men (those born between 1997-2012) are becoming big spenders when it comes to personal care. And Older generations like gen X (those born between 1965-1980) are starting to use more than just a bar of soap when it comes to self-care.
Social media brings evolving styles and skincare routines. As a personal care brand, social media can be one of your biggest marketing tools. A surprising effect social media has had on men’s grooming is that it empowers men to take better care of themselves, evolving masculinity as a whole.
Starting a men’s grooming brand has never been easier with our bases. Our expertly formulated bases are ready for fragrance, extracts, peptides, and more. Shop our website for men’s personal care bases that can be customized to fit your brand.
Sources:
Source 1) https://www.bls.gov/charts/american-time-use/emp-by-ftpt-job-edu-h.htm
https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/cosmetics-business-reveals-the-top-5-male-grooming-1
