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As Oscar Yuan, CEO and analyst at market research firm Ipsos explains, “social media is critically important to grooming and beauty, but men and women are using it differently. Women are focused on the process of how products are applied versus just the outcome of a look or product. For men, it’s a different story; they aren’t into the process yet. Men use social media as permission to know that grooming is now acceptable.”
With social media’s rises people’s appearances are more important than ever. People want to have their best look on posts and cosmetics definitely help for it.
In an era where body and personality’s acceptance is a key point, people treat and accept others more than we were used to do before in society. It is easier for men today to look like who they really are, rather than who others would them to look like.
Social media are really helping through this issue as it allows to be more curious and open-minded. At the beginning men’s cosmetics users still had struggle to speak up but men like James Charles, an influencer now, was able to put at ease lots of codes of conduct. Him and social media in general through men’s cosmetics brands were able to bring awareness to diversity; race, body positivity, sexuality and gender.
Influencers are a big deal in this market as it is only starting to have an impact on society, they are aspirational for the ones who follow them and so their opinions really do matters for the customer. Brands really need to focus on the quality and frequencies of influencer’s posts before working with them. A study stated that almost one person out of two said they are motivated to complete purchases online by reviews of other customers.
By the way, House 99 chose David Beckham as an image of their brand as he represents “male beauty” for most of people, it helps trusting the brand is efficient. The brand Hawthorne use about 60 common and reliable customers to offer them free lifestyle products in exchange of posts on their accounts.
On another hand, Robin James, which adopts a totally different look, with the appearance of a “traditional gentleman” thanks to his moustache, use and test all kind of products himself and moreover he interviews some of the biggest brands in the market to share with his community.
Both, in their own way, tries to defend the fact that men shouldn’t be ashamed to use any kind of cosmetics. Instead they should be proud of being able to access to a better version of themselves. Those influencers on social media want to stop the stereotype of “real man doesn’t need to take care of their skin”, as if they didn’t have any imperfections is no longer true. It is exactly about showing another side of your virility, where you accept you are not perfect, and you want to be an even a better version of yourself.
Brands like Gillette depicts the same idea on their social media. On Instagram, Gillette France, followed by 4792 followers, posted on their account a video of a couple, Mickael and Simon, saying “the one who has the definition of virility is lying”. Virility is subjective ; each one has its own. « Perfection au masculin », Gilette’s moto, for those two men, is not about being physically perfect, but just about accepting who we are and be shining whatever your identity and type of masculinity is.
https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/print/barber_tame_the_beast_reindeer
Other brands, including Horace or Barber, adopts a different strategy on social media and especially still Instagram, which is based on Humor to commercialise the products and connect their brands with customers. It is their way of creating relationships and it is also successful. They want to depict an image of simplicity and efficiency through their brands. 7 potion shows their founders in their post to connect with the customers. Horace’s founders appears also a lot on their social media
Cosmetic items to men is focused on utility rather than fantasy. The key point is really about value, purpose and building relationships with customers.
Sources:
https://www.regard-sur-les-cosmetiques.fr/nos-regards/male-grooming-la-toilettage-attitude-487/
Emeline Le Pogam
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