Male grooming goes natural

Leading supermarket chain Sainsbury's has snapped up the Bulldog range in 320 of its stores nationwide - in a bid to attract males over to this the health and wellness trend within personal care. Although this trend has already started to penetrate the mass market, the vast majority of personal care products lines have until now targeted females. "As a nation we are becoming increasingly aware of what we eat and the effect certain ingredients can have on our health. Now we need to turn our attention to what we are putting on our bodies, as ingredients in grooming products can be absorbed into our bodies through the skin,"​ said Simon Duffy, one of the co-founders of Bulldog. The range has been formulated without the use of 'controversial' man-made chemicals such as parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colours and synthetic fragrances. Giving men a natural alternative, the company claims that the range adheres to the strong ethical issues currently driving the cosmetics industry, suggesting that the products are not tested on animals and having 100 per cent recyclable packaging. Likewise, all the products in the range, which include a shave gel, post shave balm, shower gel, shampoo, face wash and moisturiser, are produced in the UK in an attempt to lessen the carbon footprint and product miles. While many natural and organic personal care ranges have been formulated with the health conscious female consumer in mind, manufacturers have steered clear of the male grooming market - which is at present a relatively stagnant market. Despite the male grooming market being sizeable - valued by Euromonitor at $21bn - compared to the rest of the cosmetics industry and contrary to previous market predictions, it have been performing below forecastes- accounting for only eight per cent of over all cosmetic sales. However, creating a new segment within this market could prove profitable, as more and more consumers begin to choose grooming products based on lifestyle segments, rather than gender and age groups. According to market analyst Euromonitor, lifestyle trends set to do well in product development include 'retreat', 'escape' and 'indulge' - the first referring predominately to the booming healthy and wellness trend that is dominating the cosmetics industry at present.