More British men booking in for hair-removal treatments than ever before
Having a hair-free body has grown in popularity among young British males, with 46% now opting for hair-removal treatments, compared to 36% in 2016, according to a new report by market analyst Mintel.
More than half (57%) of men aged 16–24 remove hair from their pubic region, up from 40% two years ago, choosing to shave, wax or laser their way to a smooth finish.
Hair removal from the chest has risen from 15% in 2016 to 30% in 2018, from the back has gone up from 10% to 12% in the same time period, and when it comes to underarms, 42% now go hair-free compared to 16% just two years ago, the report found.
Facial hair removal is also on the up, from 73% in 2016 to 80% in 2018, as well as eyebrow tidy ups, with more than four in 10 young Brits doing this as part of their beauty routine.
Now, young British men are removing body hair almost as much as women of the same age – 29% of men versus 34% of women – as the baby-smooth torso trend continues to take hold.
“Consumers today are feeling the pressure to be hair-free. However, while the pressure on women remains higher, we’re seeing more and more young men in particular feeling the need to be hair-free too,” said Roshida Khanom, associate director, beauty and personal care at Mintel.
“Reality TV shows such as Love Island have popularised hairless torsos, normalising the hair-free aesthetic among men.”
Waxing habits among older men
It also seems that the older generation are also getting on the hair removal bandwagon with 31% aged 65 and over getting rid of their nose hair, 32% taking care of unwanted eyebrow hair and 34% removing hair from their ears this year, the report found.
However, the beard trend shows no signs of slowing down, with 44% of men having some stubble, 20% a closely trimmed beard and 7% a full, thick beard. Just over three quarters (76%) agreed that beards should be well groomed and maintained.
“While young men are leading the trend of body hair removal, older men are driving facial hair removal, highlighting that [this age group] are also feeling the pressure to keep up with appearances. Brands can do more to engage with this demographic, whether it is by designing products for their unique hair removal needs or including them in advertising and marketing material,” added Khanom.
Yet, despite more men opting to go hair-free, as these figures show, there has been a fall in the value of the shaving and hair removal products sector, with sales declining 4% in 2018 to £558 million, down from £579m in 2017. Yet, this could be because more men are booking in to have their hair removed by a professional rather than doing it themselves.