Male skincare sales set to decline but premium brands remain popular

The men’s facial skincare category could be set for decline as men cut back on frequency of use.

Analyst Mintel valued the market at £104 million in 2016 but said this year we should expect to see that decline 4.7% to £100 million. Over the next five years, Mintel forecasts that the men’s facial skincare market will decline 7% to £93 million.

However, while sales are falling, men who are spending are opting for premium products, which could be good news for professional skincare brands and in-salon sales.

While mass-market sales fell 1.5% between 2015 and 2016, the value of prestige male skincare showed strong growth of 2.8% in the same timeframe.

A willingness to spend more per product could be due to the fact men get through products at a much slower rate than women. Only 15% of male moisturiser users apply it more than once a day, for example. Almost three in 10 (28%) men who use facial skincare products use them only when their skin feels like it needs them and a quarter (24%) use them when they remember to do so, according to Mintel.