As gender lines become more blurred, should the industry be adopting a more gender-neutral approach to services and products? Fiona Vlemmiks investigates

Male Grooming

Traditionally, the beauty sector has been dominated by services and products aimed at women, with so-called male grooming having emerged more recently as a slower-growing subsidiary market. However, as we move towards a more inclusive society, where sexism is under the microscope and more people openly identify as gender neutral or non-binary, many businesses are asking whether segregating treatments and products by gender is still relevant.

Recent research from data agency Future Thinking showed that more than a quarter (27%) of young British men would be more inclined to buy cosmetics if they were marketed as gender neutral, removing purchase stigma and creating pricing parity. Many hair salons, such as Chop Chop London, are now heavily marketing new gender-neutral price scales, which are based on the time the appointment takes, rather than the client’s sex.

True to type

As the traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity become less relevant, many professional skincare brands are moving towards unisex products, developed for skin type. The Natural Spa Factory, which has been championing gender-neutral products since 2009, believes that gender-based product labelling and the subsequent marketing is “outdated and out of touch”.

“So-called ‘male’ treatments are so often shunted to the back of a spa treatment menu, with a tiny selection too often added as an afterthought. A high-performance facial? We’re not selling trainers”, says Jeremy Smith, co-founder of The Natural Spa Factory. “It’s tiresome and boring. We should be talking about incredible, natural and unique treatment journeys that are designed for everybody.”

However, while we have seen an increase in the launch of gender-neutral lines, conflicting research suggests that men are actually keen to have products and services designed specifically for their needs. According to Mintel’s 2017 UK report on men’s facial skincare, four in 10 British men aged 16-34 – a younger generation more likely to subscribe to a more progressive outlook when it comes to gender stereotypes – say that there aren’t enough skincare products aimed specifically at men.

We speak to three successful business owners with differing attitudes to uncover their approaches to treating men in the face of changing societal attitudes.

THE SPECIALIST POP-UP

Photography @OllieTrenchard

nstagram/guysthatnailit

Instagram/guysthatnailit

Guys That Nail It, a pop-up nail bar for men, was set up by DJ and dancer Jay Jay Revlon, who says he felt hostility from women when he went for a manicure.

“I went to a friend’s salon”, he explains. “I was sitting there, getting some amazing nail work done and when I looked to my left, I noticed a woman looking at me and it was like ‘shock, horror’. Then I looked to my right and it was the same. It felt really weird and uncomfortable. They were looking at me like, ‘what are you doing here?’”

During his training, with beauty course provider Gateway, Revlon was the only man on the course. While he felt welcome, he was also surprised to learn that some female nail techs resented working on men.

“My tutor asked the group if they ‘didn’t mind working on Jason’s feet’. I asked her why she’d said that and she replied that some female techs wont work on men’s feet. I was shocked.”

Instagram/guysthatnailit

Discussing the matter with friends, he soon discovered they’d had similar experiences. “My friend told me he went into a nail salon in Peckham and was refused service. Can you imagine that? I was like, what do you mean, refused?”

After his training, Revlon set up Guys That Nail It in June this year, starting with a pop-up service in a Peckham pub and now offering a mobile service and working on other pop-up events, with the intention of creating a safe space where men would feel comfortable having nail treatments.

Client mix

With a range of treatments on offer that mainly focus on natural nails, the client demographic ranges in age from 18 to 60, drawn from a variety of backgrounds. “My clients are straight, gay, trans, and work in various different sectors”, explains Revlon.

Although there are many male nail techs, along with numerous businesses offering nail services for men, Guys That Nail It has hit headlines as the first nail bar exclusively conceived for men. “Manicures, pedicures – it’s the same process for men and women. So I am confused as to why places say “male manicure”, it’s a conversation that needs to be had”, says Revlon.

In the future, his dream is to open a standalone Guys That Nail It venue. He says: “There’s a stigma about getting your nails done; ‘you’re not a real man’, ‘only gay men get their nails done’ – we’re breaking that down day by day and more men are talking about it and realising the importance of getting nails done for your hands and feet to look acceptable.”

THE UNISEX HAVEN

Dovecote Naturally opened in August 2017, in the tranquil grounds of Trefloyne Manor, in Penally Valley, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Owners Joan and Kim Beynon, who also own the manor, rebuilt the ancient dovecote, with its welcoming shabbychic interior, to provide a place of peace and tranquility for every guest, regardless of gender.

From the offset, the intention was to be inclusive and the design reflects this, with its use of natural stone, sage green and grey hues, and natural wooden floors. Though the four therapists are all female, the client ratio is 40/60 male to female and the treatment menu serves every guest.

“We don’t have a separate male treatment list”, explains Gillian Law, spa manager. “I think it’s important that men can choose anything they want from the menu, so all treatments are available for both men and women.

We also do a bridal package that can be adapted for whoever wants to use it. We sometimes do genderneutral or same-sex weddings, so the bridal package 0is definitely not just for women.”

Sporting chance

Trefloyne Manor has a golf course, which Law says has attracted both genders into the spa, but states that they also have many local males who are repeat customers.

“I’ve been in this industry 25 years and it used to be that men didn’t want other people to know they were coming for treatments, but now they are happy walking in. They feel relaxed and comfortable coming to us”, says Law. “Many opt for a back massage – especially the golfers, but they also come for a variety of other treatments, such as body wraps. We have an extensive menu covering diverse treatments from holistic services to waxing.”

Dovecote Naturally uses the Natural Spa Factory’s gender-neutral range. “I believe it’s a lot better to use products designed for skin type rather than gender”, explains Law. “We have a rose cleanser that’s good for sensitive skin and I use it on a young teenage boy with problem skin.

It’s pink in colour and he doesn’t care – as long as it works. He was nervous coming to see us at first but it was brilliant seeing his face after a few sessions; he was so confident and happy.

“It’s all about results. We don’t need macho treatment names or products to attract men. Our therapists are welcoming and the treatments are great so people keep coming back – both men and women.”

THE MODERN MALE SALON

Male grooming salon 18Fourteen in Stanmore, London, was founded by Meera and Chandra Varsani in 2016, after Chandra found that unisex salons didn’t offer the full range of services for men.

“18Fourteen was borne out of personal frustration”, says Meera. “As a metrosexual male, Chandra found it irritating that he didn’t have ready access to a salon to get his services done. In a typical beauty salon we found that the services and experiences are geared towards female clientele. Also, as the treatment spaces are usually limited, most unisex salons can’t offer barbering services, which include hot towel shaves and beard-grooming services, for instance. We offer a full range of barbering services along with an extensive beauty menu.”

The couple set out to create “an experience” for clients via a one-stop shop for all their wellbeing needs. Meera says 18Fourteen was designed to exude luxury while remaining practical and comfortable. There are three treatment rooms on the first floor, with the manicure and pedicure area based on the ground floor, together with three large leather armchairs where clients can watch TV or play on the Playstation.

Personal choice

Though specific men’s ranges are used for barbering, the Varsanis opted for a gender-neutral range for skincare. “We chose products on the basis that they would achieve great results with regular use, as opposed to something geared specifically to men”, says Meera.

“Our facials are based on the Environ skincare system. We carry the brand because it is resultsdriven and can be personalised for each client, depending on needs and skin types. Generally, it is a brand widely used by women – so much so that we are having to work to create a marketing plan that showcases results on male faces.”

18Fourteen also offers men a place to enjoy aesthetic treatments in a discreet, comfortable environment. “There is a growing demand for aesthetics”, says Meera.

“Our clients are focused on looking and feeling good, and certain issues such as deep frown lines can’t be treated with our facial products and treatments. For this they need fillers, so we’ve carefully selected an experienced aesthetic doctor to carry out the treatments, giving our clients and us the peace of mind that the procedure will be performed well.”

Despite reports that male grooming is booming, Meera says it’s “not a new fad”, adding “It is simply more easily available and acceptable these days. With growing influence from social media, men too are under pressure to look after themselves.”