The Digital Makeover of Men's Advanced Skin Care in the US

Perception of self-care routines continues to evolve in the number one men’s grooming market, the US. While growth drivers may vary across different markets, the US closely follows Asia’s footsteps in normalising male usage of beauty and personal care products beyond traditional grooming categories such as shaving and hair care. The evolution of men’s self-care through skin care in the US is fuelled by societal change and the rise of gender fluidity.

US men’s skin care is predicted to record a 3% CAGR from 2023 to 2028, outpacing overall men’s grooming with just under a 2% CAGR

^{Source: Euromonitor International}

Nevertheless, the “share of the pie” of skin care, as part of overall men’s grooming, is overshadowed by other well-established categories. US men’s skin care retail value sales accounted for 4% of total US men’s grooming sales in 2023, comparable to its industry share from the previous year. In comparison to shaving and hair care, which comprised 24% and 11% of US men’s grooming retail value sales, respectively, skin care’s traction in recent years hints at intra-category growth opportunities. Still, survey data suggests that skin care is becoming more important to men. About 20% of US male consumers voted “skin care is an important priority for me” as a common reason for purchasing skin care products in 2023--steadily rising since 2020.
American males are exploring advanced skin care features

Male consumers in the US are using skin care more frequently. All skin care and advanced care segments witnessed an increase in usage from male consumers compared to pre-pandemic years. Sunscreen and facial cleansers, for instance, received the largest jump in frequent usage.Desired functional product claims such as moisturising/hydrating (+7%), sun protectant/SPF (+7%), and skin brightening/luminosity/radiance (+7%) saw a strong rise in men’s skin care from US male consumers between 2022 and 2023. US male consumers are also looking for products that improve texture/evens skin tone (+4%) and plump/lift/firm skin/anti-sagging (+3%) (Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Beauty Survey, fielded June to July 2023, n=20,350).

The landscape of men’s skin care in the US displays a symbiotic relationship—product offerings from brands are developing diversification towards a more specialised range because male consumers are more accepting of product functions that transcend beyond basic functionalities, such as cleansing and moisturising to sun protection and texture improvement.
The rise of social media and digitalisation are driving changes in men’s skin care

In 2023, 11.7% of US male respondents voted that endorsement from social media personalities/influencers had an impact on their recent purchase of skin care products, recording a sharp increase from 4.2% in 2019 pre-pandemic, especially among Millennials

^{Source: Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Beauty Survey, fielded June to July 2023)}

It is no secret that digital platforms such as TikTok and influencer communities have made a huge impact on how male consumers are educated.
Many male consumers, especially those who are younger, are being introduced to beauty and personal care through online channels first, given the rise of male beauty GRWM (“get ready with me”) influencers such as Edward Zo @edwardzo and male dermatologists such as Dr. Muneeb Shah @dermdoctor, expanding ingredient awareness, product education, and encouraging elevated daily skin care habits.

50% of Gen Z male respondents found information about a brand, company, or products through TikTok in 2023 - a steep increase from 36% in 2022

^{Source: Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Digital Survey (fielded March to April 2023 (n=20,079)}

Online marketing remains a strategic priority to elevate skin care brand recognition

Looking beyond traditional influencers, brands are also finding success with male celebrity partnerships. Take Michael Cera's collaboration with CeraVe in the 2023 Super Bowl commercial (among other adverts circulating on other social media platforms)—this high-profile placement during America's most-watched game, with a significant male viewership, reinforces the message that skin care is for everyone. The highly marketed move helped CeraVe broaden its appeal to men while diversifying brand awareness among non-CeraVe users.Social media marketing for men's skin care that employs partner “skinfluencers” is primarily driven by dermocosmetics brands such as Neutrogena and CeraVe, where hashtags like #neutrogenapartner and #ceravepartner have reached almost 6,000 and 7,000 posts, respectively. Dermo-positioned brands usually provide clinical expertise on specialised skin care systems for treating specific issue areas due to their research-based development of advanced care products. Because dermo brands are leading the influencer-brand collaboration style for skin care, they are raising consumer awareness of advanced care education and solutions, especially common issues such as fine lines and wrinkles reduction/prevention, sun protection, and dry/aged skin symptoms.

Future outlook

As male consumers increasingly turn to digital platforms for targeted product usage advice and advanced care education, brands should leverage social media to partner with male influencers across demographics, skin types, and fan bases to reach (and connect) a broader audience. However, because the increasing awareness of skincare among men is driven by social media, the US men's skincare market could potentially be threatened by pending regulatory challenges on Bytedance/TikTok in the US due to geopolitical tensions and content security scrutiny. Additionally, the emergence of minimalist skincare trends could impact demand for specialized men's skincare products, posing a challenge to market growth, although the movement is more so nichely isolated in advanced women’s skincare as of now.

For further insight, read our article, Beyond Tradition: The Blooming Market of Men’s Grooming in Asia.