Men's Grooming Habits and Behaviors Help Show Where Their Dollars Go

A research study conducted by Multi-sponsor Surveys among a national sample of men ages 18 and older, reports that men can be separated into four groups based on their grooming habits and practices and their attitudes toward personal grooming. These four groups were labeled as Lookin’ Hot (21%), Cool Customers (31%), Respectable Joes (24%) and Casuals (24%).

At the top of the grooming continuum are men who are most committed to looking well groomed—Lookin’ Hot. This group represents about one in five men (21%) who stand apart from the other three groups in a number of key areas—their reliance on barber/salon grooming services, frequency of getting their hair cut, frequency of shaving, and willingness to spend money on personal grooming appliances and products.

Looking across a crowded room for a member of the Lookin’Hot group, look for the best dressed, younger rather than older, guy in the room. This is also the most ethnically diverse group of the four segments, with an above average share of African American and Hispanic men. And don’t look for the single guy or the rich guy, as Lookin’ Hot men are just as likely to be married as single and largely fall within the middle income ranges.

The second group in the continuum is referred to as the Cool Customers. They represent about three in ten men 18+, and while they believe in the importance of grooming as do the Lookin’ Hot group members, they are far more concerned about the cost of grooming. Cost is, in fact, the primary consideration for Cool Customers when purchasing a new grooming product. Looking across that same crowded room, the second best dressed guy in the room is likely to be a Cool Customer.

The remaining two groups of men are, by comparison, far less committed to personal grooming. While the vast majority of Lookin’ Hot and Cool Customers agree that it is “important to look well groomed at all times,” a small minority of Respectable Joes and those labeled Casuals express this view. Likewise, they are far less likely to perceive themselves as “among the best dressed at most social occasions.”

According to Pat Guenther, vice president of pharma, wellness and personal care at Multi-sponsor Surveys, “In the men’s grooming market, grooming dollars follow grooming attitudes. Casuals and Respectable Joes report spending on average between $31 and $37 respectively over 12 months on personal grooming tools or appliances. Lookin’ Hot and Cool Customers on the other hand spend nearly twice as much in a year’s time—on average between $62 and $64, respectively.”

This research data was gathered as part of “The 2012 Study of Men’s Grooming Appliances & Tools,” conducted by Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc. of Princeton, New Jersey. The study was conducted online in June 2012, among a national sample of 1,225 men age 18 or older. The sample was weighted, as necessary, to conform to U.S. Census profiles of the adult male population. The study also includes detailed information on grooming products owned.

More in Consumers & Markets