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A decade ago, many men likely asked their counterpart about the basic components of a skincare routine. A survey conducted in recent years shows that nearly a third of men use bar soap to wash their face. About the same number of men don’t wash their faces daily, soap or no soap. Whether due to lack of available education or societal acceptance, men’s grooming habits have been a bit primitive, to say the least.

Luckily, we’re moving past the age of 3-in-1 (hand-body-face) washes and into a new age of men taking a confident step into the self-care industry.

Cast your mind to 2019. Male skincare and beauty is on the rise, with industry growth rates predicted to reach $166 billion by 2022. For many guys, this is the beginning of a journey into an expanding grooming world that has long been governed by women. Men have more access to self-care education, and are encouraged to take up a daily skincare practice. As follows, more brands design skincare and haircare products just for men.

But then 2020 happened, and all that changed. 

Barber shops close. Offices shut down. Most began working from home, or lost their work altogether (whether permanently or temporarily). Friends and family were seen less frequently – if at all. Consequently, along with less in-person interaction ultimately came fewer reasons to stick with a regular grooming routine. While the reliance upon video conferencing somewhat reinvigorated the need for frequent grooming, it’s much easier to adopt a “lockdown look” over Zoom than in the office.

What does the (slowly reopening) lockdown have to do with men’s grooming products and advertising?

We’ve written before about the UNFREEZE → CHANGE → REFREEZE theory originated by Kurt Lewin. In simple terms, this theory goes as follows:

UNFREEZE – change of status quo

CHANGE – chaos and uncertainty; people develop new behaviors to cope with this chaos and uncertainty

REFREEZE – some new habits are maintained, some behaviors lapse back to pre-unfreeze

In regard to men’s grooming and self care habits over the past few years, we’ve seen the following behaviors:

UNFREEZE: The pandemic begins, thus changing the norms of social interaction and social expectation. Then came CHANGE: Men alter their grooming habits ,and the grooming industry anticipates to shrink temporarily during this time. Soon, we will enter the REFREEZE stage as stores reopen and life begins to return to normal (or a close approximation of it). 

What does this mean for men’s grooming brands moving forward?

We can anticipate some behaviors that will be maintained. For example, keeping longer hair and longer beards for men who aren’t returning to the office, or for those who work in roles that allow a more casual appearance. In regard to those who will be returning to the office, it is a fair assumption that they will return to pre-unfreeze grooming behaviors. This not only applies to products for appearance, but likely to other products such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash. Brands with these products may all anticipate an increase in purchasing.

Therefore, the refreeze stage is the most pertinent. It’s what marketers do with this refreeze stage that will be vital to the success of the masculine side of the beauty industry. Anticipating the needs of the customer is a primary function of marketing, and as the world reopens, now is the time to extract information, gather research, and put together the facts. As men begin to return to the office, and in-person social interactions increase, new grooming habits will follow. This provides a key opportunity for brands to get ahead of the curve. Now is the time to target male audiences and see growth. Wait, and the competition will be stronger.

If your brand is looking to conduct such research in the male beauty industry, RedSky Strategy is well equipped to extract pertinent information and data points that will set you ahead of the competition when it’s needed most. Grab a jacket, sit down with your strategists, and get ready for the refreeze!

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