A sleek, toned and hair-free body isn't only popular among women; men are increasingly catching onto this trend. Now, a sizeable proportion of men—39%—reports removing body hair below the neck—aka "manscaping"—at some point, up from only one-in-20 men—6%—in 2005. These findings are part of Multi-sponsor Surveys' 2014 Study of Men's Grooming Appliances and Tools, released today by the Princeton, New Jersey-based market research firm.
The manscaping trend is sharply skewed toward millennials and Hispanic men, among whom majorities—57% and 58%, respectively—report body hair removal. For these men, it is just part of their total grooming routine, with the majority agreeing that "removing body hair helps a man look and feel well-groomed."
Blade razors, both disposables and refillable blades, are the most popular tool for removing body hair, followed by the electric razor. Use of the body razor—a product designed specifically for body hair removal—is very low comparatively.
The groin is the most common area for male body hair removal, followed by the chest and underarms. Removing underarm hair appears to be the latest growing trend in male body hair removal.
The increase in body hair removal among all age groups suggests that men are continuing to remove body hair even as they age. If this pattern continues, the men's hair removal market could experience explosive growth over the next 10 years.
According to Multi-sponsor Survey's account executive Cherie Godbold: "This trend suggests the men's hair removal market is ripe for new products to facilitate body hair removal and after-care products to soothe and enhance skin's appearance."
The 2014 Study of Men's Grooming Appliances and Tools, second in a trended series, was conducted by Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey. Online interviews were conducted in May 2014 via among a national sample of 1,172 men age 18 and older.