Men's Grooming in Japan

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Poor weather hinders growth in 2019 but new product development adds interest

Over the review period, men’s bath and shower and men’s deodorants registered among the strongest performances in men’s grooming, driven by rising awareness of sumehara, which translates as “smell harassment”. With more women in the workplace, men are becoming increasingly conscious of how they smell, and are now more focused on cleaning and personal hygiene.

Convenience continues to have a strong influence on purchasing decisions

The demand for convenience also plays a strong role in the distribution landscape for men’s grooming, with mass channels such as drugstores/parapharmacies, convenience stores and supermarkets being the most popular. With men becoming more open to using a wider range of products retailers started to expand their ranges of men’s grooming products towards the end of the review period.

Mandom Corp maintains its leading position

Mandom Corp maintained its lead in men's grooming in value terms in 2019, largely thanks to the strong loyalty shown to its Gatsby and Lúcido brands. Whilst the company was traditionally known for its hair care products, as demand for styling agents has declined in Japan, the company has started to shift its focus to skin care and deodorants, which it believes to have stronger growth potential.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Sales of men’s grooming are now expected to decline by 2% in 2020 in 2019 constant value terms in light of the impact of COVID-19. This compares to the expected 0% growth forecast for 2020 during research conducted at the end of 2019 before the spread of COVID-19.

Affected products within men’s grooming

Some of the hardest hit areas by COVID-19 include men’s fragrances and men’s deodorants, as with consumers forced to remain at home they have no need for products such as these. This also applies to products such as men’s hair care, with styling agents becoming largely superfluous with offices closed and social events put on hold.

Recovery and opportunities

Men’s grooming would have received a boost from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but this has now been rearranged for 2021, which should help the category to see a temporary spike in sales. More men are expected to take part in sport and exercise due to the games, which should help to support demand for products such as men’s deodorants, while the anticipated arrival of large numbers of visitors should also boost sales.

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