Men's Grooming in Malaysia

2021 DEVELOPMENTS

Stronger growth for men’s grooming in Malaysia as people return to the workplace and socialise again

Men’s grooming demonstrated strong growth in 2021, driven not only by a relaxation of COVID-19 related restrictions in the course of the year as the threat level of COVID-19 declined, which saw a greater return to the workplace and socialising, but also by the increasing attention being paid by men, particularly younger generations, on their appearance.

Gillette retains overall leadership of men’s grooming as it continues to expand its portfolio to maintain consumers’ attention

Despite reduced focus on shaving by men in the first half of the year when work-from-home mandates remained in effect, brands continued to innovate with new launches, in preparation of the likelihood of a return to the workplace or socialising as restrictions are relaxed. One area of men’s razors and blades which has attracted greater attention from players is the development of products which address sensitive skin, including Procter & Gamble with its leading men’s grooming and dominant men’s shaving brand Gillette.

Increasing fragmentation within the competitive landscape as smaller players continue to gain ground in 2021

Men’s grooming remained a fairly fragmented competitive landscape in 2021, despite double-digit value share held by leading multinationals Procter & Gamble, Mandom and Unilever, in addition to L’Oréal and Wipro, which remained highly active in launching new products and marketing products in various categories within men’s grooming. However, like overall leader Procter & Gamble with its Gillette brand which is synonymous with men’s shaving, Gatsby and Brylcreem in men’s hair care, and Garnier Men and L’Oréal Men Expert in men’s skin care all lost ground to smaller players as local males became increasingly open to trying innovative products that offer some level of differentiation or searched for more affordable products online.

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Stronger future growth potential predicted for men’s grooming in Malaysia

Men’s grooming offers potential for stronger future growth from 2022 onwards, driven by the increasing attention being paid by men, particularly younger generations, on their appearance. Men’s bath and shower and men’s skin care will be particularly early strong growth drivers, followed by men’s hair care, with value sales set to be supported by increasing interest in more advanced formulations and greater segmentation.

Niche of premium men’s grooming set to gain further share

While remaining a niche overall, premium men’s toiletries continued to gain value share and recorded noticeable growth rates in 2021; this trend is predicted to continue into the forecast period, as Malaysian males, particularly urban younger consumers, become increasingly willing to spend money on products that they perceive to offer higher specific value in terms of certain claims. This trend therefore offers further growth potential for premium brands to expand within the category moving forward and will mainly be driven by men’s skin care, particularly as the latter continued to see impressive growth rates through the entry of new brands, while other names more affiliated with women’s skin care such as Kiehl's, are continuing to add to their men’s skin care ranges with the latter offering products such as Facial Fuel Daily Energizing Moisture Treatment for Men SPF19 due to the stronger potential for growth from a low sales base.

E-commerce offers both competitive pricing through online discounting campaigns and specialised sites for men’s grooming

E-commerce gained further value share within men’s grooming in 2021 as consumers searched both for convenience and greater product variety by moving online to take advantage of home delivery options. However, the channel is likely to further penetrate men’s grooming over the forecast period, with consumers increasingly attracted by both competitive prices due to regular price promotions offered by the likes of Guardian and Watsons, as well as the opportunity to find more niche brands which may not be available from mainstream retailers, therefore offering greater differentiation.