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How is the Consumer Affected?
The personal care market for the longest time has focused its marketing efforts on attracting female customers. They use unrealistic beauty standards created by society to push their products and make money. It is not difficult to see how this could be damaging to most women. Telling women and young girls that you need to look a certain way and that only their products can get them there creates a toxic and unhealthy image. This is not only an opinion as a Today and AOL survey found that women spend about 55 minutes a day on beauty prep while another survey estimates that women spend $300,000 in their lifetime on just their faces. (3) In general, women’s purchases account for 80-90% of the estimated $500 billion beauty care market. (3) It is safe to say that the personal care industry is fueled by the purchases of women and this is why their advertisements are geared towards women. These statistics, however, reveal a horrible truth on the societal pressures women feel. Studies show that when people thought women had a chance at attaining equal status with men, they were more likely to think that women should be spending more time on beauty. (3) This is the sad truth of our current society. Companies have fortified these stereotypes to the point where consumers associate a woman’s success with her looks. A successful man is not expected to look a certain way however, when we think of a successful woman, we assume part of that success is due to her looks. The personal care industry is partly to blame for this reality. For it is their advertisements that subconsciously tell women what is needed to look good and that it is up to them, what they want their man to look and smell like. Still, there is hope.
As society begins to change so does the personal care industry. Companies have begun to realize the lack of male representation in the industry and have started to shift their focus towards men. Companies like old spice are now attempting to normalize a man’s personal care needs with campaigns such as their “Men have skin too” campaign. The campaign aims to acknowledge the fact that men too have needs and that they deserve the same quality products women do. (4) Although companies are increasing advertisements towards men it is not simply to break gender role stereotypes. It is estimated that the men’s personal care market will reach $166 billion by 2022. Companies have realized the potential men’s personal care has and have begun to test the waters with new companies specifically for men. It is apparent that times are changing and with 30% of Gen Z men surveyed who were interested in or would consider using cosmetics, companies now shift their focus onto advertising their products towards a male audience and normalizing the use of such products. (5)
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