A University of Otago Marketing Department study shows that use of cosmetic grooming products has become widely accepted by young New Zealand males. Senior Lecturer Dr Lisa McNeill and L’Oreal scholarship honours student Katie Douglas recently recruited a group of 18 to 22 year-old males to take part in in-depth interviews regarding their use of, and attitude towards, grooming products. The study indicates that men’s awareness of their appearance is increasing, and that appearance is becoming important at an earlier age than in days of yore.
The study made several key observations, including that the men “were very functional about their grooming choices, needing to see the products as practical solutions to specific needs, rather than providers of beautification.” Dr McNeill says that males are generally happy to use grooming products, but only in a way that tied into their image of masculinity. “Men want to be the pretty boy to the ladies, but around other men they want to be the rugged man.”
The full study has recently been published online in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.
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