Male grooming business is a Rs 16.8 billion market; young men invest in make-up, beard products

Numbers, unlike mirrors, don’t lie. And data shows that business in the male grooming industry is, well, looking good. What is driving it and what are the payoffs? An expert panel at the ETPanache Dialogues on Grooming has some answers.

It is not certain if Jim Morrison really said, “Some of the worst mistakes in my life were haircuts.” But Val Kilmer, playing the Doors frontman in a biopic, did say it in the film. Morrison was also known to trim his own locks. And therefore, it can safely be interpreted that the wavy-haired sex symbol’s relationship with mane maintenance — and perhaps grooming? — was complicated.

But for most Indian men today, grooming is an enjoyable, necessary part of their routine. The products and services at their disposal have improved too. Crucially, men’s grooming is a huge market — valued at Rs 16,800 crore by Assocham in 2018.

An average Indian man, according to a 2019 Mintel report, spends 16 minutes on grooming his body, 14 minutes on his hair and 12 minutes on his face. There’s a lot more going on than just a shower and shave.