Move over ladies! The 21st century man is shattering gender stereotypes and barging into a domain traditionally dominated by women — grooming.
The third Friday of August — today — is celebrated as Men’s Grooming Day but a study of the twin townships reveals that an increasing number of men do not wait for this one day in the year to take care of their looks.
“Looking good is my birth right! Look at the animal kingdom and you’ll find the male of every species from the lion to the peacock look more attractive than the female so why the taboo with humans? Which scripture says beauty is a woman’s domain? Why should I wait for the Pujas to go to the parlour? I want to look good round the year,” Abhishek Paul of FD Block argues.
And he has lots of company. Men comprise half the clientele at some unisex parlours. They are buying beard oils, undergoing hair spas and manicures, flaunting waxed chests and bleached faces to look their best. So much so that some salon owners readily admit men to be better clients than women!
Manicures for men
When Satin Rose opened in FE Block in 1996, it was meant exclusively for women. “But husbands waiting outside would enquire if we had anything for them and so we began serving men too,” says founder Jolly Chanda. “At the time men had no clue there was any haircut other than the matchbox one and were too embarrassed to do pedicures and manicures. Yet now men make up 30 per cent of our clientele.”
John Sengupta, a faculty member at INIFD Saltlake, says grooming is an extension of personal hygiene. “Our hands and feet are exposed to the elements so monthly manicures and pedicures are a must. We stay in air-conditioned environments and so the skin needs facial treatment twice a week. The hair needs wax, gel and mousse to be set in shape and a change in beard is in order when you want to change your personality,” says the designer who sports a slight stubble when attending casual events and a thicker beard to traditional occasions.
A customer checks out products at The Man Company kiosk in City Centre. Brinda Sarkar
CL Block’s Shayan Mitra Mustafi remembers small men’s parlours coming up in Salt Lake since the early 2000s. “But since the pandemic, I have been relying on Urban Company staff coming home,” says Shayan, a design, branding and marketing strategist with the apparel and textile industry.
Over the years, Jolly has observed changing trends too. “Previously actors like Anil Kapoor and Dilip Kumar were considered macho with their hairy bodies but then Salman Khan arrived, took off his shirt to flaunt a clean-shaven chest and changed everything. Now anyone with a gym-toned body or anyone planning to wear unbuttoned shirts goes for body waxing or polishing first.”
Young at heart
It’s not just college-goers who want to indulge. The verdict across salons, beauty care shops and customers themselves is that mature residents don’t want to miss out either.
Nidhish Kejriwal, shy of 50, has never felt better about himself. “Looking and feeling good begins from the mind,” says the CL Block resident. “I eat healthy, sleep enough and work out for inner wellness. For the outer glow, I go for hair spas, manicure, pedicures, daily shampoo and conditioning if the air quality is poor.” The chartered accountant looks up to Anil Kapoor and Suniel Shetty, as despite being in their 60s both look terrific.
“Mature clients don’t ask for grey coverage any more. They ask for highlights,” says Subhajit Chowdhury, a partner at the Infinity parlour at GD Block and City Centre 2. “Hrithik Roshan’s salt-and-pepper undercut hairstyle from the film War is still a rage among this age group.”
Jolly of Satin Rose says that after an age when life gets monotonous, men want to be pampered and come for pedicures, manicures, oil massages and spas. “They don’t expect to look like 20-year-old matinee idols but just come to feel good,” she says.
A man gets his hair styled at Satin Rose in FE Block
At Infinity, so many retired men had started saying they were uncomfortable at having female staff do their facials that the management has now hired male beauticians for the job. “It’s fair to say our male-to-female ratio of customers is now 50:50 and at our City Centre 2 outlet we have even arranged twin pedicure stations for husbands and wives,” says Ronnie Sen, a partner at the parlour. “Many men also drop by for a quick session while their wives go, say, sari shopping at the mall.”
Shayan speaks from his professional experience when he says that the 35-to-50 year age group means bigger business than those in their 20s in the fashion and grooming industry. “This age group has a higher disposable income. Also, by the time they hit middle age, they start putting on weight and realise the need to invest in their looks,” he says.
Gents only
The men’s grooming market has been growing rapidly in India. According to market estimates, the industry is expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2024, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 11 per cent. Across our townships, shops selling men’s grooming products are just as optimistic.
The Needs store at Baisakhi saw a jump in the sale of beard trimmers post lockdown. “Youths especially, are influenced by the lush beards of Virat Kohli or Yash, the hero from the K.G.F. films,” says Sathi Saha of Needs. “As for creams and face washes, there are brands like Fair & Handsome but men prefer those that have no association with women, such as Beardo.”
Glow & Glamour, the cosmetic shop near Kwality More, has an entire eye-level shelf dedicated to men. It has Beardo beard softener, Ustraa beard wash, beard growth oil, de-tanning cream, as well as ayurvedic
face scrubs and hair oils. “Men comprise 30 to 40 per cent of our clientele,” says the attendant Piyali Bhattacharya.
“Those in their 20s buy hair gel, face wash and deodorant but the 35-plus age group buys much more — face cream, night cream, sun screen, moisturiser as well as hair dryers, beard trimmers and body shavers.”
The Man Company has a dedicated kiosk at City Centre since last year selling beard oils, beard serums, peel-off mask and more. “Our sets of multiple products are popular gift items for anniversaries and birthdays,” says Ayaaz Hossain from behind the counter. “If men use, say, regular shampoo on their beards it would cause itching and affect the hair texture. And besides, women wouldn’t use men’s creams so why should men have to use theirs?”
Arup Das at the Revlon kiosk at City Centre says marketing makes all the difference. “Our hair colours, for instance, are unisex but some packs come with pictures of men on them. Male customers prefer picking these up as there’s a slight taboo about them using women’s products,” he says.
Customers like Shayan have a favourite brand of face wash, body wash, biodegradable loofah, pumice stone, neem comb, shampoo, conditioner and hair oil that they uses with lemon juice. He also adds dental floss, mouthwash and biannual dental scaling as grooming must-dos.
Better customers
Subhajit of Infinity has no qualms admitting that men make more satisfying customers. “Not only are they big spenders but they are more experimental. With women it’s simply hair straightening and keratin treatment but men want to change their look every three or four months. The salon is not a luxury but a necessity for them,” he says.
Jolly too says men want a complete transformation every time they come. “Especially before a wedding or special occasion,” she says.
Then there are men like Abhishek who do change their look but not if there’s an occasion coming up in two months. “That way I still have time to make alterations if the look doesn’t suit me. He goes for home-made masks, bleaches, body scrub, massage and a pedicure every fortnight. “I’m in the publishing business and deal with teachers so have to dress conservatively. Else I’d have liked to sport a stud on my ear too.”