Mintel’s figures reveal that the men's toiletries market grew by 17% between 1995 and 2000 to reach £585 million. In real terms, however, the market declined by 3%. Slow fragrance sales have dampened growth overall. Fragrances account for almost half of the market in value terms and have been subject to the pressures of price discounting and other types of promotional activity. Limited new product development among men's grooming ranges has also contributed towards poor sales.

By age, the research shows that younger male consumers continue to show the most interest in personal grooming. Worryingly though, there were 14% fewer men aged 15 to 24 in 2000 compared to 1990. By contrast, there were an additional 1.3 million men in the 35 to 54 age group over the same ten year period. Male grooming manufacturers continue to target teenagers and young adults with new brands and concepts, despite the fact that older consumers are increasing in number.

"In the future, older people will become an even more important sector of the population and marketers of men's grooming products will need to find ways of appealing to them if they are to exploit this growth opportunity" comments James McCoy, Senior Consumer Goods Consultant.

Mintel has dug up some other interesting insights into male pampering. It also found that the majority of men spend an average of 11 to 15 minutes on personal grooming every morning. A further 35% spend between 16 minutes and an hour, those most likely to undergo longer periods in the bathroom falling into the teenage lifestage. Unsurprisingly the average male loses interest in fragrances as he grows older. Those aged over 25 prefer to use non-fragranced mass brands to please themselves rather than to win over the opposite sex.