Obi Anyanwu

The Corona-Beard: Men’s New Quarantine Hobby

As people around the world continue to acclimate to quarantine, many men are turning to new grooming routines to experiment with their appearance and pass the time.

No one could have predicted or prepared for how long mandated lockdowns would last given these unprecedented times. As the days progressed, grooming practices maintained normalcy, but over time and with barber shop closures, men have become lax about their grooming routines with many growing what is being dubbed as the “corona-beard.”

The Shifting Attitudes Behind Men’s Growing Grooming Routines

Is the men’s hair, grooming and skin care segment ready for the spotlight?

The segment has been touted for its potential for years, with many predicting a boom to no avail. But with men’s shifting attitudes toward grooming, that explosion may finally have arrived.

More men’s brands specialized in hair and grooming for all hair types, skin care, personal care, genderless products, makeup, nail polish and even ingestibles are entering the market than ever before. All seem to agree that the men’s segment is red hot and only getting hotter.

The usual suspects still dominate the grooming and men’s hair coloring categories, according to IRI figures for the calendar year ending Dec. 27, 2020. Specifically Harry’s, Gillette and Schick for razors accounted for $503.7 million in sales, and Just For Men’s hair dye accounted for $183.9 million of the $193 million in men’s hair coloring sales. Harry’s recently raised $155 million in Series E funding led by Macquarie Capital and Bain Capital, increasing its total valuation to $1.7 billion, and its total funding to date to $652.4 million.

Has Manscaping Gone Mainstream?

Millions of Americans are returning to some form of pre-pandemic life. And as citizens revert back to their old lives, they are resuming their previous self-care practices and retaining some newfound habits inspired by months of a sedentary lifestyle. For men, that means going back to reopened barbershops, sticking to new skin care and hygiene routines, maybe keeping their pandemic beard and, also, manscaping.

Manscaping, or the act of trimming or shaving body hair on the chest, neck, ear, nose and groin among other areas, has been a quiet practice for years. Men have typically done it in private for themselves or for their partner(s) and never really openly discussed the practice, though the results were obvious and apparent on the beach and at the gym.

How Grooming Is Introducing Men to Self-care and Redefining Masculinity

Though men initially take an interest in skin care in their youth to combat acne and learn how to shave, that’s more out of practicality than mental restoration and relaxation.

The past 10 years saw the rise of grooming brands and barber shops like Dollar Shave Club, Harry’s and Frank’s Chop Shop, among others. Still, the focus was on facial hair and hairstyling, despite players like Kiehl’s, Malin & Goetz and Aesop expanding their skin care businesses exponentially. Men have more options today, but at one time they borrowed products from their significant others, helping popularize unisex fragrances and skin care.

Last year saw a rising acceptance of men’s makeup and nail polish, which was a favorite among celebrities like Harry Styles and Evan Mock, as well as designers like Virgil Abloh. Modern grooming brand Faculty launched with nail polish and in May 2021 secured $3 million in seed funding led by the Esteé Lauder Cos. Inc.

Exploring Genderless Skin Care and Fragrance

Skin care and fragrance may be big industries to disrupt — but the genderless wave is coming.

Much like the fashion industry, the beauty world is segmented by gender, with products produced and marketed to women and men. However, the rise of genderless skin care and gender-free fragrance may be poised to start a silent revolution in the multibillion-dollar industry.