Cosmetics Sales Booming Among Gen Z Japanese Men

By Elizabeth Gibson for The J-Pop Exchange

Long gone are the days when cosmetics and multi-level skincare routines were only for women.

All across the world, men among Gen Z -- or those born in the mid-1990s and after -- are buying more moisturizers, anti-wrinkle products, serums, make-up, and other cosmetics.

In Japan in particular, the craze is so popular that Gen Z men are spending almost 20 percent more per month on cosmetics than the rest of the Japanese population, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.

More broadly, while the cosmetics market declined in Japan in 2020 due to the pandemic, like many other markets did, the men's cosmetics segment has recorded a 4 percent increase, according to data presented by the firm Intage.

According to the Japanese online publication Hot Pepper Beauty Academy, Japanese men between the ages of 15 and 19 spend 5,607 yen ($51.30) monthly on basic cosmetics; those in their 20s spend 5,410 yen ($49.50).

The COVID-19 pandemic may have had a big impact on this surge and played a big role among men’s cosmetics in Japan.

The spread of the coronavirus has boosted the popularity of Zoom meetings, business conference calls, online friendly hangouts and social gatherings, and social media -- namely TikTok -- many people have moved the majority of their social presence online. As people are seeing their own faces more, they may feel inclined to want to look and feel better.

However, the upward trend began long before the pandemic. Cosmetic companies started taking the plunge into producing lines of products for men several years ago. Only now is it gaining more traction.

In 2018, Chanel launched a line of makeup for men called “Boy de Chanel” that contains a varnish, an eyebrow pen, a lip balm, a concealer, and tinted foundation, all the make-up essentials that could be found in a woman's makeup bag.

And this year, former baseball star Alex Rodriguez created his own line of makeup for men in collaboration with Hims & Hers. One of the items in that collection is a concealer stick intended to camouflage dark circles, wrinkles, and other imperfections.

“To some guys, a few pimples or razor burn might seem like no big deal, but for many it’s something that can really weigh on their self-confidence and there [aren't] many viable solutions out there to address that,” said the Hims & Hers co-founder and CEO Andrew Dudum.

Additionally, as brands start to offer more gender-neutral cosmetic products and a growing number of male, non-binary, and gender-fluid models and social media influencers advertise for makeup brands, younger consumers are bound to hop on the make-up train, gender roles notwithstanding.

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You can learn more about Hims & Hers along with their products and services here.

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Addittional resources:

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