As an increasing number of young men in Indian metros opt for hairless bodies inspired by Bollywood hunks like John Abraham and Salman Khan, Philips India is looking to cash in on the opportunity through its products in the male grooming category.
Apart from selling just electronic shavers, the company has launched body groomers targeting young males mostly in the age bracket of 16-24 years, with an aim to tap a market which is estimated to be around Rs 1,500 crore at present.
Interestingly, the penchant for the young men to keep their body hairless is also partly driven by the fact that many women found too much body hair on their partner a “turn off”, according to a survey by the company.
“What we found was that the days when a thick carpet of body hair was considered the epitome of masculinity, like Anil Kapoor used to be, are over,” Philips India Director Marketing (Personal Grooming & Health and Wellbeing, Consumer Lifestyle) Aarushi Agarwal told PTI.
Young men now want to have a body like John Abraham, she said, adding that the trend was also visible in smaller towns.
The company sees this inclination of young men wanting to look clean and stylish as an opportunity and has launched as many as 11 new products in the male grooming category in the last 12 months.
“Going forward, this is the rate at which we will introduce new products,” she said, adding, the items would also be developed based on the requirements of the Indian market.
For instance, the company’s body groomer, which was launched last month priced at Rs 2,495, was developed keeping the Indian consumers in mind. It allows a user to either trim body hair or completely shave, Agarwal added.
Even in the facial styling category, Philips has also introduced new items like the ‘Aqua Touch’, priced at Rs 3,295 and Rs 4,195, that provides the option of shaving with or without water, she said.
Bullish on the male grooming segment, Agarwal said: “As per third party estimates the market is about Rs 1,500 crore and is expected to double in three to four years and right now it is growing at 20 per cent.”
A survey by Philips India in collaboration with research agency Hansa, among 500 respondents between the ages of 18 and 25 found that 65 per cent men feel comfortable with the idea of removing body hair below the chin.
The survey conducted in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi found that 61 per cent of men disliked body hair, while 80 per cent of women said too much body hair on their partner “is a turn off”.