Shave, Trim Or Style
Efforts to capitalize on style trends could prove a two-edged sword.
Sales of razors and blades this year will be partly driven by the dichotomy between clean-shaven and facial-hair grooming.
Picture Daniel Craig's James Bond using a straight razor in the film "Skyfall," pitted against Gillette's "Masters of Style."
Gillette's Masters — Andre 3000 Benjamin, Gael Garcia Bernal and Adrien Brody — have endorsed Fusion ProGlide Styler, launched last year as a three-in-one battery-operated shaving tool, priced at $19.99, that allows men to trim, edge and shave their facial hair.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble (P&G) kicked off the year by drawing attention to clean-shaven men, versus those with facial hair, with "Kiss and Tell" social experiment events. On a recent 15-day city tour, P&G surveyed women about how they feel about clean-shaven men and those with stubble. At kissing booths around the country, women rated how pleasurable it was to kiss smooth- and stubble-faced men.
"Clean-shaven has been the heritage of the [Gillette] brand," says P&G spokeswoman Susan Baba, who represents male grooming for Gillette and Braun. "That is not the aesthetic ideal anymore." The Masters of Style campaign, she notes, is the first time Gillette has featured men who aren't clean-shaven.
Results of the Kiss and Tell experiment will be revealed on Valentine's Day, along with the launch of a new sensitive skin care line that includes the Fusion ProGlide Silvertouch razor.
"In the razor/blade aisle, beard and facial hair trimmers may move to the forefront for major manufacturers," says Amy Ziegler, global personal care analyst for Chicago-based researcher Mintel Global.
"The majority of innovative product development is likely to come from the shave prep segment, where lower price points enable consumers to experiment," Ziegler continues. "There's been a lot of talk about unique and specific skin conditions, which has created a demand for more specialized shaving solutions."
On the disposable razor side, Bic Consumer Products USA, based in Shelton, Conn., is extending its Bic Soleil franchise with a Shave & Trim razor for women, which has an SRP of $7.49.
"This new product is the only disposable razor and bikini trimmer in one. It allows women to keep only one razor handle to both shave their curves and trim their bikini area, making grooming easier," explains Mary-Ellen Lacasse, Bic's director of marketing-shavers.
While style trends are helping to grow the shaving products category, the under-performing economy still appears to be a factor for shoppers. "Consumers continue to look for the right balance of performance and value in the razor," Lacasse says, noting the growth over the years of Bic Hybrid Advance 3, Hybrid Advance 4 and Soleil Savvy, all of which offer the convenience of a system shaver with refillable cartridges, but at a disposable razor price.
"We'll see an increase in disposable introductions, from both the top players and private label brands, in an attempt to capture price-conscious consumers," Ziegler observes.
Online Orders
"There's also the possibility for nontraditional purchase practices to increase," Ziegler says, noting last year's launch of the Dollar Shave Club for men (www.dollarshaveclub.com), an online subscription service that charges $1, $6 or $9 per month for razor blade cartridges.
It's been seven years since Gillette introduced the Fusion system for men in 2006, and the company's pattern has been a new system every eight years.
Until the next big blockbuster shaving innovation is introduced, the industry can expect "modest sales gains after relatively flat sales during the economic recession, with sales forecast to experience modest growth through 2016. Sales have been fueled by the nondisposable razor segment, likely driven by innovations in the men's razor segment from Gillette, Schick and Bic," Ziegler notes.
"In the razor/blade aisle, beard and facial hair trimmers may move to the forefront for major manufacturers."
—Amy Ziegler, Mintel Global