By Tiffany Hsu

Makers of hair care, fragrance, anti-aging treatments, moisturizers and other grooming items are salivating over a growing group of potential customers:  Dudes.

In its new “Men’s Grooming Consumer Report,” research organization The NPD Group Inc. says the market for male prettifying products is gaining traction.

Already, more than nine in 10 men spruce up using some sort of grooming product. And although only a quarter use facial skincare items such as lip products and acne treatments, revenue grew 11% in 2011, according to the report.

“There is a huge opportunity with men for facial skincare,” said Karen Grant, a senior global industry analyst with NPD, in a statement. “The challenge is getting them involved and engaged.”

But companies may get less resistance from black and Latino men as well as younger men, Grant said. “Need-based opportunities seem to be most pronounced” with those demographics, she said.

Ethnic men already spend $88 million a year on skincare products, according to an infographic from men’s skincare company Zirh.

And younger men tend to be more open to trying new beauty routines, the graphic shows. While more than three quarters of men over age 65 still rely on bars of soap, less than half of guys ages 16 to 24 do. Those men are also less likely to use talcum powder but much more inclined to use facial scrubs.

Overall, American men – whose skin tends to be 15% oiler than women’s – shell out nearly $10 billion a year on their appearances, according to the graphic. Grooming products claim $3.3 billion of that.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-mens-grooming-npd-20120208,0,880788.story

Men and women may know what they like, but is their behaviour governed by emotions or chemicals? Michael Hanlon finds out.

Do gentlemen prefer blondes? Photo: Rex Features

Women are turned on by strong, silent types. Men think about sex every seven seconds. Women go for alpha males, but men avoid successful women. So we’re told, at any rate – but is it true? Is love dictated purely by biology, or can we still believe in the magic of romance? This Valentine’s Day, we sort the science from the clichés.

Gentlemen prefer blondes: FALSE

Last month, researchers from the University of Westminster sent a woman to three different nightclubs with her hair dyed brunette, blonde and red, and recorded how many men approached her, and how they rated pictures of her. The study found that although the “blonde” received far more offers on the dance floor, the “brunette” was rated higher for perceived attractiveness and intelligence.
Does this tell us anything? In most societies, blondes are much rarer than brunettes (more than 90 per cent of us have dark hair), so it may simply be that in a dark, noisy environment, blondes stand out. In fact, most evidence shows that men’s preference is swayed more by fashion than biology. In the Sixties, brunettes took over as the epitome of beauty when Jackie Kennedy supplanted Marilyn Monroe. In the Eighties, blondes reasserted themselves – the Diana effect.
Women prefer gloomy men: TRUE

Ever wondered why the life and soul of the party usually goes home alone? It’s because women prefer men who glower rather than smile, according to Canadian scientists. They showed about 1,000 men and women several hundred pictures of both sexes in various states of cheerfulness, and asked them to rate them in terms of their “gut feelings” of lust and desire. “Men who smile,” says Professor Jessica Tracy, “were considered fairly unattractive by women.” Psychologists believe that what attracts women is not so much gloominess but pride – a puffed-out chest, a jutting chin, a look of steely determination and mild aggression. Men, however, prefer women who looked happy, and are least attracted to those who seem proud and confident.

Smell matters: TRUE

In Swedish folklore, to capture someone’s love, you should carry an apple in your armpit for a day then give it to your intended. There could be a grain of truth here: “We humans have very smelly armpit regions capable of producing molecules that it is difficult to see the function of, other than sexual signalling,” says Dr Peter Brennan, an expert in olfactory processing at Bristol University. A 1998 study from the University of New Mexico also showed that during their fertile periods, women prefer the smell of “symmetrical” men (see below).
Men think about sex more than women: TRUE

All studies show that men are more likely to think about sex, and have relations with more partners – probably because in evolutionary terms, the prospect of pregnancy and motherhood meant that women needed to think carefully about potential partners. That said, the old idea that men think about sex every seven seconds has been comprehensively disproved. Recent research by scientists at Ohio University found that on average, young men think about sex every 40 minutes (about as much as food); for young women, the average is 90 minutes.

Symmetry is a turn-on: TRUE

Well, up to a point. Back in 1991, Swedish zoologists noticed a correlation between the attractiveness of male barn owls to females and the symmetry of their feathers. On the whole, humans follow suit: it’s thought that symmetry is a marker for genetic “fitness”, since an asymmetric appearance in animals is associated with a higher level of mutation. Symmetry also acts as a marker for “averageness”, another highly attractive feature. One study, carried out by the appropriately named biologist Randy Thornhill, suggests that women even have more orgasms when their partner’s features are symmetrical.
Women prefer tall, ‘masculine’ men: TRUE

What makes a desirable man? Tastes vary – except when it comes to height. Studies show that across every society, women prefer men who are taller than the average (or just taller than they are). On the other hand, smaller women are more attractive to men. Whether this preference is cultural or genetic is unclear. But ideals of male beauty are in many ways the precise opposite of the female kind. Lots of surveys indicate that a prominent brow, a strong jaw and a strong chin are all seen as highly desirable by women, although more “feminine” looks (indicating lower testosterone levels) are preferred by those seeking a long-term partner rather than a short sexual fling.
Opposites attract: FALSE

It is a long-cherished myth that true love often strikes those with wildly different backgrounds, temperaments or interests. But when choosing a partner, most of us are programmed to go with what we know. Research at Cornell University on 1,000 volunteers found that people look for potential mates who are “in their league” – equal in intelligence, looks and status. (For men, this trend towards equality in a female partner may be new – see below.) “We are attracted to people who like us,” says Dr Robin Gilmour, a social psychologist at Lancaster University. And that usually means people who are like us.
Love is all down to hormones (and other chemicals): TRUE

Love, say scientists, comes in three stages: the initial buzz of desire, followed by a deeper bond of attraction, and finally the warmth of attachment. All three are closely determined by our hormones. For unbridled lust, we have to thank the hormonal sexual sledgehammers testosterone (in both sexes) and oestrogen. The deepening bond of attraction is down to rising levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, all of which make us feel calm and reduce anxiety. And attachment? The “cuddle hormone”, oxytocin, and another called vasopressin seem to have the effect of increasing trust and encouraging bonding.
Men are turned off by successful women: FALSE

The rise of the alpha female is one of the most striking features of modern society. A century ago, intelligent and capable women were frustrated by laws and conventions that kept them out of the professions, and were not even seen as desirable mates. Now, such women are succeeding sexually as well as professionally. Fifty years ago, male surgeons married nurses; now they are as likely to marry other doctors. This effect is seen most strongly in IT and engineering, which until recently were strongly male-dominated. In Silicon Valley, the influx of women has led to a proliferation of high-flying techno-families.
Women are choosier: TRUE

The growth of speed dating has been a boon to psychologists, since it offers the chance to gather huge amounts of data in almost laboratory-like conditions. And every study has found the same thing: men, given the chance, will assess their potential mates just as closely as the women. A study in 2004 found that both sexes make a decision within three seconds of seeing their potential partner, based almost entirely on looks. As might be expected, females are looking for tall, fit-looking men who can make them laugh and project a degree of material success. Males look for ideal waist-hip ratios, wide eyes, youthful, feminine faces, and clear, healthy skin. The difference is that most women hold out for something approaching their ideal, whereas men happily throw out their wishlist and make offers anyway – on average, between five and 10 times as many per speed-dating session.

Familiarity breeds contempt: FALSE

Most assume that romance cannot survive decades of quotidian familiarity. But three years ago, researchers at Rutgers University in the US found that the brain activity of people in very long-term, reportedly happy relationships (more than 20 years together) was identical to those who had just fallen in love. Specifically, activity in the ventral tegmental area, a group of neurons that are key to intense emotion, was almost identical. There were interesting differences, though; while the euphoria remained, activity associated with obsession and anxiety was replaced by feelings of calm.
It’s good to talk: PARTLY TRUE

In 2004, John Gottman, a clinical psychologist at the University of Washington, caused a stir when he unveiled a mathematical formula said to predict with 94 per cent accuracy whether a couple would be together four years later. According to Gottman, one important factor – more important than being madly in love, or your genetic profile – is how you have arguments (rather than how often). If strongly negative comments, sarcasm and contempt emerge more than sparingly, the relationship is almost certainly doomed.



Lotion is lotion, shampoo is shampoo and shaving cream is shaving cream … right?

If the contents of our local drugstore aisles are anything to go by, the answer would be “no.” His and hers products line the shelves, with packaging and product names that are targeted specifically for each sex. Big brands like Dove (Dove’s Men + Care) and L’Oreal (Vive Pro for Men) manufacture gender-specific products that use stereotypical ideas of masculinity and femininity to target shoppers. Men’s products tend toward science imagery (check out the “ions” on Degree Men) and pro tool-shapes (doesn’t the Dial For Men container look like a car oil bottle?), while women’s packages showcase flowers, fruit and cocktail dresses.

The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research organization, told HuffPost that the average American man uses six products each day, totaling 85 unique ingredients. That compares to 12 daily products for women — and an average of 168 different ingredients. But aside from a difference of sheer volume, there’s often very little that separates what men and women are using in their bathrooms.

One major divergence? Fragrance, according to Dr. Bobby Buka, a New York City-based dermatologist. “They’re certainly scented differently, but in terms of the ingredients for male skin … versus female skin, it’s really identical,” Buka told HuffPost.

That’s not to say that the only difference in all sex-specific products is the fragrance. Buka said that some female-oriented products may have added botanical ingredients — things like Indian gooseberry and licorice root — simply because women may tend pay more attention to holistic skin care ingredients than most men do. Again, this is a difference of consumer desires, rather than needs. For the most part, male and female skin problems and solutions are indistinguishable, he said.

There are a few exceptions to this: women tend to have more problems with skin discoloration like age spots, which are attributed to estrogen levels, so some of the female-oriented skin care products may have more lighteners than a unisex or male-oriented product, Buka added. And in his practice, he’s noticed more female patients come to him for help with fine lines and wrinkles, skin texture and skin tone than male patients, which may exemplify more of a female interest in these skin issues.

“But if I did have a male patient coming to me with the latter issues, I’d treat them the same way,” Buka said.

Even though the benefits and uses of personal care products aren’t specific to gender, some of the dangers associated with using these products could be: “Some ingredients are hormonally active; some of these are specifically linked to male reproductive system disorders,” explained Leeann Brown of the Environmental Working Group in an email to the HuffPost. “For instance, phthalates (a possible component of “fragrance”) have been associated with altered hormone levels in men and boys and sperm damage.”

While none of the products examined for this story have been tied to health problems, it’s interesting to note the differences in ingredient lists — and potential effects — of many gendered products. Below, a sample from a typical drug store:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/mens-grooming-products-different-womens_n_1264137.html

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There is a relatively new dichotomy in men’s apparel, and a new language to go along with it. Words like “murse” (yes, man purse), and “mewelry” (man-jewelry) have been introduced into our vernacular to describe new products for men.

I’ve noticed this phenomenon with my own husband (although he may not want me to share, I will). He is the perfect example of a new breed of men: In the last five years, even though he may not admit it, he cares more about fashion. He doesn’t shave on weekends, but still carefully chooses his “rugged wear” clothes. He’s started wearing more tailored suits and skinny ties, and belts have become a serious accessory. Simply put: He cares more. But, that being said, he would never get a man-icure, wear a mankini, mewelry, or even colored jeans. And he would never carry anything called a “murse.” Ever.

This blurred line between what we used to think of as “metrosexual” and men who just don’t care had us wondering: Who is this modern man? Since my husband wouldn’t partake in the fun, we asked my other favorite men – the men of TODAY: What are their grooming and fashion routines? And believe me, this man-signment was so much fun…

MATT LAUER:
On the weekends, Matt wears jeans, but not dad jeans. And don’t EVER call his “briefcase” a murse. “I do not spend a lot of time thinking about what I wear on the weekend,” he said. “I do care about my appearance, but I’m also on television, so you have to.”

AL ROKER:
Al likes products from The Art of Shaving. As for fashion, he loves suspenders. We loved that Al let us give him a metro makeover, but I’m not sure any of the ideas stuck. Al is a great dresser already, and comfortable in his own skin … just don’t expect he’ll ever carry a murse!

WILLARD SCOTT:
You won’t see him without his signatureflower. “My personal style is so simple. I can do it for funerals, I can do it for cocktail parties, boat launching. It’s a blue blazer, a blue shirt, and then if you open it up like this and take the tie off … I think (I’ve been wearing the flower) for 60 years. Somebody in elementary school sent me a flower and asked if I’d make an announcement about a school fair. I’ve been wearing it ever since. This is identity. They do all these surveys about TV people, and even if they don’t know who I am, they go, ‘That’s the guy on the TODAY show with the flower.’ ”

CARL QUINTANILLA:
Carl would wear gray every day if he could. “I pick out my clothes. My wife is asleep when I get dressed and I set it out the night before so I don’t wake her up. Although … my wife should probably pick out my clothes.”

JEFF ROSSEN:
Jeff has been to the Clinique counter to buy makeup. They asked him if he was buying it for someone special in his life. He was, only it was him! He also uses hair spray and carries a compact (don’t be surprised: He’s on TV!). And he was a great sport to try a spray tan for the my report, but let’s just say he didn’t hate it! Meet Jeff “Snooki” Rossen!

What do you think about the male grooming boom? Would you carry a murse – or would you let your man carry one?

Men are very particular with their beard styles. Improper or over grown beard makes them look ugly and unclean. Every year, new beard trends and styles are updated which helps a man try several looks with their beard. Few men are even inspired from handsome male celebrities who are well known for their beard styles. Which beard trend is the best for 2012? Take a look.

Beards trends for 2012:

Stubble: So who all love David Beckham’s beard style? Stubble is one of the easy to do beard style for men. You can use trimmer to set this beard. Stubble gives a rough and dirty look which many women love. Also stubble looks masculine. It is also easy to maintain as you can easily trim in few days depending on the hair growth. Stubble is one of the bets beard style for young men.

French beard: This can be well carried with formal look. This beard trend is not new for 2012. It was introduced long back and the style is still followed by working men. You can even try the semi-French beard by trimming off beard around your mouth like the Johnny Depp style.

Under lower lip: This is a simple beard style which looks clean. You can even try this beard with little stubble. Under lower lip beard trend is good for those young men who have little growth. You can set this beard with the help of a trimmer.

Medium beard: This is entirely rough but extremely fashionable beard trend of 2012. if carried with style and confidence, this beard can look great on men. Rough medium beard can be carried off well with both formal and informal look. Men with heavy face should avoid this beard style.

These are the beard trends of 2012. Which is your hot pick?


ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Six of Snow White’s seven dwarves have them, along with Merlin the Magician and Aladdin’s genie, and now men working at Disneyland and Walt Disney World can sport one too — a beard.

From next Friday, front line male employees at Disney’s parks and resorts will be allowed to grow a beard in the biggest change to the company’s conservative, clean-cut dress code since pantyhose became optional for female employees in 2010.

The change came during the company’s periodic review of employee requirements, and had been requested by some “cast members,” which is what Disney calls employees who work face-to-face with the public, Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said.

“We’re careful to maintain our heritage and the integrity of our brand,” Finger said.

The brand includes the “Disney Look,” described as fresh, clean, neat and approachable. The dress code governs everything from hair color and style to jewelry and fingernail length. The rules will require beards to be short and neat.

Facial hair had been banned at the Disney company since the 1950s opening of Disneyland in California, but that was relaxed in 2000 when the company allowed moustaches with strict rules on bushiness, width and length, said Eric Clinton, a Disney union leader.

Clinton said the response by younger workers to the change was: “Finally, I can take a vacation and grow a beard.” However, some of the more senior Disney employees “tend to be a little more traditional and consider this a departure from the heritage we’ve been taught by Disney,” he said.

Disney is also instituting “casual Fridays” when behind-the-scenes workers may wear neat jeans and polo shirts, and female workers may wear sandals.

People have had beards throughout time, and just for some reason, it seems like this particular beard has to have a comment or a question. Every single day. Five times, minimum.

I’ve always had this ambition to become a farmer. That didn’t really pan out, so I just continued to be a bartender.

I started in 2002, at a real small pub in San Diego. It was a Finnish pub: Finnish chef, Finnish owner, Finnish people. There was an item on the menu called a Sauna Snack. It was meatballs, sausage, lingonberry, and, like, potato salad. I don’t know.

A burrito in the Midwest is more like a tortilla wrap. I’m used to a gooey burrito in Southern California. It’s different here. They put a layer on, another layer on, and if you cut it in half, it looks like a turkey wrap.

I don’t think people in Chicago care as much about this whole “mixology” thing.

I like a place that has a warm environment but at the same time kind of a shittier, dive-bar environment to it as well. It’s more about just being around good people.

You don’t want to shit where you eat. I like to work in an upscale place where I’m actually serving quality products. And when I get off, I’m away from all that. I’m doing something completely different.

I have been known to drink Mudslides when I go to Miami or somewhere tropical, because I think it’s fun.

It gets in my beard, and it makes it look like I have a mustache.

Honestly, I’m a sucker for a really nice Manhattan or a really nice glass of tequila to sip on.

Sometimes it gets boring just slinging gin-and-tonics all night. Or just pouring beers all night. If someone comes up and says, “Hey, make me something,” it’s kind of a sigh of relief.

If you think, in this industry, that you know everything, then you should probably just go ahead and get out of it.

I feel like every single day I work, I’m learning something new. It sounds like BS, and it sounds cliché, but it’s true.

I think I’ve come to that point where you actually care about what you’re doing, and it’s not just a means to an end to get through college or whatever. It’s a career.

When I was a younger bartender, it was almost thrilling to cut people off, but now that I’ve gotten older, it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

The old Andy Samberg, just ruining it for everyone.

People are more genuine here, and being genuine here isn’t a chore.

I like the industry people — people who do the same thing that I do day in and day out. Just because they’re sitting on the other side of the bar. It’s nice to share a story with them or a quick shot or just make them something that puts them at ease.

I think there is a direct correlation between my beard and drunkenness.

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/bartender-wisdom-the-bedford-011912#ixzz1jxYIS9LK

Tuxedo wisdom has long suggested that, unless you’ve got a pencil mustache like the one Jean Dujardin wore in The Artist, facial hair turns black-tie into something less formal. Which, actually, is great news for the stylish men we’ll see on the red carpet at Sunday’s Golden Globes. Almost literally, it’s the drunken younger brother of awards shows (at least when compared to the Oscars), yet the presentation is never quite so casual that we see men in the sort of “creative black-tie” that passes for dressing up at the People’s Choice Awards. And, real celebrities actually show up — often, with the sort of grooming that wouldn’t fly at the Academy Awards (or shouldn’t, at least) but nonetheless turns their formalwear into something that’s festive enough for the Globes’ dinner-party-as-excuse-for-too-much-champagne-on-live-television. Thanks, Hollywood Foreign Press Association. (And, again, we hope, Ricky Gervais.)

Stubble, goatees, mustaches, but rarely beards: When looking at our list of the best dressed men at the 2011 Golden Globes, there’s nary a clean face in the crowd. Ryan Gosling, arguably Hollywood’s current style leader, always wears the kind of three-days’ growth that says, “Oh, damn, that event’s tonight. At least I have this perfect, black, velvet Ferragamo tuxedo slung over my club chair.” The spectrum goes outward from there: Last year, when Jake Gylenhaal looked like George Clooney in the making, he wore the platonic ideal of an evening beard — tapered down the neck, and evenly trimmed to a length that was millimeters past stubble but still short enough that none of those hairs would ever catch the wind. Perfect. Yet it’s always surprising to see how many men on that red carpet can get away with the sort of facial hair that would read as creepy (or even ugly) if these men were neither handsome nor recognizable. On a stranger, a goatee is something to shield your kids from. But on Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCarprio,Christian Bale, or any of the other A-listers who often choose to halo their mouth, it merely suggests they’re not shooting a project. That these rich men have some time to finally relax.

With the exception of Brad Pitt — whose ever-changing hair is as varied and exotic as the home countries of his children — it’s never the Old Guard who shows up with some scruff. Willing to bet that George Clooney will be clean-shaven, as will Martin Scorsese andJeremy Irons. They’ve been here before, they know the routine. And for those on the cusp like, say, Patton Oswalt, or Joseph Gordon-Levitt, they will pull out the Mach-3, too. Why take chances when things are going so well? Which leaves us with a crop of men in the middle — those like Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and the director Michael Hazanavicius, all of whom have gotten noticeable attention this year by taking a few chances. Those will be the ones competing with Master Pitt for facial-hair supremacy on Sunday’s red carpet. If they succeed, it could be the right move that makes them the Best Dressed Man at the Golden Globes 2012. And even if they go clean-shaven, they’ll still look better than those skinny-tie’d, kid-entertainers who haven’t even bought their first razor yet. Yes, Justin Bieber, we’re looking at you.

PLUS: The Golden Globe Style Nominees + the 2012 Golden Red-Carpet Fashion Awards Coming Sunday and Live on @ESQStyle

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/golden-globes-fashion-2012#ixzz1jgKkJmMC