Although usage of haircare and skincare amongst men is near universal, men continue to stick to what they know and trust, meaning usage is driven by essentials. However, as 49% of men who use haircare and facial skincare products are willing to add more steps to their routine, expanding the range of products used by men will be a strong opportunity to restore value growth in the market.

The market was struggling prior to COVID-19 as price competition eroded vales sales, but priority shifts during the pandemic impacted usage of certain haircare and skincare products in 2020, driving a 10% decline in value sales to £153 million in 2020.

As some of the usage habits gained in the short term may have longevity, the outlook for men’s haircare and skincare is challenging. Haircare in particular is vulnerable as men have reduced their use of styling products. As this segment accounts for a significant proportion of spend, innovation will be important to renew interest in hairstyling, with products that help men embrace their natural hair texture likely to resonate.

Growth in the online market during 2020 will present brands with opportunities to improve the retail experience for men. Brands can learn from innovations in women’s BPC, where a lot has been done to help women find products that suit their individual needs. Meanwhile, the online channel can also be used to improve transparency as sustainability gains importance.

• The impact of COVID-19 on men’s haircare and skincare.

• Usage and purchase of men’s haircare and skincare during the last 12 months.

• NPD and interest in men’s haircare and skincare innovations.

• Opportunities to drive premiumisation in men’s haircare and skincare.

• Strategies to drive engagement with new products.

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:

• Shampoos, including anti-dandruff/medicated shampoos and two-in-one shampoo and conditioners

• Conditioners, including rinse-out and leave-in conditioners

• Treatments, including hot oils, serums, masks and sprays

• Styling products, including all products that are used to style, sculpt or fix the hair, such as mousses, gels, gel sprays, jelly, styling sprays, lotions, serums, gums, glue, paste, mud, clay, waxes, creams, milks, styling water, glosses and hairsprays.

Hair colourants are excluded from this Report but are covered in Mintel Report Hair Colourants – UK, January 2021.

• Moisturisers

• Cleansers, including soaps, scrubs, washes and wipes

• Masks and treatments

• Specialised products, such as lip balms and eyecare.

Bodycare products are excluded from this Report but are covered in Mintel Report Hand, Body and Footcare: Inc Impact of COVID-19 – UK, August 2020.

The first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the UK at the end of January 2020, with a small number of cases in February. Rapidly rising case numbers led to the first national lockdown, starting on 23 March. It wasn't until 15 June that non-essential stores were allowed to reopen, followed by pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers on 4 July, and many beauty businesses on 13 July.

By September, it had become clear that the UK was at the start of a second wave, and social distancing measures were intensified. Continued increases in infection numbers led to Wales implementing a two-week national lockdown from 19 October, England announcing a month-long lockdown from 5 November and Scotland introducing a new five-level system of coronavirus restrictions.

Despite these restrictions, however, case numbers continued to increase. All four UK nations tightened restrictions in January 2021, effectively leading to a full UK-wide lockdown.

On 22 February, Boris Johnson announced the roadmap to an easing of restrictions in England, starting with the reopening of schools on 8 March, followed by easing of restrictions on outdoor gatherings on 29 March, and with a hoped end to all restrictions by 21 June. The Welsh and Scottish governments also gave more details on their plans to ease restrictions, with both nations taking a slightly more cautious approach to the one planned for England.

The UK’s vaccination programme started on 8 December 2020, and with the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines licensed for use in the UK, the government aims to offer a first dose of the vaccine to 32 million people by mid-April.

Mintel’s economic assumptions are based on the OBR’s central scenario included in its March 2021 Fiscal Sustainability Report. After the fall of 9.9% over the course of 2020, the scenario suggests that UK GDP will grow by 4% in 2021 and 7.3% in 2022.

GDP isn’t expected to return to pre-COVID levels until Q2 2022, although this is six months earlier than the OBR forecast in November 2020, mainly because of the faster than expected rollout of vaccines.

Unemployment is expected to peak at 6.5% in Q4 2021. As with GDP, this is more positive than the OBR’s November forecast, but the OBR does raise the prospect of long-term scarring on employment, especially in the more exposed retail and hospitality sectors.