According to market research firm The NPD Group, Inc. men’s grooming tools are among the largest dollar growth drivers in the overall personal care industry. Product categories including men’s facial skincare continue to grow at a rapid pace.

Men’s grooming has hit a groove, NPD said:

• Over nine in 10 men use some type of grooming product, which can include facial and body skincare, shaving, hair care and fragrance.
• The men’s grooming industry generated $964 million in department store sales across the United States in 2011, an increase of 11% versus 2010.
• Facial cleansers, excluding bar soap, facial lotions/moisturizers and lip products are the most commonly used products among male facial skincare users.
• Men’s facial skincare grew 11% in dollar sales in 2011.
• Facial skincare product users are likely to be ethnic men and men aged 18-34.
• Popular culture, particularly appearance of facial hair among celebrities, has helped drive men’s grooming tool sales. Still, even if facial hair has sprouted as fashionable, research indicates that many men want to control hair growth on the body as much as on the face, NPD noted.

According to the market research firm, over the 12 months ending in June, dollar sales of men’s electric shavers and men’s trimmers gained 9% and 12%, respectively. In addition, dollar sales of facial trimmers grew 13%. Pen trimmer sales grew 22% and nose/ear trimmers sales grew 19% in units, and now those particular grooming products together account for 13% of men’s trimmer dollars. Body groomer unit sales gained nearly 16% over the 12 months ending in June, NPD indicated. Body groomers skew toward the under-35 age group and are most popular among men under age 25, the company asserted.

“Even though the overall personal care industry is currently flat, the men’s grooming categories are showing healthy growth,” said Debra Mednick, executive director of The NPD Group’s home business. “Men are purchasing the tools to help them get their look, and looking good sells.”

Karen Grant, vp and senior global industry analyst, The NPD Group, said,  “Men have become increasingly conscious of the perks associated with looking good. They have a heightened awareness that looking good may provide them an advantage in the workplace as well as in their personal lives. Men have different skin than women and the men’s grooming brands need to continue educating them as well as make them feel comfortable in the shopping environment to gain sales in this category.”