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“He wouldn’t be seen using it…” Men’s use of male grooming products as a form of invisible consumption

Byrne, AD; Milestone, KL

Authors

KL Milestone



Abstract

Skincare products are well-established amongst female consumers. The market for male skincare products is
far more recent and little research has been undertaken on this emerging sector. The practice of men using
what was traditionally a product almost solely aimed at women poses some interesting questions about
changing gendered identities and practices. Themes emerged from a series of interviews with respondents
and key informants from industry about men’s use of skincare products. Based on our findings, we explore
the importance of age as a factor in terms of men’s willingness to engage with this form of consumption.
Our research showed that men are not comfortable talking with others about their grooming practices. We
argue that men’s skincare consumption is an invisible form of consumption. As our findings show, men do
not tend to speak openly about whether or not they use moisturiser and other facial skin care products. We
concur with Hakim’s (2016) analysis about the pressure for men to continually improve their bodies in order
to try to obtain market advantage in a cut-throat neoliberal context. However, with the case of skin care
products, men may introspectively gaze in the mirror in contemplation of their improved appearance gained
from using facial skincare products but they want this consumption to remain invisible to others. This
invisible consumption could be viewed as an indication of wider uncertainty about masculinity in late
modernity and the continuing trend for men to feel that there are certain aspects of their life that they feel
they should keep to themselves.

Citation

Byrne, A., & Milestone, K. (2022). “He wouldn’t be seen using it…” Men’s use of male grooming products as a form of invisible consumption. Journal of Consumer Culture, 23(1), 146-147. https://doi.org/10.1177/14695405211066314

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 12, 2021
Online Publication Date Feb 27, 2022
Publication Date Feb 27, 2022
Deposit Date Jan 10, 2022
Publicly Available Date Jan 10, 2022
Journal Journal of Consumer Culture
Print ISSN 1469-5405
Electronic ISSN 1741-2900
Publisher SAGE Publications
Volume 23
Issue 1
Pages 146-147
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/14695405211066314
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1177/14695405211066314
Related Public URLs http://www.uk.sagepub.com/journals/Journal201468

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