5 Takeaways from Attest’s beauty and grooming 2022 report

Beauty and grooming routines, like fashion, were also partially affected by the pandemic, with many shoppers turning to DIY techniques and sustainable products to counteract restrictions and environmental disasters that took over the past two years.

A new report by Attest has outlined what the most important factors are for British consumers, after the data firm carried out a study of 1,000 UK-based consumers. FashionUnited has detailed highlights of the findings, which look at everything from male beauty routines to the downfall of ‘vegan’ marketing.

Men want to be included too

Attest’s research found that 39 percent of male consumers are buying makeup, with nearly a quarter of them stating that they purchase it at least once a month. Millennial men were more likely to buy makeup, followed by Gen X and Gen Z, suggesting that brands should be turning their sights to more ‘gender-neutral’ marketing strategies, something 10 percent of male respondents said they were attracted to.

Men were also found to be the biggest spenders for general cosmetics and grooming. A segmented group consisting of 56 percent male participants, defined by Attest, were found to be spending at least 75 pounds per month on products and take 45 minutes or longer on their beauty and grooming regime.

This came in comparison to figures representing the average Brit, who was found to spend 10 to 25 pounds a month and took up to 30 minutes on their routine.

This group also suggested a bigger interest in trying new brands and were more likely to engage with brands on social media, specifically looking for those with strong purpose and values.

Clean ingredients are a must

While the need and desire for sustainability is on the rise, it was natural beauty that had consumers more interested according to Attest’s report. A total of 45 percent of respondents said natural ingredients would peak their interest in comparison to the 31 percent who said they looked to sustainable qualities of a brand. ‘Natural’ was also the most favoured marketing term, outshining ‘free of harmful chemicals’ and ‘environmentally friendly’, which came in fifth place.

It was people aged over 40 who expressed the most interest in both sustainability and natural ingredients, with the younger generations trailing behind on these qualities.

DIY beauty treatments reign supreme

The rise in at-home beauty trends can mostly be accredited to the pandemic, which had consumers looking into alternative ways to get their treatments. Many took to doing their own hair, nails and other forms of care, something that has seemingly continued after restrictions phased out.

In fact, Attest found that 85 percent of consumers do at-home beauty and grooming treatments, the most popular being face masks or facials, which were followed by eyebrows and hair masks.

At-home male grooming, though not as prominent, was also still a factor for consumers, with millennial men showing the most inclination towards DIY beauty.

Influencers hold less weight in marketing

While beauty influencers are a seemingly large part of marketing cosmetics, British consumers said that influencers were the least likely reason they would purchase or interact with a brand. Out of seven different content types, collaborations with influencers came last, outperformed by beauty advice, information on new products and discounts and special offers, which came first.

Additionally, while social media is still an important part of beauty and grooming marketing, with 58 percent of respondents stating they interact with beauty brands on these platforms, Attest suggested turning brand investments into sampling products, which was found to be the most powerful form of marketing.

Animal-welfare is a consumer priority

Looking into the most attractive terms for British shoppers, Attest found there was less interest in ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’, each only appealing to under 12 percent of respondents. Meanwhile, ‘cruelty-free’ hit the top three favoured terms, garnering a result of 36 percent.

Attest said in its report it was unclear why consumers were not attracted to the term ‘vegan’, pointing at the potential that shoppers could be assuming there are no animal products in an item or that they are fine with animal-derived ingredients as long as no harm was inflicted.

Generation X, aged 41 to 55, were shown to be the most insistent on animal testing, naming it as their top priority.