The Groom Boom Is Real—And It’s Redefining How Consumers Buy Everything

From hyper-specific searches to ingredient transparency, men’s grooming shows how all brands must evolve to win the next generation.

MyTelescope trend signals highlight a market moving from scent-led novelty to science-backed performance, with lessons for every marketer.

For decades, men’s grooming was a category defined by habit and heritage: predictable shaving products, mass-market deodorants, and rugged scents that telegraphed masculinity more than they delivered real skincare benefits. But new MyTelescope demand-search insights show a market in rapid transformation—one driven increasingly by Gen Z men who want ingredient transparency, clear functionality, visible results, and smart tools.

These shifts aren’t just interesting for beauty brands. They’re a revealing signal of much broader change: consumers—regardless of category—are becoming more educated, more intentional, and more demanding. And search behavior is where those changes show up first.

Key Findings:

• CeraVe Men leads growth with a staggering 2337% increase in trend index, driven by searches for “moisturizing cream for men” and “hydrating facial cleanser for men.”
• Philips Norelco dominates in search volume, with “electric shavers” and “OneBlade 360” leading queries, contributing to an 84% trend increase.
• Dr. Squatch maintains high interest (+25%), with “soap” and “deodorant” as top search terms, alongside rising interest in themed products like “WWE” and “One Piece.”
• Bulldog Skincare (-21%) and Lumin (-9%) show declining trends, despite niche interest in products like “sensitive moisturizer” and “hair growth gummies.”
• Product-specific searches dominate across all brands, reflecting a shift toward informed, targeted consumer behavior.

CeraVe Men’s Explosive Rise—and What It Represents

The standout story is CeraVe Men, which has grown an extraordinary 2337% in trend index since 2021. Searches like “moisturizing cream for men” and “hydrating facial cleanser for men” show the power of simplicity and ingredient literacy. This is a brand succeeding not through lifestyle positioning, but through dermatologist-backed trust and a product architecture that mirrors how younger consumers talk about skin health.

The insight is simple: Men don’t want complicated routines. They want the right routine. And they want products that work—not ones that simply smell “masculine.”

Innovation Wins: Philips Norelco and the Rise of Pro-Grade Grooming

Philips Norelco’s strong performance (+84%) reflects another clear shift: men are upgrading their tools. Searches for “electric shavers,” “OneBlade 360,” and the “nose trimmer 5000 series” highlight interest in devices that deliver precision and efficiency—two attributes increasingly valued across lifestyle categories.

Men may not browse the grooming aisle, but they do research, compare, and seek recommendations online. TikTok demos and YouTube tutorials now shape the path to purchase as much as traditional advertising ever did.

Storytelling Still Matters: Dr. Squatch’s Identity Advantage

Dr. Squatch’s sustained momentum (+25%) underscores the importance of brand personality—even in a market leaning toward science-backed solutions. Searches tied to WWE and One Piece editions show how the brand taps cultural fandoms to spark attention, gifting, and loyalty.

This is a reminder: When a category becomes more technical, storytelling becomes even more essential.

Signals from Declining Brands: Bulldog and Lumin

Bulldog (-21%) and Lumin (-9%) both face increasing competition, despite niche interest in terms like “sensitive moisturizer” and “hair growth gummies.” Their challenges reflect something bigger happening across consumer categories:

• When ingredient-led brands rise, mid-tier players struggle to differentiate.
• When routines simplify, multi-step regimes lose relevance.
• When consumers become more informed, surface-level marketing becomes insufficient.

In short, the bar has moved—and continues to rise.

Why the Boom Is Happening Now

Beyond the search data, cultural forces are accelerating the shift:

• Gen Z leads the charge: According to Barclays, 42% devote a larger share of income to grooming than previous generations.
• Retailers are responding aggressively: Target, Walmart, and Walgreens have expanded men’s skincare offerings.
• Luxury fragrance is exploding: A premium scent is now considered an entry point to the category.
• TikTok has become the grooming classroom: Men trust real demonstrations more than stylized campaigns.

And the biggest behavioral change? Men are buying skincare for themselves—and often gifting it to others.

Recently quoted in Glossy, Augusto Garzon, Global Brand VP for Unilever’s Men’s Personal Care portfolio, put it bluntly: “Men are unapologetic about caring for their skin now.”

The cliché of the “uninterested male consumer” has evaporated.

Beyond Scent: Why Performance Is the New Battleground

Search signals show that men are moving away from fragrance-led products with little functional benefit. Instead, the strongest demand aligns with skin-health-first formulas, lightweight textures, and multifunctional solutions. The real disruption is what analysts call functional grooming—products that hydrate better, absorb faster, or nourish more effectively.

This trend puts pressure on brands still relying on old formulas and new scents. Fragrance may help define identity, but it no longer defines value.

Why This Matters for Every Marketer—Not Just Personal Care Brands

Men’s grooming is now a lens through which we can understand larger consumer behavior shifts. The dynamics shaping this category—search specificity, ingredient transparency, TikTok-driven education, premiumization, and simplified routines—are appearing everywhere from food to financial services to home goods.

Across sectors, consumers increasingly want:

• Products that do something meaningful
• Credible proof, not clever positioning
• Clear benefits they can articulate themselves
• Authentic demonstrations, not scripted campaigns
• Streamlined solutions that reduce choice paralysis

The grooming category is simply experiencing these shifts earlier and more visibly.

Five Actions Marketers Should Take Now

To translate these signals into action—regardless of category—marketers should prioritize:

1. Speak the Language of Outcomes, Not Just Branding

MyTelescope confirms that consumers search for benefits, functions, and solutions.
Marketers must mirror that clarity:
What does your product do, quickly and credibly?

2. Make Ingredient—or Feature—Transparency a Trust Builder

Whether it’s skincare formulas, nutritional ingredients, battery performance, or sustainability claims, today’s consumers reward brands that show their work.

3. Treat Content as Education, Not Promotion

TikTok and YouTube have redefined the customer journey.
Demonstrations, “explainers,” and behind-the-scenes content now drive more demand than traditional creative.

4. Simplify the Consumer’s Life

CeraVe’s rise highlights the power of streamlined options.
Marketers who reduce friction, steps, or decision fatigue create advantage.

5. Win Through Meaningful Innovation

Philips Norelco grows because its tools actually get better.
Dr. Squatch grows because its storytelling gets sharper.
Brands that merely “refresh” lose ground in this environment.
Real performance—not cosmetic updates—wins loyalty.

Final Thought

The transformation of men’s grooming is not merely a category trend. It’s a cultural and commercial signal—one that tells us consumers have entered an era of intentional self-investment, informed decision-making, and elevated expectations of brand performance.

For marketers everywhere, the message is unmistakable:

When consumers get smarter, brands must get sharper.
When consumers demand clarity, brands must deliver truth.
When consumers prioritize results, brands must perform.

Men’s grooming just happens to be the category showing this most clearly—and most urgently.