Now, men can take the beauty trip

It's becoming an all-beautiful world. If you thought women are the only ones being pampered by the cosmetic companies for that perfect makeover, take a look around.

The new customers of the beauty industry are men what with various skin-care brands, both national and international increasingly targeting them with their products. While within India, we have Emami and kaya skin clinic wooing the male fraternity with their products and services, internationally there are brands like Clarins and Shiseido pitching in with their wares.

French cosmetics and skincare major, Clarins, has come out with seven products for men and will be launching three others soon.

These products range from Active Face Scrub and Under Eye Serum to Moisture Balm and Total Wrinkle Control. Besides, it has also come out with a product called 'Fatigue Fighter' for men that claims to provide tired skin with an "immediate, refreshing boost" to eliminate signs of stress and fatigue.

The company recently opened an outlet at Hyderabad Central and will soon open a 'beauty studio' that will provide various services for skin-care. However for men, the treatment at the beauty studio will be restricted to facials only.

Says Gilles Beroud, vice-president (Asia) at Clarins, "Around 12 per cent of our revenues in India come from the sales of men's products as compared to six per cent in Thailand and around seven per cent in Singapore. This shows that men over here are highly conscious of their looks."

The decades old company launched products for men approximately two years back.

Besides Clarins, another international brand offering its products to Indian men is Shiseido. This Japanese company, offers 10 products for men ranging from Cleansing Foam and Energizing Formula, to even an Eye Soother and Body Creator Abdomen Toning Gel.

Closer home, we have Emami Limited's fairness product for men "� Fair and Handsome "� that has been exclusively launched in Andhra Pradesh around a month back.

"The response in the last one month has been good and while we thought that our customers would start from 18-year olds, a large number of teenaged schoolgoing boys are trying out this product," Mohan Goenka, director, Emami Limited says.

The company has already achieved sales of Rs one crore in the state and according to Goenka, they will be launching this product in other southern states soon.

Explaining the rationale behind the increasing focus of men on their looks, Rakesh Pandey, chief executive officer, kaya skin clinic, says that the world has become a global village wherein working men have to travel, meet clients, make presentations and win contracts.

"That's why they are more conscious of their looks now so that they can present themselves well," he adds. Interestingly, in south, the skin care clinic gets a good 30 per cent of its revenues from men.