New research from Mintel shows that the market for men’s fragrances in China grew by 20% from 2008 to 2011, while growth in the women’s fragrance category was standing at 10%.

“The word perfume often has feminine overtones among male consumers, however, thanks to the popularity of Japanese and Korean TV dramas, fashions from these countries are shaping Chinese men’s perceptions of personal grooming,” said Lui Meng Chow, China research analyst at Mintel. She continued, “As a result of this trend, younger male consumers are shifting away from their conservative traditions and have been impressed with concepts which promote individual expression. This has caused manufacturers to launch male specific brands, including toiletries, despite the fact that they were previously associated with being a woman’s product.”

The stats also indicate that a growing number of males are starting to use prestige fragrances. Prestige sales grew in value by 19% to RMB 422 million by 2011. Indeed, while mass fragrance annual percentage growth rate stood at 6% in 2011 – for prestige it was 8%.

“Now this trend is extending into prestige and luxury brands and products, from aftershave to eau de toilette. Most Chinese males tend to enter the beauty care category in the middle to high-end product category, buying into those products with credible quality, thus they are willing to spend more in their first experience of grooming products,” Chow explained.