Why store brand makeup could have an audience with men

Although private beauty products are still not as popular as private label food products, there is still massive growth potential in the category — not to mention demand. There is such demand for private label beauty products that even hard discounters such as Dollar General and ALDI have developed their own store brand beauty collections.

The private label beauty industry has quickly turned into a multimillion-dollar segment, with eye cosmetics alone reaching a value of $25.2 million in 2018, according to market researcher Statista.

Now, there is more good news for private brands in the segment. According to a survey from market researcher Morning Consult, one-third of young men said they would consider wearing makeup. The Sept. 24-26 survey was conducted among 2,142 U.S. adult men.

According to the survey, 33% of men ages 18-29 said they would consider wearing makeup, while another 30% of men ages 30-44 said they'd be open to the idea as well.

While young men's attitudes about beauty differ from their male peers, there's widespread agreement on caring about one's appearance. Men ages 18-29 are more likely than their elders to reject the idea that it's taboo for men to wear makeup, and they are less likely to report discomfort over using products primarily marketed toward the opposite gender, the survey stated. Younger men are also 15 points less likely to agree that makeup is for women.

Morning Consult found that male consumers are most interested in tinted moisturizer, concealer and coverup. Coverup, concealer and tinted moisturizer ranked high in a list of products men would try, while feminine staples such as blush and mascara ranked lower.