OH YOU SEXY MAN! SYNOVATE SURVEYS PERCEPTIONS OF MALE BEAUTY

Here’s a bit of fun for all you guys and girls to ponder over the Festive break.

Synovate has released findings from a global male beauty survey showing that 64% of Australian men don’t consider themselves sexy, and don’t feel that using men’s beauty products affects their masculinity (65%). And in good news for manufacturers, 64% of Aussie men use beauty products created for, and marketed to, men.

In October, Synovate took a look at male beauty in 12 markets across the world, including Australia, speaking with nearly 10,000 people about beautiful blokes and what makes them that way.

Who’s sexy?

Of the nearly 5,000 male respondents across the globe, less than half (49%) agreed that they are sexy, much higher than the modest Aussie bloke (only 36% thought of themselves as sexy). Blessed with Adonis complexes, 81% of Greek men think they are sexy, closely followed by the Russians (80%) and South Africans (78%). At the other end of the scale, 78% of Malaysian males said they are not sexy, along with men from China and France (both 66%).

Ciao Bello!

So where are the best-looking men found? The survey asked all respondents which one country has the best-looking men. There was a clear winner among the named countries… say ‘ciao Bello’ to Italian men! The top four places to visit to snag yourself a good-looking man across all markets studied were Italy (11%), USA, Russia and Brazil (all 8%).

The fact that Italy was on top when it comes to looks was even more impressive as it was not one of the markets surveyed. These men clearly have an excellent reputation for looks all across the world.

Most respondents were very patriotic and nominated men from their own country. Julie Beeck, Managing Director of Synovate in Australia, said it is great to see that women were more likely to go for handsome home-grown men than look abroad.

“Almost half (48%) of Australian women surveyed think the best looking men come from Australia, followed by men from Italy (10%). We certainly appreciate our good-looking Aussie blokes.”

Hey, good-looking

So are men’s looks actually important? Male respondents were asked to rank just how important their appearance is to them on a five-point scale. Overall, just over a third of male respondents (34%) rate their looks as very important to them. This was as high as 61% in South Africa, 55% in Brazil and 53% in Russia.

The markets with the fewest men saying ‘very important’ were Australia (where only 12% say their looks are very important to them) and the US (15%).

“Australian men are less concerned about their appearance than men in many other countries. It’s not that they don’t care, but other factors are just more important to Aussie guys, possibly career success, spending time with friends or material possessions. The underlying culture of Aussie mateship is also likely to take precedence over time spent by a guy on his appearance,” said Beeck.

Beauty basics hit the bulls-eye

With this in mind, what is the bare minimum a man must do before he can be considered handsome? This was a question posed to respondents and the number one basic requirement is that a man practice good hygiene, including having fresh breath.

Pleasing women could be easier than men think. It turns out keeping it simple and sticking to the basics is far more important to women than it is men. Almost one third (27%) of all Australian women said that good hygiene was an absolute necessity before a man could be considered handsome, followed by a great smile (25%) and carrying himself with confidence (18%).

The survey also asked men what characteristic would they least want to have, and then asked women what characteristic they would least like their partner to have. The top response for men was body odour and a big belly (31%), while women wouldn’t want a man with body odour (45%) or bad breath (22%) – and only 15% of women are fussed about big bellies!

Potions and lotions…for blokes

The top three most used products by Australian men are deodorant at 88% usage (phew!), cologne or after shave at 65% and sun cream at 64%.

“The importance of good hygiene and looking after yourself supports the growing market for men’s ‘cosmetics’.  Men are moving beyond just cologne to be open to using other products as well, like facial wash (37%) and conditioner (59%), which were once the domain of women only,” said Beeck.

So, how do products specially designed for men and marketed to men go? Overall, 64% of Australian men use them so tailoring products to men’s needs is clearly worth it for beauty companies.

A hairy issue or a close shave?

To shave, or not, can also be something of a, err… hairy issue. Synovate asked male respondents across the globe whether or not they preferred the way they look with a clean-shaven face and, in good news for razor companies, 78% of men agreed that clean-shaven was best.

Most likely to embrace the beard, however, were men from Greece (34% disagreed they preferred to be clean-shaven), Australia and Brazil (both 25%) and Canada (24%).

The study also asked women whether they preferred the look of clean-shaven faces, and the women most open to facial hair on men are from Canada (30% disagreed), Australia and the US (both 26%).

Bob Michaels, US-based Senior Vice President of Synovate’s Consumer Insights group, said, “It’s no coincidence that all three of these countries have a pioneering history and a love of the outdoors. But there’s also the celebrity factor… while most American women still seem to prefer the clean-shaven look, celebrities like Brad Pitt and George Clooney have made the ‘five o’clock shadow’ synonymous with sexy. Women are conceding that they don’t mind a little stubble on a man’s face – it’s considered rugged and masculine.”

Male beauty: Taboo or beautiful opportunity?

Michaels said while the survey uncovered some fun facts there is a serious side to male beauty too.

“Men don’t comment on each other’s appearance. They wouldn’t dream of dissecting male celebrities’ or sportsmen’s looks. And they don’t discuss beauty routines or products. In the absence of discussion and debate, men are open to well-delivered influence,” he added.