Cordless Rechargeable
     Shaver
Philips Norelco 7310 and 7340
     Men's Shavers
Philips Norelco 8240XL Men's
     Shaving System
Philips Norelco 9160XL Men's
     Shaver
Philips Norelco Arcitec
     Men's Shavers
Philips Norelco BG2020
     Men's Bodygroom
Philips Norelco Facial Trimming
     Systems
Philips Norelco Hair Grooming
     Systems
Philips Norelco
     Moisturizing Shaving
     Systems
Philips Norelco NT9110 Nose and
     Ear Trimmer
Philips Norelco Speed-XL
     8140XL Men's Shaver
Remington Men's Shavers
Wahl Beard and Mustache Trimmers
Wahl Hair Kits and
     Trimmers

NEWS

Is This Right?
Forbes magazine writes:

Forget the metrosexual male manicure. Men now want an old-fashioned straight razor shave like grandpa would've got at the corner barbershop. But they want it with luxurious emollients, a $1,200 razor, a game of pool afterward - and maybe a bourbon or two.
September 24th, 2008

Wind Me Up
"The weirdest wind-up gadget yet," says the SmartPlanet website about the new Powerplus Piranha Dynamo wind-up electric shaver. It is designed to save energy. But as the website notes, a razor blade is probably more environmentally friendly.
September 20th, 2008

Men Dabbling in the Dark Arts of Cosmetic Enhancement
An Irish Evening Herald columnist has an epiphany. It's OK for blokes to wear concealer to hide their blackheads and spots.

I didn't know then that the 20th Century was out of kilter when it came to male cosmetics. Had I known that the men of all the great civilisations from the Minoans to the Egyptians thousands of years ago wore make-up as matter of course, I'd have been a little easier on myself. All the way through history, men dabbled in the dark arts of cosmetic enhancement. Why? For the same reason a bloke today wouldn't go to the pub with a stain on his jeans or spinach between his teeth.

On the rare occasions when you do meet a woman you really like, you might lie about your job, your car and what you earn, in order to convince her that you're potentially beddable.

A touch of concealer? It's just another little white lie. And you're already a genius at that.
September 17th, 2008

Blood Everywhere and Your Face Looks Like a Plucked Chicken
A British reviewer critiques razor commercials:

Anyone who has used a traditional razor blade will know it doesn't work like the adverts claim. On TV there is a rugged man who looks happy as he shaves with one swift flick of the wrist. In real life, it takes nine attempts, and by the end there's blood everywhere and your face looks like a plucked chicken.
September 16th, 2008

Conquer Your Neck, Conquer the World
I live in Australia, so can't enter. But this "Conquer your neck and conquer the world" contest looks great. It's sponsored by Philips Norelco to promote their new arcitec shavers. First prize: a trip for two to Alaska, Belize, or the Galápagos, including guided tours with a National Geographic expert and "exciting adventures on land and sea".
December 7th, 2007

Second Puberty
Philips Norelco has launched its nose and ear hair trimmer, still so new that no reviews have yet been posted at Amazon.com. You can watch at YouTube an amusing video about the product, titled "Second Puberty, Every Man Goes Through It".
December 2nd, 2007

The Great Unspoken Truth about Men's Toiletries
A journalist for The Scotsman discovers that the tide of manhood is turning:

Ironically, though, the great unspoken truth about men's toiletries is that women are often the ones who buy them. Over 60 per cent of British men don't even buy their own soap, never mind indulge in the delights of scrub. Also, if they're in a relationship, they can easily develop a secret beauty routine without ever having to venture out of the house. For many men, grooming products have long replaced condoms as their worst chemist shop nightmare, so why risk public humiliation when there is a never-ending supply of everything you could possibly need in a bathroom cabinet near you?

Not long ago, I reached for my trusty apricot facial scrub (which I firmly believe is the only thing preventing me turning into a rhino) only to find the jar in disarray, as if a large bear had scooped out a pawful and made off with it. The telltale detritus of used scrub was all over the basin and most of the walls. When I confronted the nearest thing to a bear in my household, he showed no remorse, which proves to me beyond all doubt that the tide of manhood is turning.
September 12th, 2007

Create a Buzz for Braun
A PR release from Braun:

Braun is challenging the country's brightest business school students to create a buzz for the billion dollar brand. Known throughout the world for its superbly designed and engineered electric shavers and household products, Braun is seeking marketing plans for its electric shaver business from students currently enrolled in some of the nation's highest-ranked business schools. The winning marketing plan will be awarded $40,000 - to help toward business school tuition.
September 11th, 2007

You Have the Rolex - But What about the Nose-Hair Clipper?
Essentials for the male medicine cabinet, says the headline over a photo-essay in Forbes magazine:

You have the Rolex Submariner, the summer home in the Hamptons and a Porsche Boxter to get you there. Your degree from Harvard Business School sits next to your latest plasma, digital whatever.

But do you have a pair of sleek nose-hair clippers?

"Some of the most business-savvy men tend to forget about health and grooming essentials," says Vic Sosikian, owner and founder of the Los Angeles men's day spa Mark Matthew. "Items like a good facial cleanser, a pair of nail clippers or pain medication are an afterthought, but very important [nonetheless]."
July 31st, 2007

Teaser
It's called a teaser ad, and that's exactly what it is - a 35-second YouTube video for "the new face of male shaving". Frankly, I haven't a clue what's being promoted, though I assume it's a new shaver.
July 19th, 2007

Looking to Clean Up In Japan
The Boston Globe carries a fascinating report on Gillette's attempts to sell the Fusion razor to the highly discriminating Japanese.
June 25th, 2007

Esquire's Best
Esquire magazine features a mini-survey of shavers:

* Best Design - Axis Air

* Easiest Shave - Philips Norelco Arcitec

* Fastest Charge - Sanyo SV-RX10

* Editors Pick - Braun 360° Complete
June 20th, 2007

Exciting, But Not Messianic
I didn't know Popular Mechanics did shaver reviews. They've just looked at the new Braun Pulsonic, and they like it. A lot.

The arrival of Braun's new Pulsonic shaver is an exciting moment for grooming, if not a messianic one.
June 12th, 2007

Japanese Men Want More Hair
Increasing numbers of Japanese are growing facial hair, according to the Mainichi Daily News.

"In particular, a large number of baby-boomers (who have recently retired) say they want to grow mustaches and beards. I guess they feel like doing so after becoming free from their company life-styles," says Nori Takeuchi, a spokesman for Kamisori Club, a shaving goods shop in the Minami-Aoyama district of downtown Tokyo.

...In response to the trend, Tobu Department Store's Ikebukuro outlet opened a space for shaving goods and combs for mustaches and beards, each priced at about 10,000 yen [$83]. At Takashimaya Department Store's outlet in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district, sets costing 100,000 yen [$830], made up of shavers and devices to care for mustaches and beards, are selling well.

Propia, a wig manufacturer, put on sale 0.02-millimeter-thick false beards and mustaches in summer last year. They are selling well and at some of its outlets 200 or more are sold a month.
June 8th, 2007

How Neck Hairs Led to the Remaking of an Icon:
Business Week previews the forthcoming Arcitec electric shaver from Philips.
June 1st, 2007

Damn Close
The closest electric shave ever? asks Gizmodo about the Braun Pulsonic:

I'm still a wet-shave kinda guy. The Pulsonic comes damn close, but there's just no comparison. Where the Pulsonic wins is convenience. In less than five minutes I can get a nice, close shave and not have to worry about cuts. That alone would make me drop $200.
May 26th, 2007

Men's Grooming Quote of the Week
A press release from CEO Poker:

"Executive poker players are the perfect target audience for men's grooming products," says William Peraza, Jr., CEO of CEO poker. "We are taking poker sponsorships to another level by integrating a men's fragrance and skin care line through out the CEO poker series, which has never been done before. We are expanding consumer product sponsorships for poker."
May 16th, 2007

Half-a-Billion Shavers
Philips Shavers has announced production of its 500 millionth electric shaver.

In 1939, Philips launched its first electric shaver, ‘The Cigar’, to the world....In 1959, to keep up with the explosion in consumer demand, revolutionary new technologies such as floating shaving heads were introduced and in 1978 the world’s first mains and rechargeable shaver was launched....The current most popular selling Philips shaver is the HQ 8140 model retailing at $89.99.
May 10th, 2007

Shaving Cream Replaced
Move over ladies - it's time to share the mirror. The Herald Sun belatedly discovers that men's grooming is big in Australia.

The men's grooming market is booming, worth A$150-$200 million last financial year -- excluding shavers -- and is expected to increase a further 40-50 per cent this year. Simple ranges of shaving cream and deodorant have been replaced with male-specific cleansers, exfoliants, eye creams, moisturisers and sunscreens.

Even cosmetic products such as concealer, bronzer and eye make-up are finding their way into man-bags across Melbourne.
May 3rd, 2007

Shiseido Shaving Cream
Is this really the best shaving cream? Yes, according to Men's Health magazine's third annual grooming awards.
April 25th, 2007

Men Like Things with Engines in Them
The Gillette Fusion five-blade razor makes a great target for newspaper columnists short on material. Now it's the turn of Giles Smith in The Times of London:

The consequences of fitting a genuine turbocharger to a razor blade do not bear thinking about. Unsurprisingly, then, Gillette turned out to mean by “turbo” a small battery-powered buzzer that caused the razor to emit a dimly audible hum, like the noise of a fly head-butting a window in an adjacent room.

Apparently the vibrations jiggle the hair follicles into a blade-ready position, though little anecdotal evidence exists of this happening, leading one to suspect that modern razors buzz principally because some bright spark in marketing noticed that men like things with engines in them. See also recent breakthroughs in toothbrush technology. The company that can patent a plausible motorised lavatory paper stands to make a killing.
April 12th, 2007

Remington - More Viral Marketing?
I've written (scroll down) of the success enjoyed by Philips Norelco in its viral marketing campaign for the Bodygroom body shaver. It seems Remington is trying something similar. Check out its Shed My Coat website.
March 20th, 2007

The Green Shave
The Green Options website introduces the green shave:

I have to say that overall, the natural shaving soap didn’t provide quite as smooth a shave as the conventional stuff. But I’m OK with it. As I said earlier, it’s been tough for me to give up the trappings of the non-green world when it comes to bath products, and so taking a step forward with shaving soap is a big move for me. A little less comfort or smoothness on my face is worth it to know I’m making a statement with my dollars not to support the chemical-industrial world.
March 7th, 2007

Short and Succinct
The Seeking Alpha investor website carries a short but succinct guide to men's grooming, Tips on Getting a Close Shave. Some excellent links.
February 28th, 2007

Guys Who Say "Product" When They Mean "Stuff You Put on Your Hair" Are Very Lucrative
Canada's Edmonton Journal carries a lengthy article, "Hello, Alpha Male," on new trends in men's grooming. Nothing especially new, but some fun quotes:

Quite simply, guys who say "product" when they mean "stuff you put on your hair" are very lucrative to companies such as P&G. "The men's grooming category is exploding," states Julie Marchant-Houle, P&G Canada's director of beauty care...

Luckily for P&G, alpha males are still males, despite the profusion of shoes in their closet or a willingness to pay upwards of $50 for a haircut. Males like gadgets, so forget about those wimpy twin-tracks --how 'bout a razor with five blades? And stick a battery in it while you're at it.

If the thought of holding a wet, vibrating razor to your throat -- with five blades no less -- fills you with trepidation, you, my man, are a workboot wearin' wimp. Alphas aren't afraid of a quintet of sharpened steel or scared off the by the $16.99 pricetag for the Gillette Fusion Power Phantom (complete with one cartridge and Duracell AAA battery).
February 19th, 2007

Bodygroom - Viral Marketing at Work
A couple of months ago I was contacted by a PR agency asking if I'd like to receive a free Philips Norelco Bodygroom body shaver. I declined, partly for ethical reasons, partly because it's probably the last thing I need, and partly because I'm in Australia, which I didn't think the PR guy had realised (so there were postage and customs implications).

It seems this was the way the product was being promoted - by viral marketing. OMMA magazine explains:

Sometimes, the best Web tactic is to convince other people to sell for you. Marketers for the Philips Norelco Bodygroom, a men's shaver designed to trim hair all over the body,wanted to move a set volume of product on a relatively small budget: less than $1 million....

Read on.
February 3rd, 2007

Stick to Blades
Consumer Reports takes a look at men's shavers, even though "none of our panelists who typically used blades said they would switch to an electric after trying some from our Ratings". The actual ratings are for subscribers only, which probably doesn't matter, as the report also noted:

Electric shavers can be expensive to buy and maintain. Most cost at least $60 and the top models run between $150 and $170. You'll need to replace heads every six months to two years, at a cost of about $25 to $45. And once the battery stops holding a charge, typically after a year or two, it's often cheaper and easier to replace the whole shaver than the rechargeable batteries. Even the best electric shavers don't shave quite as close as blades, according to our tests.
January 17th, 2007

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