The modern man has arrived — a new study has found that a majority of men are paying closer attention to their appearance than ever before.
A poll of 2,000 U.S. men aged 25 and older found that 68% of men care more about their appearance today than they did five years ago.
Likewise, 70% of men said they will turn to some sort of outside help in order to slow down age-related changes.
For many, that help comes from skin serums or lotions to treat wrinkles (24%), specialty shampoos and conditioners for hair thinning (23%), changing the way they style their hair (22%), or products and supplements to prevent gray hairs from appearing (19%).
While “2-in-1” products are preferred for convenience, they are only used by 37% of men. This shows that many are taking a more targeted, personalized approach when selecting their grooming routines than in the past.
Commissioned by Just For Men and conducted by Talker Research, the results found 61% of men believe they take more care in their grooming than other men their age, and have held onto their current routine for an average of six years.
The average man has seven steps in their daily grooming routine, paying the closest attention to their body care (83%), facial hair (80%), and head hair (78%).
Men shared that their current grooming routines are influenced primarily by their family members (38%). However, many still have their routines influenced by social media (32%), friends (31%), their significant other (27%), their barber (23%), or by pop culture figures and celebrities (11%).
And when asked to compare their grooming routines today to what they were just three to five years ago, 56% of men agreed they spend more time on their routines today. In addition, 51% spend more money on their grooming routines today.
Many of them said their increased care has been set into motion by wanting to improve their self-confidence (59%), be more appealing to their significant other or potential partners (48%), and make a stronger impression at work or at job interviews (37%).
Nearly three in five (58%), however, said they’re also concerned about signs of aging, such as gray hairs and skin wrinkles.
“There’s a lot of misconceptions about men not being in tune with grooming and anti-aging,” explained Baris Colakoglu, Sr. Director of Marketing at Just For Men®. “What we’re actually seeing is that men are caring more and more about their appearance, especially as they age, and there is no sign of this behavior (or trend) slowing down in the personal care space. As men hit what they feel is their prime, they want to take better care of themselves to improve confidence and health.”
The study found 62% pay close or significant amount of attention to signs of aging, but many are cautious about actually bringing it up.
More than a third (38%) said they rarely talk about anti-aging with their friends and family, bringing up the topic only a couple of times per year, at most. 16% said they never discuss it with their friends or family, emphasizing the stigma that many feel around the topic of aging.
Gray hair was notably ranked as the 3rd most aging concern for men. In fact, 63% of men aged 25 and older have found gray hairs before, finding their first by age 29, on average.
And many of them recalled a sense of surprise (50%) and utter annoyance (23%) by their first gray.
Three-quarters wish they could slow down age-related changes, and a similar 65% wish they could prevent gray hairs from occurring as they age.
“Gray hairs are at the center of a lot of men’s grooming and age-related concerns,” continued Baris Colakoglu, Sr. Director of Marketing at Just For Men®. “They’re an immediate sign of aging, and now, just like fine lines and wrinkles on skin, there’s an accessible, daily, dye-free solution with Gray Reverse. Taking the right steps to ensure gray hairs aren’t a centerpiece of concern helps men feel more like themselves.”
Research methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 800 American Gen Z men at least 25 years old and 1,200 American millennial men, who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Just for Men and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, 2025. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.
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