Metrosexuals increase in major cities: Survey

Men in the country's major cities are paying more attention to their scent, hair and skin, a Nielsen survey found.

Sales of male grooming products increased by 29.3 percent to Rp 1.24 trillion (US$145 million) in 2010 from Rp 957 billion a year earlier, the survey said.

"The male grooming segment has a lot of potential to grow. Although male grooming products contributed only 10 percent to the total sales of personal care products," homepanel services associate director Hellen Katherina said Tuesday.

She said that each household spent Rp 57,000 on average for male grooming products such as cleansers, colognes and shampoos last year, up from RP 49,000 in 2009.

Hellen added that the market potential for male grooming products was still big, with possible robust sales growth in the future as men become increasingly concerned about their appearance and are willing to spend money to become attractive and confident.

The survey covered 4,550 households in five cities: Greater Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Medan.