93% of adult Americans shower or shampoo almost daily. The market research firm Mintel surveyed the squeaky clean and discovered while shopping for bath suds 38% are drawn to scent, 35% want extra moisturizers in there, and 18% want the least expensive. While women are still the key purchasers, 18-34 year old men are buying the most in the body wash category (58%). The admen behind that popular Old Spice body wash commercial “Smell like a man, man” know what they’re doing.
There’s been a lot of recent controversy about the synthetics that help propel this market. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 93% of Americans have a detectable amount of BPA – a controversial synthetic endocrine disruptor – in their bodies. BPA, PVC, and other synthetics are suspected of endangering the health of infants and manufacturers are beginning to remove them in many cases. There’s no move however to remove synthetic fragrances from the super profitable body wash sector, despite the frequent complaint by females in the age group that many of their male counterparts are babies.