If 50 is indeed the new 30, the modern man needs to look the part. To that end, men are now turning to anti-aging lotions, creams, voodoo,and pretty much anything else they can get their hands on in an effort to stay young-looking and stave off their “distinguished” years.

According to Mintel, a global product and market research firm, age-defying products for men weren’t even a category before 2005. By 2007, however, anti-aging weapons accounted for 20% of the estimated $50 million in male skin care sales.

A 2007 Mintel report on anti-aging elixirs explained that “men in general have shown that they are much more open to using products that enhance personal appearance, including anti-aging products.”

As a result, an increasing number of companies, both high-end and mass market, are pumping out anti-aging products. Major packaged-goods companies, such as Nivea, Neutrogena, and L’Oréal Paris, have all added male-focused anti-aging products to their lineups. In 2007 alone, 53 new anti-aging skin care products for men were introduced—four times the number of launches in 2005, according to Datamonitor’s Productscan Online.

“[Nivea’s] proposition to the men’s consumer was and still is, You have a demanding lifestyle, you want to work hard, play hard, and you still need to look fit,” says Nicolas Maurer, vice president of marketing for Beiersdorf Inc., Nivea’s parent company. “And your skin needs to have the right level of energy in order for you to look fit and radiant.”

But while the ingredients in men’s anti-aging products may read similarly to those in women’s, the marketing for each needs to be vastly different. As USA Today reports, you can’t simply slug “for men” on a bottle that has been traditionally marketed to women and expect it to sell. Instead, the marketing should reflect the way men talk about these products. The package of a product directed at men, for example, may say “wrinkle defense,” whereas for women it may read “fine-line minimizer.”

John Esposito, co-owner of Truman’s, a men’s grooming service in New York City, recognizes that some men are less comfortable talking about anti-aging services like facials or hair colorings. “We wouldn’t call it an anti-aging service, but that’s the main reason men are doing it,” he says. “Customers will say it makes them look better, but the real reason is that it makes them look younger. Looking good is a competitive advantage.”

Maurer agrees, adding: “With simple steps you can achieve great results that will make a difference and make you perform better, succeed, and improve your appearance.”

And while many men are trying anti-aging products for the first time, some are taking even more drastic, and costlier, measures. From 2000 to 2007, there was a 215% increase in the number of men who took Botox injections. In that same time period, there was also a 96% rise in laser skin resurfacing.

According to doctors who perform the procedure, there are a few common reasons male patients elect to receive Botox injections, which include: looking better for social and romantic ends; succumbing to a wife’s encouragement (or demands); and, echoing Esposito’s comments, a desire to remain competitive in the workplace.

Source: The New York Times, 2008