Holiday 2024: 43% of men plan to spend more than $100 on beauty and grooming gifts for others, outpacing women

As the holiday season approaches, half of male respondents (50%) expressed a desire to receive beauty and grooming gifts, particularly fragrances and colognes (68%) which jump to the top of their holiday lists. Furthermore, men are just as likely as women to treat themselves to holiday-themed products, with 41% planning to make such purchases this year. 

Glow-Up Gifts on Every Wish List
More than half of consumers (57%) are hoping to unwrap beauty and grooming products, with Gen Z leading the charge at 71%. Popular gift choices include fragrances (46%), gift cards (44%) and beauty value sets (32%). While nearly half (44%) of gift-givers are planning to give gift cards, many recipients would prefer physical products. In fact, gift cards rank fifth on wish lists (at 49%), behind highly desired beauty and self-care items such as bath and body products (66%), fragrances (66%), skincare (58%) and haircare (52%).

Gift givers are eager for hints, with 37% requesting wish lists to make their shopping easier. More than a quarter (26%) plan to gift their personal favorites, while 23% will look to social media for inspiration and 16% will opt for trending products.

Holiday Glam on a Budget
Savvy shoppers are on the hunt for beauty bargains this holiday season, with 65% of responders indicating they plan to capitalize on sales and promotions to maximize their purchases. Popular desired strategies include buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deals (56%), Black Friday discounts (50%), free shipping offers (45%), and redeemable rewards (37%).

While shoppers plan to rely on debit cards and cash this season, others plan to redeem points and rewards (16%) or use store credit cards (15%) and other alternative payments, like pay-over-time financing (12%). Seventy-one percent of men prefer cash rewards from store cards (compared to 60% of women). Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is most popular among younger generations, particularly among Gen Z (17%) and Millennials (18%), offering flexibility in beauty spending. Boomers are not a fan of BNPL, with just 3% reporting using BNPL to pay for beauty/grooming products this holiday season. 

Key takeaway: Beauty & grooming, the gift that keeps on giving
Despite economic uncertainty, beauty spending remains resilient, particularly among men, as well as Gen Z and Millennials, who are outpacing other generations in their beauty and grooming purchases. As we head into the holiday season, our research indicates that consumers will be particularly focused on seeking deals, including redeemable rewards and offers, to make the most of their beauty budgets.

Survey Methodology 
This was an online survey of 1,849 U.S. respondents who are aged 18+, conducted from Sept. 3 to 4, 2024.