When Fragrance Becomes Identity: What Men's Grooming Tells Us About the Future of Smell

Something is happening in men's grooming that deserves more than a trend report. It deserves a closer look at the nose.

In a recent interview with Personal Care Insights, Augusto Garzon — Global Brand VP for Axe and Dove Men+Care at Unilever — laid out a striking shift in how men relate to personal care. The men's grooming market, now valued at over $50 billion globally, is no longer defined by dark packaging and one-note "sport" scents. Men are building multi-step routines. They're exploring textures, formats, and — crucially — fragrance as a mode of self-expression. Nearly half of male consumers now actively choose male-targeted products, up from just 19% a few years ago.