The personal care wipes market continues to see growth as more consumers seek a quick, convenient and hygienic clean. Recent statistics from Euromonitor International predict the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of almost 3% from 2014-2019. While a number of new products are targeting women in the facial cleansing category, men’s wipes are beginning to gain traction in the marketplace.

According to Euromonitor’s Jabel Parayil, an analyst for tissue and hygiene, men’s wipes are a small segment within personal care wipes, which in itself makes up a small portion of the overall hygiene category. And while larger manufacturers seem to be ignoring wipes for men, he says smaller brands are seeing this niche market as an opportunity for them to build a consumer base and place more and more products into a man’s daily hygiene routine.

There are several reasons why new wipes companies are targeting the male demographic, Parayil says. First, they are looking to attract men in the 24-35 age range who have the disposable income and who want the benefit of wipes added to their daily hygiene regimen. Secondly, these wipes brands are hoping to create a “customer for life” once the products become part of the daily routine. Finally, he says, wipes are simple, and are continuously in need of restocking which could encourage automatic ordering of the product. “This plays well in line with the larger growing trend of subscriber based consumer products that are automatically shipped to the customers home,” he explains.

In the overall personal care products categories, Parayil is seeing more interest among men. “Though men tend to have more disposable income compared to women, overall they are fairly low-key in their grooming habits and income does not necessarily translate into higher volumes as they still have a lot less products in their bathrooms compared to women. That being said, men tend to like and purchase what they believe to be quality products, and this is the area where wipes specifically marketed towards men are trying to infiltrate. This interest in utilizing more personal care products is a culmination of more information, more income, and more marketing,” he says.

Flushable Wipes For Dudes

One of the pioneers in the men’s wipes category is Dude Wipes, the recipient of INDA’s Visionary Award in 2013. Co-founded by Sean Riley, Brian Wilkin, Jeff Klimkowski and Ryan Meegan shortly after graduating college in 2012, Dude Wipes are hypoallergenic flushable wet wipes infused with Vitamin E and aloe.

The men were wipes enthusiasts prior to their venture into the business—going through bulk packs of baby wipes as part of their daily bathroom routine—but were frustrated for not having wipes with them at work or outside of their apartment, according to Meegan. After realizing they probably weren’t the only guys using baby wipes in the bathroom, they saw an opportunity in the growing flushable wipes market.

“We figured if we could put a blunt, entertaining and masculine brand around wipes we might be on to something,” Meegan says. “We always knew we would get the ‘closet wipe guys’ to switch over to Dude Wipes, which we have, but what has also been great is that guys who never thought to use wipes in this way are getting on board too.”

Setting Dude Wipes apart from other flushable wipes in the market is their larger size—they’re about 25% bigger than other brands. Dude Wipes’ home pack wipe is 48 square inches and its travel wipe is 44 square inches.

Dude Wipes first became available online on the company’s website, www.dudeproducts.com and later in specialty stores. More recently, they are now available online at retailers like Amazon.com and Target.com, as well as brick and mortar stores like Kroger, Super Valu. Ralph’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Bass Pro Shops, and more. Meegan says they’re approaching 3000 stores.
Certainly giving the brand a boost was its recent appearance on the ABC television show Shark Tank, where aspiring entrepreneurs have an opportunity to pitch a panel of successful investors their unique innovations in hopes that they’ll secure an investment in return for a stake in their company. The dudes secured a deal with U.S.-based investor and entrepreneur Mark Cuban—a $300,000 investment for a 20% stake in the company.

“Things have been pretty crazy since appearing on the show,” Meegan says. “It brings your brand recognition to an entirely new level. There is a certain notoriety and respect for your brand after appearing on the show. It goes a long way in speaking to consumers and retail buyers, as the show is not easy to get on. Adding the fact that we received a deal and investment from Mark has brought even more validation to our brand. It has been great working with him and his team to try and take our company to the next level.”

Next up for the dudes is an innovation set to launch in May—Quick Dude Shower wipes (QDS). QDS is a large, thick shower replacement body wipe, something the guys were hoping to create since the early days of the company.

“Just as we revolutionized the moist toilet tissue market with Dude Wipes, we are going to do the same for the shower wipes market with the QDS,” Meegan says. “We are the pioneers of the male wipes category and the Dude brand will continue to innovate and develop hygiene solutions for men as the leading male wipes brand in the world.”

A Niche Wipe
Niche For Men are face and body deodorizing wipes founded in January 2013 by the company’s CEO Carl Gentile. Large enough for full body use—they’re  10 by 12 inches­Niche For Men wipes are designed to be antibacterial to thoroughly cleanse, alcohol free. The wipes are also infused with aloe vera and ginseng to keep the skin moisturized and revitalized to prevent drying out, according to Gentile, and have a cologne fragrance.

Gentile thought up the idea for the wipes on a flight from Boston to Florida. “A business man sat next to me, he looked over at me and apologized for not having time to shower that day because he was running around town between meetings,” Gentile recalls. “I chuckled to myself and thought how I commonly heard that from my buddies after a day of snowboarding or dirt biking and heading out afterwards. I quickly saw a void in men’s grooming products.”

Niche For Men Wipes are currently available on the company’s own website, www.nicheformen.com, and in select GNC stores nationwide in the U.S. They come in a travel two-pack and a larger 10-pack.

While the brand doesn’t currently have plans to add more wipes to its portfolio, Gentile says the company is in the process of evolving into an action sports focused full line men’s grooming brand with the release of its all natural three-in-one shower, shampoo, shave multi-wash in April.

Scalp Cleansing
For men who are follicly challenged, Bee Bald has a solution for keeping the delicate skin on the head clean and fresh. Bee Bald Refresh wipes are an  “on the go” solution for refreshing the head and face throughout the day and are available in a multipack or as a carton of 30 individually wrapped singles. The wipes relieve dryness, wipe away shine and help restore balance leaving the entire head and face feeling clean, fresh and totally revived, according to the company.

Before creating a line of products, which includes a daily cleanser, post-shave healing balm and moisturizer, Bee Bald’s founder Dennis Fisher experienced head and face sweat that made his head appear very shiny. “I was so embarrassed that I jokingly told others nearby that I needed to go home and create a cleansing wipe just for bald men! And that’s basically what I did,” he says.

Ingredients in the wipes include pollen extract and honey extract (where the “bee” in Bee Bald comes from, Fisher says), each of which contains essential nutrients that are highly beneficial to the skin. Pollen in particular is packed with enzymes and co-enzymes rich in polyphenols and anti-oxidants, vital components of a healthy skin care regimen.
“We are constantly looking at ways to innovate, both with our existing products as well as launching new ones,” Fisher says. “We will be looking at this in 2017 to see how we can do more for our customers while continuing to stay ahead of the competition.”

Right now, Bee Bald Refresh wipes are available at a number of U.S. retailers as well as online at BeeBald.com, Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, CVS.com and Walmart.com, among others.

Scent-sational Wipes
Swago, a new brand to the wipes market, launched its cologne-scented wipes to the market in 2014. Swago’s individually wrapped wipes are for men who don’t want to lug around a bottle of cologne on-the-go.

One of Swago’s creators thought of the idea after a flight home from a business trip when he had a date lined up upon his arrival home. He didn’t have time to shower before picking up his date, and after heading into a convenience store to see if there was something inexpensive to enhance his smell, the idea for a men’s cologne wipe was born.

The company is targeting males 18-35, but says they’re seeing a lot of women buying the scented wipes for the men in their life. “Women are the main buyers of men’s grooming and personal care products,” says Marc Lewin of Swago.

Lewin says the scents are modeled after great smelling scents on the marketplace, ranging from strong and manly to light citrusy and sweet. The sachets holding the wipes feature a “scratch and sniff” sticker so that the user can smell the scent before putting it on.

The wipes are available at select retailers nationwide and at the company’s new e-commerce site, www.swagoscents.com, which ships in the U.S. and abroad. Swago wipes are available in a one-wipe test pack, a four-pack and a 20-pack.

For Bathroom Grooming
ManGroomer Biz Wipes are another flushable option for men, debuting in late 2012.  They are specifically formulated for men, and can be used in addition to toilet paper to effectively clean and eliminate any unwanted residue.

“We noticed a lack of options (no options actually) for male grooming below the belt, and saw this as an opportunity to create a great product with great value, great packaging and a manly scent,” says ManGroomer’s marketing director Matt Pawlik.

ManGroomer Biz Wipes are scented with a masculine, woody scent, and in addition to using at the toilet, the wipes can be used to freshen up the groin or underarm area after a long day at work or a trip to the gym. “ManGroomer Biz Wipes can effectively remove the sweat and odor that lurk in all those cracks and crevices on the male body,” Pawlik says.

Biz Wipes are dermatologist tested, hypoallergenic and are free of parabens and alcohol. Vitamin E and aloe are added for an soft, soothing feel for sensitive skin.

The wipes are available for purchase on Amazon.com, Walgreens.com and Drugstore.com. They come as single packs with 50 wipes per pack or they can be bought as a six-pack (300 total wipes).

Beard Friendly
Inspired by “Movember,” also known as No Shave November—the month in which men grow out their facial hair to raise awareness and funds for men’s health programs—Kyle Larocco founded Zekes Beard Wipes.

Larocco grew out his beard in “Movember” 2014, and his girlfriend hated it. “When asking her why the hatred towards beards, she said, ‘because they’re ugly, dirty, things get stuck in it, and it smells funny…it just doesn’t look good,’” he recalls.

Even friends were complaining, and finally Larocco realized he couldn’t ignore them anymore. The itch, the dry flakey skin, smells, and worrying about what to eat was getting to him. “That’s when I came up with Zekes Beard Wipes—a mobile bath for your beard,” he says.

The wipes, which launched last November, are made with essential oils such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, and argan oil, specifically selected because they are optimal for cleaning and conditioning beards. The wipes also include aloe to condition skin where it can be most irritated, especially for new beard growers.  

The 46-square-inch wipes are thick, durable, elastic and stretchy, according to Larocco. They are available in a 10 pack or 30 pack of individual wipes. “The 10 pack is shaped like a cigarette box so it’s discreet and easy to carry,” he says. “Don’t get us wrong, beard oils and beard balms have their place. But the bar, the game, the office, or wherever you might wind up on a given evening—aren’t it. Zekes Beard Wipes are portable, practical and perfectly suited to the job of keeping your beard looking its best on the go.”
Zekes Beard Wipes are available at ZekesBeardWipes.com, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk.

Just One Wipe Needed
One Wipe Charlies, launched by the monthly razor subscription service Dollar Shave Club, debuted in June 2013. The flushable moist wipes are made of biodegradable viscose rayon and feature a gentle peppermint scent.

“Dollar Shave Club’s goal is to own the men’s bathroom and be the easiest place for men to buy the products they use everyday. Launching One Wipe Charlies was one step in that direction,” says a Dollar Shave Club representative.

Before launching new products, the company says it speaks to its three million members to understand the products they want and research the category. After surveying 1000 men, the company found that 51% were using wet wipes regularly, with 24% hiding them in the bathroom and 23% buying them discreetly online. “We knew there was a need for a butt wipe men would not be ashamed to purchase,” the brand rep says.

One Wipe Charlies are effective by using Oat Extract as the cleaning agent, according to the company. The wipes are infused with soothing agents such as aloe vera, chamomile and cucumber for cleaning this sensitive area of the body. They are also paraben-free.

One Wipe Charlies are exclusively available for purchase at www.dollarshaveclub.com. They come in a 40-count package for $4 and $7.50 for 40 individually wrapped wipes.