Mister right: Orbis renews men’s skin care line with aims to reach men in their 40s

Orbis Mr is the male-centric skin care line under the Orbis banner launched in 2019. In January, Orbis announced that the range will be relaunched in March across Japan.

The main reason for the relaunch was to broaden its target market to men in their 40s, said the firm.

“With the renewal of Orbis Mr, we will expand the target group to those in their 20s right to their 40s – who are growing significantly in the market. We will transition to men's skin care by age group, acquire new users, and expand the customer scale.”​

After a sluggish 2021 hampered by the COVID-19, the skin care brand said it had to tap into emerging segments​ to reach new customers and help sales recover.

In particular, it believes the men’s skin care segment holds plenty of promise​ as it has observed demand increasing year on year.

Citing data from INTAGE, the firm highlighted the market grew by 111% from 2020 to 2021 and was now worth JPY41.8bn (USD321.8m).

The company also noted that Orbis Mr has tripled in sales since its launch in 2019. In 2022, sales increased by 132% compared to the previous year.

The bulk of its consumers so far have been men in their 20s and 30s. However, with more men in their 40s actively seeking out skin care products, the brand is keen to meet their needs.

“We will further strengthen the presence of the brand in this market. In terms of target demographics, in addition to the traditional 20s and 30s, we will aim for further growth of the new Orbis Mr by expanding it to men in their 40s, which is growing significantly.”​

Age can be a key differentiator in the men’s personal care market​v. A survey previously conducted by the Japanese cosmetics portal @cosme found that while the use of skin care was high across the board, men in their 50s had the lowest usage rate of cosmetics.

The use of products such as essence, pore packs, eye creams, and supplements was highest among consumers in their 30s. On the other hand, the survey showed that make-up usage was higher among those below 30.

A good skin impression

At the moment, the relaunched Orbis Mr range will focus on three key aspects: cleanliness, freshness, and youthfulness.

According to the brand, these were the top impressions men hoped to have the appearance of and it is achieved by having a healthy ‘gloss’ to the skin, according to its own research on men’s skin conditions according to women.

The upcoming new products, which include a facial wash, lotion and cream were developed to achieve clean, glossy, and transparent skin.

Additionally, the range contains ingredients to inhibit common skin concerns associated with acne, such as roughness.

The company will continue to research men’s skin care with a focus on men in their 40s to develop relevant products.

“In the men's skin care market, which is expected to grow further in the future, Orbis will utilise its unique assets, such as its research capabilities to introduce renewed products with enhanced originality and differentiation.”​