Japan's men's cosmetics and beauty market is heating up

, japan'smen's
cosmetics and beauty market has been heating up in recent years as traditional attitudes have changed, and growth is expected to continue in the coming years, Kyodo news agencyreportedTuesdayThe report quoted an earlier statistic from a Tokyo-based institute that said that in fiscal year 2
006,
which ended in late March, the market for Japanese men's cosmetics reached 117.75 billion yen
(
114 yen) and the men's beauty salon market reached 33
2.
80 000 yenThe two markets are expected to grow at an annual rate of 1 to2
per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, over the next two yearsWith the changes in modern society, experts say, Japan is seeing more single,late marriage sourm or a wife with a job, and falling fertility rates have given men time and money to invest in themselvesMany more men are moving away from traditional attitudes in favour of a higher quality of lifeAll these factors are heating up the male beauty marketSeeing this opportunity, some businesses offer beauty treatments for men in addition to men's clothing and skincare cosmeticsIsetan, a high-end Japanese department store, opened a day beauty salon in September at its men's mall, offering head,and foot careto male customers,often overcrowded on weekendsA nail salon in Tokyo said45 per cent of its customers are nowby men, an increase of about
20from four years agoSome researchers say the warming of the Japanese men's beauty market is not a short-lived phenomenon
it presents a long-term trend