Wetshaving comeback

[Gamagrass]

I don't know the actual statistics, so there is that - not sure a larger percentage of folks are getting into DE shaving. But I do agree it SEEMS so.

I got into it because I thought I had thrown away enough plastic in my life, so was looking to throw away less.

I have converted some friends. With a smallish group like we are, word of mouth might have an influence. Exponential growth and all, being what it theoretically is ...

Forums like B&B ... actually, B&B, not like B&B ... make it easier for people to join our ranks.

 

[JCarr]

When I got into it, I was looking for a better way to shave...one that wouldn't leave me looking like I was raked and burned. All the tips I found on these forums helped with that. But traditional wet shaving was the solution.

Just a guess, but I would think that most guys try it out for similar reasons and either find some success and stay or give up trying and abandon it.

 

[Mike M]

Ok, I got in this to save money and for a better, more comfortable shave. On point one I did save money for the first few years, but we all know that doesn't last. On point two that is a big yes.
I have two sons who shave, both started on carts. The youngest got irritation from the start, so we swapped goo for my soaps, improvement, but no cigar, then I swapped the razor for a DE and that was it. The oldest was complaining about the cost of carts and the number he got through so I bought him a DE and gave him some blades, when his goo ran out he tried my soaps and now he gets to shave for free (to him). He also likes the environmental aspect, he gave up shower gel for soap, but amazingly can't give up bottled water for tap water, go figure.

 

[Rosseforp]

I'm not so sure there is a resurgence in traditional wet-shaving, I think people are more savvy to it because of its presence on the internet.
My Dad always used a DE, and my first razor in the 1970's was one of his old ones, probably an Aristocrat because it was gold colored.
I didn't get along with the DE, and used a Trac 11 for a decade or so before switching to electrics because I didn't get along with carts either.
I only shaved once or twice a week for the better part of the last 40 years because I hated shaving, and I grow a lousy beard.
I took up wet-shaving early 2019, then discovered B&B, and my face is much happier now. Not only that, I actually enjoy shaving now.

Shortly after I took up wet-shaving up surveyed 50 of my co-workers and found about 6% of us were into wet-shaving, and the rest used mostly cheap carts, and only a few used electrics.

I'm hoping that once things start getting back to normal, more of us gents will start shaving again, and the market will make an upturn for the wet-shaving community.

Man I need a shave

doug

 

[Scaramouche]

You can purchase a market research report (generally several thousand dollars), but I would expect DE blade sales is an indication, and one research quote "Global Double Edge Razor Blades market was valued at 1259.87 Million USD in 2020 and will grow with a CAGR of 3.44% from 2020 to 2027." Modest, but growth. An additional breakdown (dated, but still accurate):

"For industry structure analysis, the double edges blade industry is relatively concentrate. The top five producers account for about 56.33% of the revenue market. Regionally, Europe is the biggest production area of double edges blade, Europe is also the biggest consumption market in the whole double edges blade industry.

Europe occupied 32.49% of the sales volume market in 2016. It is followed by North America and Asia, which respectively have around 22.89% and 16.90% of the global total industry. Other countries especially developing countries are becoming more and more important in the market. Geographically, Russia, South America and Asia occupied most of the production market in the world."

As a comment, some research indicates a downturn by the same degree by 2027, and if you are an industry, you pick the research firm with whom you've had the best track record, so probably at a guess I would project dead even for sales over the next 5 years, with some potential market inroads in less developed countries for a possible modest gain. That's a win for many industries in these troubled times.